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
Breaking It Down (Too Much)
- Because of the economy, my company's holiday party is during the day with no alcohol. The music is a blend of R&B/Hip Hop. There's some line dancing to the Cupid Shuffle and Electric Slide. It was fun. However, when you see women ranging in age from 25-60 "breaking it down" and "backing it up" in front of the company's executive, it's just embarrassing.
- —Guest mzzliz73
Crying It All Out
- There we were in such a party where guys and girls both drink. Two of them ended up crying and saying what they needed of a partner, which all of us realized they wouldn't have done if they hadn't been so drunk.
- —Guest Misha
Drinking from a Shoe
- She was the most efficient secretary an office could want, very professional in all her attitudes. Lost it during her first end-of-the-year party on the job, though. After a few glasses, she suddenly climbed onto a table, drank from her own shoe and spilled part of a lost love story while strongly resisting co-workers' attempts to drag her to the restroom. She was given the chance to keep her job - that's how efficient and valued she was - and her apologies and embarrassed post-party behavior were heart wrenching to behold. Not long after that, she resigned.
- —Guest Maggie Mae
Stairwell
- While the rest of the company was getting wasted in a hotel ballroom, I took a little stroll with my girlfriend. We wanted to check out the garden a level below us, so we took the stairs. What we stumbled upon was a sight to see. The married director of human resources getting some in the stairwell from a much younger co-worker. That story still lives on in the office...
- —Guest Yea its true
Not So Strait Laced After All
- I went to an office party with some of the teachers at the school in Japan where I used to teach. The young, female school counselor was drinking beer right out of the bottle (the big type that is meant to be shared) and flirting with all the male teachers. Meanwhile, later at the karaoke after-party--which takes place in a private room--one of the male teachers was constantly challenging me to arm-wrestling matches, where I soundly beat him. Anyway, this girl starts flirting with the arm-wrestler, and a few moments later he sits down behind her on the stool she's on with his legs spread around her and starts grinding away at her backside. She in turn reaches back and pulls his leg toward her. And yet, as is typical of some Japanese office parties, nobody even hinted about it the next day.
- —Guest Gaijin666
Beverly Hills Brokerage Party
- 1994 was there since about 8 am that morning, the party started in the evening. I had a couple of my friends that didn't work there come also. One of them was really on the Company Receptionist the whole night and she wasn't responding. I, on the other hand, consumed a little too much to drink and ended up having to be pretty much carried out, by my buddies. We then left to go to a club Downtown that I went into and almost started a fight. My buddies were so mad at me that they pretty much told me to get home the best way I could which was about 30 miles away from downtown. I ended up catching a bus home and slept until 1 pm the next afternoon. I have since slowed way down on the partying.
- —Guest Willis525
Cut Off
- One of my co-workers had way too much to drink at the party - as in most of these stories. She however, managed to get herself cut-off from the bar for stealing booze. Did I mention it was an open bar? She was so drunk she decided against waiting in the short line (two bartenders and only 75 guests at the party) and just walked up behind them to start stealing booze.
- —Guest Paul
Office Parties
- Last year at an office party one of the ladies was dancing with their dress above her waist...totally drunk and kissing a co-worker. Her mother and other family members worked at the company as well. She was fighting with them because they would not allow her to drink anymore and were dragging her out as she was screaming and kicking. The family was mortified as well as everyone who was watching. She still works at the company....they have since cancelled the office parties due the to the "economy downfall"....wink wink. There is always one in the bunch!
- —FUNNYTOPICS
What a Boss
- My boss held forth talking about himself for about an hour. His staff had worked so hard that year and he was so lacking in self-awareness that he didn't have the decency to acknowledge one person. All he could do was talk about himself. He was acting like a DJ at a bar mitzvah. Later I heard that he did that in his youth. Probably because he could never get a date.
- —Guest magna
Hammer Time
- My boss got lit up at a function and picked up a guy from a party in the same hotel. She brought him back to our party, picked up my drink and the ten dollar tip I had left on the table for the server and walked away. One of my co-workers said to him. "I think you're supposed to follow her back to her room." Still funny after all these years!
- —Laundryguy
I Notice a Theme Here
- Almost every "gaffe" is related to drinking too much booze. And, almost every gaffe is of a sexual nature (except the ones involving puke). Rather than be embarrassed later by whom you hit on, or puked on, why not use some self-control with that glass in your hand?
- —Guest ROSESKES
Loss for Words
- At a huge company Christmas party of over 20k people, the CEO of the company compliments me on my dress. At the tender age of 23, I blushed and noticed his wife standing there glaring at me. I immediatley looked her over and the only thing I could find that looked nice came out of my mouth. I told her that I liked her hair!
- —Guest yvonne
Who Will Supervise the Supervisor?
- My supervisor had only one drink, but was already smashed. Upon coaxing from a coworker, I gave him a peck on the cheek thanking him for a gift that he had given me as my Secret Santa (grab bag). He wouldn't leave me alone the rest of the night. It was even more embarrassing because his wife watched the whole thing!
- —Guest Susan
This Poor Woman!
- A couple of years ago, in a very ritzy hotel, they were still under construction on one end of the building. This left only one corner/side of the ballroom level bathrooms available, rather than having them on both sides. This made for a high traffic, frequently cleaned area on a Saturday night. There must have been about 6 or 7 rather large parties going on, on this level, and it was getting close to the end of the night. Around 11pm, I break away from my DJ table and head to the rest room to freshen up. Women started to go in, gagged, and came back out, laughing. Being the curious type, I poked my head in and saw the poor woman that they were laughing about. Imagine stall after beautiful stall, and splatter everywhere--from under one stall. She was sitting upright, sparkly purse and wrap on the floor, and it looked like every inch of her (and pricey shoes) was covered in vomit. Worse, she was still there 30 minutes later! The cleaning staff wasn't around--or her coworkers.
- —Imaginette
Embarrassed
- Years ago, my then boyfriend got so drunk that at the dinner table, not only did he light up a cigarette while everyone was eating, but also decided to to butt it into his empty dinner plate. About 15 minutes after that, he started an argument with me because I was chatting to one of my young collegues who was sitting on the other side of me. Mind you he was about 19, and I was in my 30s. The boyfriend said to me in a raised voice that he did not come to the party for me to talk to other people. At the end of the night, I was saying goodnight to my boss, who said, "what are you doing with that guy? You can do so much better." One of the most embarrassing nights of my life.
- —Guest Aussiegirl
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