Holiday parties are a great opportunity for coworkers to celebrate, bond, and be together as people. Despite what some people think it is NOT an opportunity to let loose and get wasted. A holiday party is a social event, but the code of conduct that’s present in the office extends to your work offsite.

What should you wear? Should you go to the party with a drink limit in mind? When should you leave?

We sit down with our CEO for 15 minutes each week, every week to get practical business advice so we can advance in our careers. In this episode, we learn what to do if you’re going to a holiday party…

Key Takeaways

• Don’t feel like you have to bring a date to the holiday party, in some senses you have more to lose by bringing someone you don’t know well (a.k.a. beware the Tinder date…).
• Be sure to mingle with everyone in the room.
• If you have to leave a conversation, say you’re going to the bathroom, need another drink, want to say hi to someone else, or bring them along to meet someone new.
• If you feel the need to approach the boss, it doesn’t need to be a long, drawn out conversation. A simple “thanks for hosting” and “have a great holiday” will suffice.
• Be aware of your drink limit. You should avoid getting too drunk and sloppy. Be sure to eat something.
• Consider that how you act at a holiday party speaks to how you would handle drinks with a client.
• Always leave the party while you’re still having fun.
• In terms of attire, it’s always better to be overdressed than super casual. You can’t really class up a t-shirt.