Keep your clothes on and other office-party tips
Posted by Administrator on December 13, 2011
WASHINGTON (MarketWatch) — At the office holiday party this year, do share an interesting tidbit with the head of your company. But don’t celebrate with too much drinking.
Sounds obvious, right?
Unfortunately, workers at holiday parties can stray from the professional image they’d prefer to project, as Ken Pinnock, associate director of employee relations and services at the University of Denver, knows all too well.
Pinnock recalled a particularly jaw-dropping incident from a party several years ago hosted by a prior employer. “One of the higher level administrative assistants was dancing, she had had a lot of spirits, and when she was dancing she pulled up her skirt,” he said.
It gets worse. “She wasn’t wearing any underwear. It was just for a split second, but people saw, and she wasn’t aware of how obvious it was,” Pinnock said.
The administrative assistant ended up apologizing to witnesses, he said. But years later she’s still remembered for her dance-floor antics rather than the fine job she did supporting the office.
In some sense, work parties are a set-up. That is, workers hear the word “party” and think the event is an opportunity to relax, let go, show colleagues what they’re really like outside of cubicle walls. But the truth is that work parties are, in fact, work — meaning it’s important to maintain professional conduct.
“The line will be blurry sometimes, but these people will still be your boss and colleagues the next day,” said Anna Post, author and great-great-granddaughter of etiquette expert Emily Post. “Be careful about how much you drink and think about the pictures of you that could be posted on Facebook.”
Newer employees may be particularly nervous about drinking, dress and conversation standards for parties. If so, they should just ask co-workers for some guidance. “Talk to your colleagues and ask what the tone of parties typically is, if there are any topics to be careful about,” Pinnock said. “Go in with some awareness and context.”
Even with the best intentions, lines of propriety can be crossed. Sign that this has occurred: everyone around you gets quiet. Or people leave, or stay and look uncomfortable. What to do?
“Often it’s best just to move forward and not make a big deal about it,” Pinnock said. “Maybe it was one person who was offended, so don’t make an issue in front of everyone there. If you need to apologize or just clarify your intent, do that later, not in front of the group because that calls attention to the issue even more.”
Here are a few more tips to help navigate the office holiday celebrations:
Avoid superficial networking
Good networking is about real connections.
“Bad networking is using people,” said Meredith Haberfeld, a New York-based executive and career coach. “We’ve all been to events where someone is working the room, passing out and collecting business cards and you feel no genuine connection. You can tell the person isn’t even listening.”
To ensure that real connections are made, Haberfeld recommended focusing on one conversation at a time. People who have “their attention on the people they are speaking with, they’re engaged and engaging,” she said. “They’re listening well and sharing.”
Partygoers also should focus on people who are actually in the room with them. That means putting away the smartphone. “Don’t network with people who aren’t there,” Post said. “A lot of times people will text quickly while they carry on a conversation. To the people standing there with you it’s as if you just put your hand in their face for a minute.”
A party can be a good opportunity to meet workers in other parts of your organization. “Talk to people you don’t normally talk to,” Pinnock said. “It helps to build relationships that can carry over into day-to-day activities.”
When clients are present, try to talk to a few that aren’t necessarily yours. “You are not trying to get business out of this person,” Post said. “You are being a good host by making that person welcome and chatting with them.”
Meet the boss
Make office parties work for you by connecting with a direct supervisor or someone even higher up, experts say. You can ask a colleague for an introduction, or approach the boss on your own.
“It’s a chance to make a great impression,” said Charles Purdy, senior editor at careers website Monster.com. “You should be able to talk about what you are working on in a couple of minutes, but also have non-work-related topics at hand.”
Before he attends parties, Purdy makes sure to check out industry and general news so that he’s never without an appropriate conversation topic. Workers can also conduct some research ahead of time to find out about the boss’s interests.
Job search
Holiday parties present good opportunities for job seekers. However, the objective isn’t to hand over a résumé at a party, but to get a business card from a prospective employer or interest in a follow-up conversation.
“In a short dialogue situation like a party, you are going to get 12 seconds to interest them, or be shuffled to the side if there is no engagement,” said Peter Crist of Crist|Kolder Associates, a Hinsdale, Ill.-based search firm for top-level executives and board directors.
“Introduce yourself to the CEO, and say you’re a big fan because of X. They key is to really engage them, and that the banter increases.”
Haberfeld said the holidays are a great time to reach out to people in your network with whom you haven’t had recent personal contact, and to use it as a time to wish them well, even if your ongoing job search isn’t leaving you in the best of spirits.
“You may not feel in the mood, but depending on the party, they can be an incredible opportunity to authentically connect and to have a good time with people that are your network and people you want to connect with, having you be top-of-mind for them when opportunities do come along that could be a fit for you,” Haberfeld said.
Job seekers can ask prospective employers for an opportunity to speak again in the future.
“It’s a classic sales technique. When you are cold calling someone, you ask for a commitment to chat more later,” Post said. “When you call back later, they have opted into the opportunity to learn more about you, and that builds a stronger relationship.”
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