Tips To Behave At A Company Party

How To Behave At Office Celebration

A corporate gathering is the perfect occurrence to socialize with coworkers, make new acquaintances within the organization you work for and, if you’re lucky and sociable enough, even advance your profession. However, all of the above is only possible if you know how to behave at parties of this kind.

Although corporate parties are organized to let the staff relax and have fun, they are still business events and require an appropriate conduct. So, lots of things you’re used to doing when celebrating with your friends will not be acceptable at the office gathering. Check out how to have fun and get the best out of the company holiday without damaging your professional reputation.

• Do not drink too much
  Do notdrink at all or limit yourself to one cocktail, especially if you find it hard to control yourself after a few drinks. This is the #1 rule of any corporate occurrence. Lots of examples out there confirm that going wild can lead to your dismissal, or months of shame in front of your coworkers and ruined relationships. You can end up fighting with the team leader of other department, dancing on the table with your pants off or hitting on your boss’s spouse. So, under any circumstances, stay sober – you’ll never regret drinking too little.
• Do show up for an event
  Even if you do not get on very well with your coworkers, hate the company and send your CVto other organizations on a regular basis, it’s not the reason to skip the company occurrence. Be sure that your absence will be noticed and might hurt your professional reputation. However, even if you love your organization, do not stay too late at the celebration.
• Do not dress up like you’re going to a nightclub
  Although this is a gathering, it’s still a work-related event. So, you should never put on attire that you wouldn’t wear at office. A tight dress or short shorts you’d put on when going out with friends isn’t the best idea. However, do not go to extremes by putting on something which is too boring or too casual, like plain blue jeans and T-shirt. Since it’s a special occurrence, you need to put on an evening dress or suit. Classy and elegant designs are the best bets.
• Prepare your guest for an event
  For major holidays such as Christmas, the company policy often allows to bring a guest with you. However, before you walk it with your spouse or a close friend, ensure he/she is aware of how to behave and which subjects to avoid when talking to your coworkers. Remember that his/her behavior will immediately reflect on you.
• Do not skip the snacks
  Of course, an open bar excites everyone much more than food, but you need to keep the balance. If you drink, some toasts or fries will help you keep sober.
• Do not avoid communication
  If you’re an introvert by nature or do not have friendly relationships with any of coworkers, it’s not an excuse to spend all night staring into your smartphone. Businessinsider.com recommends going out of your shell and talking to people you know as well as strangers. In a casual atmosphere, you’ll probably find it easier to communicate and improve the relationships with those you work with. The best tactics is to talk to as many people as you can. The more people meet you, the bigger effect it can have on your vocation, so try your best to be seen and noticed – however, don’t be overly intrusive when talking to your boss or senior managers.
• Avoid bad mouthing your colleagues and boss
  In a relaxing atmosphere, it’s tempting to speak your mind and share some fresh rumors with coworkers and tell that you hate the new manager. Moreover, a person or their close friend might be around at the moment which can create an awkward feeling, especially if you gossip about your boss. It’s the easiest way to spoil your relationships with colleagues. If you treasure your professional reputation, avoid gossip and negative conversations of any kind.
• Keep your conversations on a positive note
  The proven way to spoil a party is to spend the entire evening moaning and complaining about the company policy, clients, etc. So, do not ruin the holiday for everyone and talk about positive things. Controversial subjects such as politics and religion are also a taboo (see more topics you shouldn’t discuss with your colleagues).
• Do not be flirting or hitting on someone
  An office isn’t the best place for flirting, so is the office celebration. Overcome the temptation to start hitting on your cute colleague or even your supervisor and confine yourself to friendly small talks. Otherwise, your drunk flirting can cause an uncomfortable situation the next day at the office or even can lead to a sexual harassment claim against you.
• Thank the celebraiton planner/organizer
  Another to-do at the corporate gathering is to acknowledge the people who organized the occurrence. Thank the host for a great evening – not everyone will do so, which will emphasize your gratitude as something valuable.
• Do not be a bore
  Even if you had better plans for tonight, it is senseless to show everyone that you’d rather be everywhere but here. Watch your posture and body language – looking bored shows that you do not appreciate the efforts your managers put into organizing this celebration and that you’re not an ‘excellent communicator’ as your profile stated. So, this can reflect poorly on your profession.
  Also, do not spend the whole evening speaking about work – you’ll have enough time for it during office hours.
• Do not post or tweet something that can reflect negatively on you or someone
  Everyone uses social media as an outlet for their private thoughts and feelings. However, this shouldn’t be the case if you were dissatisfied with the corporate gathering. In other words, posting something like “the gathering sucked” is a bad idea, and sharing the pictures of your colleagues dancing or drinking is also inappropriate. However, you can always post something positive: a few lines about what you enjoyed during the celebration and a few appropriate pictures are okay as they will show your company loyalty.

A corporate celebration of any kind is a good idea to relieve from stress and know people working with you better, or establish new business connections. Following the above rules is your chance not only to have a good time without the unpleasant consequences and shame the next morning, but also to get noticed by management. Just remember that it’s a business related occurrence and behave appropriately while communicating with coworkers or senior managers.

Feel that you do not quite belong to the company and do not share its values? Then, maybe, it’s time to update your old profile and start applying for jobs. Find out do’s and don’ts of modern profilesto avoid making CV mistakes. Or, contact us for rapid portfolio assistance. Our authors will consider all your requirements and craft a CV you’ll be happy with!

Do you enjoy attending corporate parties? Have you ever done something inappropriate that could reflect your job?

Recommended reading:

• Should You Drop Off Resume In Person? 3 Expert Strategies + Tips
• 12 Law School Resume Tips + Example

Author: Editorial Team at ResumePerk.com

Reviewed by: Certified Career Expert

Last updated: November 2025