If you work or are planning to work in the UK you will be invited to a Christmas party at work. It is a very big tradition in the UK and can be a very fun evening. It is, however, useful to understand what the party is all about and be aware of some of the common mistakes people make that can cause problems in their job afterwards.
The first important thing to know is that most people call a Christmas party and “do”. They may say “are you coming to the Christmas do?” The word “do” simply mean party but it is easy to not understand and get confused.
The Christmas do is the one time of year where in most work places even the bosses and owners will chat and dance with all the people that work in the company. This can be a very hard thing to get right. It is normal to treat your boss with respect and in some big companies you never get to speak to them. But at the Christmas party you may need to speak to your boss about things that are not related to work. It is important to understand that you can be friendly but remember they are still the boss or manager! Many people have said something they wished they had not and even talked about something they like to do that the manager should not know about. They may say something about work or someone at work that was not appropriate and it is very hard to do anything about it once it has been said.
A large number of people drink alcohol in the UK but not everyone. If you do not drink it you should be aware that a Christmas party is traditionally where many workers will have a lot of drinks and could behave badly. If you do drink, you should also remember that you are still with work people and you should behave appropriately. There are many jokes and stories of people having too much to drink and behaving poorly in front of their boss, saying rude things, or simply falling over and looking very stupid. If your work is important to you and you do drink then be careful and drink less than you would normally.
No matter how you behave there will be people you work with behaving badly or just having a great time. You may be asked to dance with someone you do not normally have fun with at work, be polite and enjoy yourself. If someone is rude or drinking too much it is best to avoid an argument but if you know them well you may want to help them by saying they may want to think about what they are doing.
Christmas Work Do’s are great fun and you will enjoy yourself as long as you are prepared for what people may behave like and you make sure you remember you are still with work people and bosses!
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