Published: December 5th, 2005,
The Chronicle Herald
Office Christmas parties can be opportunity to network
By JOEY FITZPATRICK
THE COMPANY Christmas party is usually a time to leave office politics behind. But you should be mindful of how your behaviour during your company's holiday celebrations can affect your career prospects, both for better and for worse. Rania V. Sedhom, a labour and employment associate in the New York law firm Meyer, Suozzi, English & Klein PC, says the holiday party season offers some unique networking opportunities. Instead of the perfunctory small talk of the daily routine, the relaxed atmosphere of a social gathering offers a chance to really interact with colleagues and supervisors.
"It's very hard, during the work day, to get to know anybody," she says. "Especially with a large company, you may not know who the people are who make the important decisions. The person you've never spoken to before that you meet at the party may be the person who has a vote on who gets promoted."
She offers these tips for having a good time at the Christmas party, while maybe even enhancing your employment status:
Smile and genuinely engage people. Take the opportunity to ask questions that will help you learn more about your company and co-workers. For example, ask the co-worker that you have not met before how long she/he has been with the company. Then try to find some common interest and have a genuine conversation about that.
Call the co-workers you mingled with at the holiday party shortly after the new year to simply say hello and ask if the person would like to have a coffee some time. Work on cultivating a relationship with at least one new person each year. "You can't expect a relationship to flourish from one conversation."
Shake hands with your boss and his/her boss and wish them a happy holiday season. You want to make sure that your boss not only sees you at the holiday party, but also remembers speaking with you and having pleasant conversation. When choosing someone to promote, your boss is likely to pick an individual who gets along well with others and seems happy to be at the company.
Then there are things you should definitely not do at the office party, such as:
Avoid having forced conversations about whether or not you have done your holiday shopping, and what a pain it is to buy for certain relatives. Don.t talk about work, or how busy and stressed out you are. "Negativity is never appreciated, but especially so at a party."
Don't speak ill of anyone, or complain about the food.
Avoid dirty dancing. There are always cameras around, and this is not the kind of name you want to make for yourself. If your company does a secret Santa ritual, there are certain gifts you should avoid giving colleagues, particularly if the gifts are to be opened in front of the group.
Inappropriate gifts would include things such as:
Pocket-sized Bibles, Torahs, or other religious books. Leave the proselytizing at home.
Sexual paraphernalia or prophylactics. A gag gift at an office Christmas party is not the same thing as a gag gift at a stag/bachelorette.
Self-help books of any kind. You don.t want to imply that so-and-so needs some improvement.
Have a good time at the office Christmas party, but drink in moderation. As a mixture of business and pleasure, it's not the right occasion to let your hair down and go crazy, Sedhom advises.
Joey Fitzpatrick is a Halifax writer.
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