The office Christmas party can be a great time to have fun with co-workers in a festive and joyful atmosphere. Plan to enjoy your evening, but don’t forget to observe their behavior and conversation topics. Professional behavior must be displayed in any function authorized by the company, including parts of the company. Whenever you are in the company of co-workers, it is best not to say some things, whether you are in the office, in public, or at the office Christmas party.
Here are some comments you hear at a company meeting. Can you say which ones are best left unsaid? “Christy in Sales refuses to back down from a challenge. She refuses to take no for an answer. Did you hear that she and the CEO hate each other?” Another overheard conversation. “Kim from Accounting leaves no stone unturned. She leaves the office late when necessary. Did you hear that she is leaving her husband?”
Know what to say and what no Saying is detrimental to maintaining a respected professional reputation and promising career.
In any professional position, your ability to carry on a conversation is very important to building and maintaining good working relationships with your co-workers. It is also equally important to know the difference between personal and professional talking points and to stay within professional boundaries. This is especially true during the many conversations you will share over the course of the company Christmas party.
The border between professional and personal relationships is not always easy to patrol, especially at informal company functions such as the office Christmas party. But the boundaries of the conversation help determine an employee’s reputation. Putting those limits into practice preserves the integrity of employees. Therefore, it is best to understand the limits of professional behavior and conduct and not deviate from them, no matter how well you know your co-workers.
Whether you’re a director, manager, or grassroots employee, the ability to converse pleasantly within a professional yet friendly mindset will help ensure that conversations with co-workers never distract from a positive, productive workplace.
You listened?
To determine the boundaries of professional conversation, a good rule of thumb is to avoid problems that might make someone uncomfortable. Some topics that are likely to fall into the “awkward category” are romance, physical appearance, health, race, religion, and personal finances.
Also, refrain from gossiping! Gossip is a BIG no-no. A single inappropriate comment can hurt the way others perceive you, and those negative effects on reputation and future advancement can be long-term.
Refraining from sharing or listening to gossip can be difficult to adhere to, especially outside of the office environment. Gossip often occurs in places or situations that feel informal like elevators, bathrooms, or off-site company events. There are many office Christmas party stories from coworkers whose behavior or conversations were less professional, to put it mildly. If you are at any event or place, if there are co-workers present in the conversation, you need to consider appropriate and inappropriate topics. Keep your words productive and positive.
One strategy is to turn off-topic conversations back into work-related topics as quickly as possible. By redirecting the conversation with a smile and a sense of humor, you can avoid coming across as unsympathetic. By saying something like “Let’s not go there,” you can stick to the appropriate topics without seeming to be stuck.
Just as informal places can cause problems for co-workers, so can seemingly informal methods of communication, such as email or instant messages. Don’t forget that it is easier to spread rumors, gossip and bad jokes to multiple people than by word of mouth. Think before you speak and think before you hit the send button!
Pass the dip, endure the criticism
When you meet at the Christmas party, you are likely to run into co-workers and people you don’t know or don’t know well. Keeping your professional voice in mind is very important when speaking with unfamiliar employees or guests. The lady you just put in line at the banquet with whom you are complaining about your “lazy bucket partner” could be the wife of that lazy bucket partner. Worse still, you could be a decision maker in a future promotion decision whose memory of you is your negative comment.
It is important that you mingle with the guests at the Christmas party. His inclination is to hang out with co-workers whom he knows have become friends. Remember that, in addition to a pleasant evening, it is also an opportunity to achieve professional goals and advance. Look for opportunities to meet superiors with whom you do not interact regularly. Meeting coworkers from other offices or departments can open new doors to connections, future advancements, or work productivity. Have fun with your coworkers, but make sure you meet as many new people as possible.
These are the yokes
When hooking up and having fun with your favorite gang of co-workers, keep the cheer and cheer up, but be careful with the jokes. Although you may be repeating a really funny story you heard or a quote from your favorite comedian, run it through the professional boundary detector to make sure it is within the appropriate limits.
Businesses and offices are made up of a wide range of people and ages. A topic that is funny to you may be offensive to someone else. A laugh at someone else’s expense won’t do you any favors in your career, even if it’s said in a joke.
Although the Office Christmas party can be a potential minefield, it is also an opportunity to enjoy hospitality and corporate appreciation for your work. So celebrate, but remember to wear your professional hat. The next time you want a promotion or work with a team on a big project, you’ll reap the rewards of your professionalism.