Holiday Party Part 2 (See Part 1 of Holiday Parties here)
Link to the classic company party CLM
Follow the Dress Code
FOLLOW DIRECTIONS. Don’t try to prove a point by wearing jeans and a T-shirt. Seriously. CLM. The company is spending a lot of money to show appreciation. Don’t give them the finger.
Behavior indicates a blatant disregard for company direction. Can you be trusted to represent your company on the outside?
Show up
Not showing up to the company party is taken as a blatant statement. “I don’t want to spend time with you people, and even free food isn’t enough to bring me out.” It is insulting. If you have a good reason to be absent, we get that, but we also remember it. We really remember making a habit of not showing up to company functions. You won’t get fired, but you won’t get promoted with this move.
Behavior indicates: Do you WANT to entertain clients, onboard new hires, or manage others? The company needs to believe that you not only “can” make an impact but you “want” to. Let them know you drink the company Kool-Aid.
Say thank you
To your department head and CEO. Depending on the size of your company, you should be able to figure out who the appropriate person is. They spent a TON of money on this function. Trust me, 2 out of 100 will do this. You are not sucking up, you are saying “thank you”. It is civilized; it is the right thing to do.
Behavior Indicates: Will you take care of the customer? Will you follow up? Can you say thank you even when you have been declined the account you were chasing?
Spouses behavior matters
Do what you can to ensure your spouse is on their best behavior and dressed appropriately. You want to be remembered for your business mind, not that you “got game” or your home life is F’d. Think of it this way. Your spouse meeting your manager is equivalent to your spouse meeting your parents.
Your department head or VP is your grandparent. Who you bring to social events makes an impact on your personal friends. It makes the same impact on your co-workers. If you show up with a spouse who behaves, dresses, drinks or eats inappropriately, it might as well be you. Managers want confidence in their employees. It is NOT that they want to know there are no distractions and the home life is good. They could care less. But they will rationalize any dip in your behavior if they suspect your home life isn’t stable. It’s called gossip, and there is a reason The National Enquirer sells.
Behavior indicates: Back to entertaining guests and hosting parties. Do they have to worry about your spouse supporting you and the company? We don’t want your VP thinking they are trashing management or the company.
Make introductions
Introduce your significant other to your manager and department head. If children are present, introduce them as well. Make sure your S.O. will introduce themselves if you become separated. Say goodbye to the same people you make introductions to and say “thank you”. Don’t just “duck out”.
Don’t drink and drive
Get a ride, call a cab, or crash on the floor. If you work in an HR department, provide cab vouchers.
Nuff said.
HRNasty HRNasty works for a privately held start-up alongside a small and dedicated group of geeks, hipsters, and technical badasses. Our Christmas party is to say “thank you” to not just them for their hard work but to their spouses for their patience and flexibility. We will serve alcohol and plenty of it. Fun has a different definition for everyone, and we don’t just respect that; we embrace it. The CEO will say, “Nothing you say or do will affect your career on this night.” We will drive this point home. I hope that this is the best party folks will attend all year long. Together, we are building a culture of “work harder than you ever have and play harder than you ever have”, where the management team will blow off steam at a pace that will be hard to follow. I came to this company to work in a place where people can concentrate on their work and not what others think, where there are no rules, only guidelines. Meritocracy, plain and simple.Thank you, best colleagues ever
To the folks I have the fortune to work with. Thanks for allowing me to be part of this special group. Look for me out on the deck. I will have plenty of Cuban Cigars for anyone interested, and I hope we relax, talk shop, and dream about 2013. My only request is to pay attention to guideline number 11.See you at the after party,
HRNasty
nasty: an unreal maneuver of incredible technique, something that is ridiculously good, tricky, and manipulative but with a result that can’t help but be admired, a phrase used to describe someone good at something. “He has a nasty forkball”.
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tarczyca
April 7, 2011Good site, very intresting article