Friday, 15 August 2014



Business etiquette basics for end of year work parties





The longer you work for a company, the more you feel comfortable in your surroundings and with your colleagues. Feeling comfortable is fantastic because it allows your confidence to shine through.

However, there are times when it can be taken too far – and those times are often at the work related end-of-year festivities.

In today’s post I want to share with you some basic business etiquette tips for your end-of-year party to help you avoid waking up the next day full of regret.

Attend the party.
Just like networking events, quite often professionals dread going to their end-of-year festive party. But if you want to move up that corporate ladder, you should absolutely go. Work related parties are a fantastic opportunity for people in the office to get to know you better, and for you to get to know your colleagues better. Quite often we only communicate with people in the office via e-mail, so an end-of-year party adds a nice human element to your work relationship.

Wear appropriate clothing.
Even though it’s a party, it’s still a professional function where your colleagues and boss will be present. Don’t hinder your professional reputation and career advancement by wearing clothing that is too casual or too revealing. For women, avoid showing cleavage and avoid skirts that are too short. For men, don’t be tempted to put on your favourite weekend t-shirt.

Keep your alcohol consumption reasonable.
Consuming too much alcohol at a work function immediately brings into question your integrity, responsibility and authority. Much of the advice I give my readers in these posts is about how to establish confidence and power in the workplace. All that effort you’ve put into your outfit, your body language, and your voice can quickly be erased by one too many drinks at the end-of-year party. My rule of thumb is: 1-2 alcoholic beverages, and never drink on an empty stomach.

Help people get to know you before the party.
Buy a large bag of candy or chocolates and leave them in the office kitchen with a gracious note offering your colleagues to help themselves. Make sure you leave your name on the note so at the end-of-year party, people will know who to thank. It makes for a great ice-breaker and a more interesting transition into small talk.

Be VERY selective about the photos you post on Facebook (if any).
Not everybody has a Facebook account, and not everybody wants to find out that a picture of him or her is posted on your Facebook account. Please respect the privacy of others. If you’re going to take photos of your colleagues at the end-of-year party and would like to post them on your Facebook page, please ask the people in those photos first.

source:http://executive-impressions.com

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