After two years of canceled gatherings, office parties are returning to workplace culture. After a few long years, don’t forget that behavior matters and missteps can follow you long after last call. Here are three faux pas that could cost your career:
1. Opting out. Some employees decide the party doesn’t sound like fun and skip it all together. While you don’t have to stay all night, you should make a point to attend. It’s an expression of your appreciation to your employer and investment in your team.
2. Office drama. Because it’s more of a social atmosphere, employees can let their hair down—in all the wrong ways. Just because it’s a party, doesn’t give you license to gossip or stoke tensions. It is still a professional function, not a time to let off steam.
3. Overindulgence. We all know the dangers of excess alcohol at an office event. Yet, too many employees decide that a few drinks won’t do any harm—only to find that it does. You should never have more than a drink or two over the course of the evening.
While you should mind your manners at an office party, don’t forget that it’s a celebration! An office gathering doesn’t have to be a painful professional obligation; it can be an enjoyable time to connect with colleagues. If all the missed happy hours, employee lunches, and holiday parties of the pandemic taught us anything, it’s the value of connection.
