The most wonderful time of the year…


The average American will attend 2.7 office parties during this holiday season and spend two hours and 36 minutes at each. Since so many people will be spending “work-time” this December wearing funny hats, eating Cheez-Wiz and avoiding those darned mistletoed doorposts, how can people make the most of this season’s merrymaking?

The following list of office party “dos and don’ts” come from Andrea Nierenberg, author of Million Dollar Networking: The Sure Fire Way to Find, Grow, and Keep Your Business.

1. Keep the Shirt on Your Back- It’s time to loosen the tie and kick off those heels. However, appropriate dress is essential. Ladies, anything with the word “skin”(e.g. skin tight, skin baring) in it is a bad idea. Guys, keep everything buttoned and zippered and you’ll be ok.

2. Limit Libations- Nothing spells bad year-end review like too much a-l-c-o-h-o-l. Remember, holiday party disasters don’t just last a night, they follow you to the office. If you do have a few, keep it that way.

3. Ho, Ho, Ho, It’s Almost Review Time- Make sure you say hello to your boss, his or her boss (who approves your raise) and other co-workers that you haven’t seen lately because they may have gotten moved to the basement after abusing tip # 2 at the last holiday party.

“Holiday office parties can be great internal networking opportunities,” says Nierenberg, “And while, the worst thing you can do is not show up, you still need to mind your manners. Remember, when the party is over, you’ll see them at work again real soon.”

On that note, FacilityBlog will be winding down for the next two weeks during the holiday season. The editors will post when they can, but the frequency and volume will decrease until everyone gets back into the swing of the new year. Still, there is one last Friday Funny lined up and ready to go for next week, so check back when you can!