From the article: Top Seven Office Party Gaffes
I've covered the seven most common office party blunders. Now, your experience of office party blunders will be most interesting and illuminating for other readers. There are bad behavior blunders at the office party, but there are also missed networking and schmoozing opportunities at the office party. Share your experiences with the top office party blunders you've witnessed. See More Reader Responses. Share Your Experiences
A drunk VP
- It was our annual party where they hand out year recognition trophies. The VP was drunk and was to give a speach for ''Sally's'' (not real name) 10 years. The speech started with 'today I would like to underline the 10 years of hard work of an employee who is not very attractive, not really pretty unlike the previously honored employee...' Need I say more...
- —Guest Angie
Drinking too much
- At one office party years back, a female co-worker was obviously drunk. She was hanging over all the guys at the party and making them go out on the dance floor and dance with her while her husband stood by himself. At the end of the night she was being held up by a female co-worker while she was getting sick in the bathroom. Every female noticed and talked about it at the party and afterwards. It is still brought up every once in a while. Co-workers don't tend to forget these kind of things.
- —Guest Amy
Aren't we supposed to be dancing?
- Suggestion: all dancing should be free-style only...one office party years ago that I attended, a guy asked me to dance and his style of dancing was like a dog humping on someone's leg...It was horrible...
- —Guest Lola
Nice sweater?
- At a party for my husband's workplace, one of his co-workers (male) said, "Nice sweater, you fill it out very well." I guess you can imagine how much I wanted to stay at the party. The man was let go not long after. I'm not the only one he "complimented" that night.
- —Guest jen
Dancing Too Close
- A long time ago, I danced too close to a manager colleague of my spouse. She way overreacted. Twenty years later, my good sport, my wife still teases me about it.
- —drwritelight
Alcohol/Come Ons
- Oh yes... our party was Friday night and one of our employees (who we had just met as she doesn't work in the office with us) got wasted and was wildly inappropriate - hitting on gals and guys! We're a fun young company but believe me, everyone was talking about it Saturday.
- —Guest Amy
One more gaffe - Think before you speak
- With the economy the way it is, be cautious about asking a spouse/significant other of a co-worker how their job is going. I asked this question at a very large party, but in a small group setting and the person (who had been a marketing director) had been laid off the week before the party. I felt horrible and it was a very uncomfortable situation for everyone, especially me. And it put her on the spot, although she handled it very well (she talked about needing the time around the holidays).....
- —Guest Opps
Painful Gaffes Indeed...
- Nice post Susan and a great reminded for all of us who are attending work-related holiday parties in the coming weeks! I have included your post as a bonus pick to my weekly Rainmaker 'Fab Five' blog picks of the week which can be found here: http://www.maximizepossibility.com/employee_retention/2008/12/the-rainmaker-2.html Be well Susan!
- —Guest Chris Young
