Office Christmas celebration
With Christmas just five days away, employees who have already received their 13th month pay (or in some cases, an additional Christmas bonus) would probably be in a celebratory mood.
The start of the traditional early morning mass on Dec. 16 also marks the time when the pace of office work often slows down, except for businesses that thrive during the holiday season, e.g., sale of Christmas presents and food catering services.It is widely believed that consumer sales during this time represent approximately 40 percent of the entire consumer transactions for the year.
Thus, malls and other commercial establishments that stand to benefit from the positive atmosphere of this season pull out all the stops to encourage their customers to be more liberal in their spending habits.
Between now and the end of the week, Christmas parties are expected at the office premises or, if the company can afford it, at a swanky hotel.
Since these affairs are usually marked by delicious cuisine, lavish entertainment and nice raffle prizes, near perfect attendance of the staff is assured. Nobody would want to miss the freebies or the chance to show their dancing skills.
Besides, this may be the only occasion that they would be able to rub elbows with the big bosses under less formal circumstances.
A survey conducted by the Catholic Church-run Radio Veritas on office Christmas parties showed that 64 percent of 1,200 respondents want to keep that practice, 25 percent prefer that the money allocated for it be given as additional gifts to the staff, and 9 percent would rather give that money to the less fortunate members of our society.
In a way, the results reflect the lighthearted attitude or sense of optimism of most Filipinos despite the tough economic times the country is going through at present. After all, Christmas comes only once a year so it has to be enjoyed come what may.
Although these parties are meant to be informal and carefree, there are some unwritten rules that the attendees should be aware of.
Foremost is the observance of the office protocols on professional or personal conduct in interacting with each other. Although held after work, the party is still an extension of the office.
It is common knowledge that alcohol-based drinks tend to remove a person’s inhibitions when taken in excess. If the party has an open bar for expensive liquor, some employees may find it difficult to resist the temptation to take advantage of that opportunity.
Once the alcohol has gotten into their system, their demeanor may change and they become loud or obnoxious to the annoyance of their fellow employees. The worse thing they can do is rant about their grievances or frustrations with their superiors.
For some employees, that behavior may be excused as “just having fun” or they may just look the other way, but for the executives present, that would be unacceptable, more so if they were directly affected.
That incident would be at the back of their mind when those employees are being considered for promotion. It is a red flag for possible alcohol addiction that cannot be brushed aside.
Would it be safe to entrust higher responsibilities to a person who is susceptible to engaging in irrational acts when he or she gets drunk?
Another “don’t” in an office party is discussing office matters with the big boss, unless the latter initiates it or has given prior notice that he or she intends to do that.
Bear in mind that the top brass attend the party to get a break from their work and enjoy the company of colleagues.
Perish the thought that discussing office matters during the party would give a good impression to the higher-ups. They might instead look at that “trying hard” employee as the Grinch who wants to spoil a joyous gathering.
There is a right time and place to talk about office issues, and definitely it’s not during a Christmas party where everyone is trying to have fun.
All told, enjoy the party but be in your best behavior from start to finish. INQ
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