The office holiday party season is about to begin. Careers can slow down or end because of regret after these events. The holidays are a time to celebrate, but they are still a professional event. Avoid having a terrible company holiday party, and even more so, a dreadful morning after.

Office holiday parties are full of opportunities for regret. A work party is still a work event. As a result, there are rules and etiquette expectations regardless of your place on the org chart. Don’t be “that guy” that people whisper about when everyone returns to work the next day. Avoid being “that lady” that gets summoned to HR the next morning.

According to a study commissioned by Eventbrite, 1 in 3 people attending an office holiday party will do something they regret. Additionally, the average person will learn seven new pieces of gossip. Furthermore, thirty-seven percent of respondents have claimed to witness a holiday office party hookup, so don’t think hanging out in the corner making out won’t be noticed. Even more, thirty-five percent of respondents have witnessed the otherwise quiet and reserved teammates become the life of the party.

Keep your name off the naughty list this year because of regretful behavior by following these tips.

Social media regret

Organizations love to share their human side on social media. There will be office holiday party updates, hashtags, pictures, and more. Keep that in mind as the party progresses. As for your personal social media posts, uninstall your apps so you aren’t tempted to post one of those seven new pieces of gossip you’ve learned.

Loose lips at the office holiday party regret

If you choose to partake in any alcohol-related offerings, you accept the risk of loose lips syndrome. Don’t be the town crier further spreading those tidbits of juicy gossip. Limit yourself to 2 alcoholic beverages, or stick to soda water and no one will know your drink is alcohol-free. Most people keep what they think of co-workers to themselves, that is until the party where they overshare their way to regret.

Giving a “what for” regret

When you hate your job, your boss, or co-workers and can avoid the office holiday party you should. At the party, defenses go down and it is easy to get wrapped up in sharing how you really feel. Knowing that gossip is rampant during these events, the chances of sharing how you feel getting around are high. Furthermore, alcohol will give you the courage to finally tell people how you really feel.

Drinking too much regret

If ever there was a time to impose a drink limit on yourself, the office holiday party is it. Fifty-seven percent of the respondents to the Eventbrite survey indicated they drank too much or witnessed someone else doing so. Not only will you have to struggle at work the next morning because of a hangover, but you will also find people whispering behind your back all the things you can’t remember.

Office holiday party hookup regret

Any office hookup is a regret, but the office holiday party hookup is even more so. That is because at the office holiday party everything is out in the open. Senior executives are in attendance, as is HR. There are pictures, gossip, loose lips, and more. You aren’t as slick as you might think, and in the era of #MeToo, why take the risk. As if you need more convincing to avoid hooking up at the office holiday party, it is the number one regret.

It is foolish to have a career setback because of office holiday party regret. What happens in one night can diminish, or worse, erase your reputation. Avoid these common regrets by remembering it is a work event. Limit your alcohol consumption or avoid it altogether. Don’t overshare your way to regret by spreading gossip. And finally, don’t look for a hookup.

Last updated on June 3rd, 2020 at 03:31 am