Beware Festive Cheer (or what not to do at the Office Christmas Party)

Now that Christmas is in three weeks time it seems appropriate to repeat my annual warnings about the perils of enjoying the office Christmas party too much (assuming, of course, that your employer is still holding one).  

 

Christmas parties can get out of hand and everyone comes to regret it afterwards. Work rules apply at the Christmas party as much as in the office, which is why actions or comments (which inevitably occur after too much alcohol has been consumed) often end in tears for all concerned.  For this reason many companies choose not to hold an annual bash to avoid all the accompanying aggro.  I had a good laugh when I hear about a friend of a friend of a friend (and not a client I should emphasise) who got so drunk one year that she flashed her breasts at her boss; the next year she merely got so drunk she had to be taken home.  She hasn’t been invited to the Party this year.  In another example, from some years ago, a woman (again not a client) slept with her boss after the party and then, in January, found she was selected for redundancy.

 

It’s not all about drunkenness and sex though.  In one case, an employee who resigned and claimed constructive dismissal because his employers failed to honour the substantial pay rise promised to him at the Christmas party by his line manager lost his case.  It was held the promise had not been intended to create a legally binding obligation. 

 

Remember, office rules apply at the Christmas Party.

If you’ve any more examples of office party howlers please feel free to leave a comment below.

 

This article will appear in the Docklands and Peninsula newpapers week commencing 8th December