ABSTRACT
Wow, the years go by and everything changes except the potential for bad behavior at the company holiday party. So it’s that time of year to remind everyone about holiday party protocol. The rules are simple:
Dance with your boss’s spouse at your peril. There is lot to lose and not much to gain.
Remember that anything crazy you do will end up on YouTube. It will become part of your permanent record, so to speak.
Dress as if you are going to a very festive wedding, not like you are going to a Halloween party.
Take a taxi or Uber if you have too much to drink. Arrest records are a lot less funny on Monday morning.
Thank everyone you meet and say that you are happy to be a part of the team, even if it’s not true.
Then there is the “new” holiday party, or, as some call it, lunch. For reasons of cost and, more importantly, liability, many holiday parties are now lunch. Yes, look around at lunch during the holiday season and you might see a large group sitting around the long table. At the head of the table the boss is awkwardly making small talk. Everyone else is sitting awkwardly too. A few gifts might be exchanged.