Your office Christmas party: the dos and don’ts

DO

Remember you are at work. All companies have different cultures and different tolerance levels when it comes to boisterous behaviour, but if you feel the urge to dance on a table at any point, it’s probably best to ignore it .

DO

Try to get some face time with the boss to let him or her know your ideas and interests but don’t talk office politics or bluntly ask for a pay rise.

If it’s the kind of company where individual expression is encouraged, a far more subtle way to catch their attention might be the very suggestible Feminist necklace by Irish sisters Love & Robots. It costs €149, which is 22 per cent less than all their other designs cost, because that is how much less the average woman gets paid than her male counterpart. The designs are customisable, so if you are feeling very brave you could go for an I Want A Pay Rise necklace, €190, to hammer home your point.

DON’T

Scrimp on the food. Have canapes to serve to staff from the minute they walk into the venue before an ounce of alcohol passes their lips. It will act as soakage and stop most staff getting out of line. Millennials don’t tend to drink as much as their Gen X and Babyboomer colleagues.

DO

Make the right noises. Staff want to let their hair down and dance, so weeks in advance of the big night ask each member of staff to suggest five of their favourite floor-fillers and compile a setlist to give your DJ. It will make all the difference to the end of the evening. If the floor fills, everyone has a blast and no one gets a chance to get messy drunk.

DON’T

Mix alcohol with medication. This writer recalls a very senior boss – who, in his defence, was on medication for a degenerative condition– turning the air blue with his profane language once he had had a few drinks, something he shouldn’t have done and which was in complete contrast to his normally gentlemanly self. If it’s going to be a long one then alternate each drink with a glass of water to stay on top.

DON’T

Let things get out of hand. If someone is too drunk and/or is out of order, go to their friends first to see if they can remedy the problem. A gentle word from a member of the security team telling them they will be put in a taxi and miss the night if they continue their behaviour also works.