5 Things Not to Do at Your Office Holiday Party

December 10, 2010

Yes, it’s about that time of year for thPartye annual office holiday party. We just had ours yesterday at OpenView Venture Partners and I have to say it was an absolute great time to take a step back and celebrate the success we had as a venture capital fund this year (both internally and with our portfolio companies). It was our 5th OpenView holiday party and it was great to look around the room and see the employee development that occurred over our time as a firm.

While the office party can be a great time to get to know your colleagues (and potentially their significant others), it can also be the catalyst for your termination the next day if you are not exhibiting appropriate behavior! You should probably consider these 5 dont’s during your office holiday party season:

1. Just because it’s an open bar doesn’t mean it’s time to start getting wasted. Having few too many drinks may cause you to say and do things you will regret (and you will wake up in the morning with that awful feeling in the pit of your stomach).

2. Don’t flirt with your co-workers’ spouses. You may think it is harmless at the time. However, it could place you squarely on someone’s crap list.

3. Stay away from dirty/off color jokes. It’s easy to let your guard down during the office holiday party and say things that unknowingly offend others. What made you the life of the party at night could end up being your HR nightmare in the morning.

4. Don’t dress like you crawled out of a trash bin. This means both staying away from looking like you’re ready to watch a game of Monday Night Football or looking like you just turned 21 and are about to head to the club. Dress it up a bit and look appropriate for the holiday season.

5. Don’t disrespect the host! If your party is at your boss’ house, be on your best behavior and treat the host and their house the same way you would want to be treated if you opened up your home. With that, stay away from snooping around, tossing a bone underneath the sofa, forgetting to thank the host and their family for opening up their home, etc. Also, consider bringing a small gift or token of appreciation.
– KKF

General Partner

<strong>Kobie Fuller</strong> is a General Partner at <a href="https://upfront.com/">Upfront Ventures</a>. Previously he was the Principal at Accel Partners in San Francisco where he helped identify and work with entrepreneurs who were building category-defining companies. He has more than 10 years of experience in funding and building software companies.