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
Excessive Drinking
- I had visited this office party with plenty of booze flowing. I was still in the early years of my professional career and drank a lot. What was embarrassing is that I started asking my boss uncomfortable questions about the company's strategy. I was not even able to walk properly. The next day I was so scared even to go to the office and face everyone. Had a hard time. My suggestion: drink just to give company in office party. Keep a low profile.
- —Guest singh
Never been to an office party
- When I'm at work, I show a disciplined, hardworking side of myself. I choose my words carefully. At a party I'd have to smile and listen to people talk about things I don't care about--I'd rather be water boarded.
- —Guest Dodge
Have some of you heard yourselves...
- If my boss fired me for not attending the annual get together as some like to call it. Then I'd take it on the chin and think I'm well rid of both a boss that is so petty and narrow minded and a company that should really have a Swastika as its logo. Why companies continue with this useless non-event is beyond me. More people if truth were told find it an inconvenience than those that actually enjoy the damned thing. Those that say I actually enjoyed myself when I got there. Really mean it wasn't my worst case scenario. Personally speaking, if I want to chitchat to co-workers I have 364 other days to do it in. If I want to eat bland food I'll visit the works canteen and if I want cheap, tacky and ultimately useless gifts to shove in a bottom drawer never to see the light of day again I'll visit a distant relative. The fact you don't socialise with co workers outside of office hours the rest of the 364 days a year proves you don't really want to be with them on this special day either.
- —Guest Mr H
Embarassed Wife
- My husband (who had just joined this company as one of the big bosses) made me get all dressed up and get a nanny to watch our sick toddler in order to attend his company holiday party. We arrived fashionably late, to find out I was going to be the only spouse in attendance at this casual employee only dinner event. So I had to walk down a looooong dining table while everybody was staring at us (specially men checking me out from head to toe :s!) Finally we found two seats at the very end, right next to the office cleaning lady. Without even introducing me to at least the people sitting near us, my husband just sat down with a horrible face sort of telling everybody, "I know, I know, I screwed up". For 45 min I had to put up a brave face without being able to hide my discomfort and anger with my husband. I could notice people around us getting so uncomfortable with the situation just by the look at their faces. After 45 minutes, I excused myself and left alone in a cab.
- —Guest Maria
Worst party ever.
- Guess who the party pooper is. I'd hate to be involved in such a boring bash. You work hard, you party hard. As I said to a colleague at our christmas gig this year. It's not a party without hot promo girls dressed as santa.
- —Guest Ben
party
- In these times, I think luncheons work best, no alcohol, and include everyone. I don't think that big parties with alcohol work in today's environment. Some cannot control themselves and I think there is more risk than benefit.
- —Guest Pattyh
Got Fired For Not Attending
- I agree with the point that office parties are meant to mingle with co-workers, share experiences, get to know each other etc. but what if you don't want to attend an office party of a company which doesn't understand the basic principles of work ethics and is more interested in having fun all the time? Married female employees trying to seduce young guys, male employees trying to make their bullshit points to get female employees interested in them. I believe you should attend one only if it makes real sense to attend an office party. If it's just for fun's sake and carries no meaning of an office party, then it should be left to an employee whether to attend or not.
- —Guest Amit Kumar
Rememberance is worse
- Getting wasted at the company party is bad enough but remembering the stupid stuff you said is worse. Best to not drink at all at any company function is what I have learned today. Stick to the water and soda as it is much safer and will not cause you embarrassment later.
- —Guest Nick
Falling down
- I am an attorney in a law office and our annual christmas party is always a blast. I bought a new outfit, got a haircut and intended to have a good time. Pretty much everyone in the legal community is invited and I was running into lots of friends. It was open bar and I was drinking crown and cokes all night. At one point I tried to step over a couch to hand this girl a water. I also had two crown and cokes in my hands. I fell backwards and spilled everything right in front of the girl. Cute girl, too. My friends were cool about it and laughed it off and I proceeded to have a fun evening dancing, etc. Still though, that was pretty embarassing. Plus, I bit my tongue and woke up with a big bruise on my shoulder. Kind of feel like it was a big black eye on an otherwise enjoyable evening.
- —Guest Jim
More, more open bars for this gal
- I drank too much at my work's Xmas party that had an open bar. I have a habit of being a social butterfly and my date felt ignored while I was dancing which spawned him getting relationship advice about me from one of my coworkers. Somehow a naked blow up doll appeared on the dance floor and I proceeded to spank the owner on the butt with it. Thankfully, no one knew I threw up in the bathroom from being such a lush. I stumbled out with my date and was completely hammered and was flirting with a girl who came in to dance from another party room while ignoring my date. Thankfully he helped me stumble out before things really got out of contol. I ended up running after him naked with a blanket wrapped around me begging him not to leave once I got home. How I didn't get a DIP is beyond me when a cop drove by. A homeless man even warned us that the cop has seen us. I acted like such a lunatic and was so mortified with myself the next day. Thankfully, he will still speak to me.
- —Guest Oye vey
Oops too busy!
- I work for a Fortune 500 company and while the big holiday parties are nice, some of the in office parties aren't so much. Once a year we have a 'Customer Service Appreciation' event where we're invited to get away from our desks and spend time with coworkers. What this translates to is a mandatory pot luck with the privilege of taking your normal lunch hour with management and supervisors (who get to attend the whole 3 hour event on the clock). Add to this that management has started inviting other departments and letting them eat first, and last year we actually ran out of most of the food before anyone in Customer Service got to eat. Then we got a minor lecture for not providing enough food for 'our guests'. Somehow now I happened to have scheduled vacation this year in such a way that I'll miss the opportunity to be allowed to cook for people who make twice what I do. So sad.
- —Guest Angela
Bathroom Time
- In the early 90's I worked for a large Accounting firm in the midwest. At the annual christmas party, the wife of the Partner-in-Charge of the office got very drunk and needed to use the restroom. As the wait for the ladies room was somewhat long, she took it upon herself to venture into the men's room, hike up her dress and relieve herself in a urinal. If that wasn't enough she decided that she liked it in there and spent considerable time "observing" the bathroom activities, including commenting on the "manliness" of several of the staff members present. Needless to say, when word got back to the firm headquarters, this partner was transfered to anouther office in Texas.
- —Guest Young Accountant
If Looks Could Kill
- My husband and I were invited to a friend's 'tenth anniversary' party given by her boss. My supervisor was invited also and went around telling everyone in the office how she was invited to the party and how there would be Champagne, etc., etc. Showing off, I turned to my colleague and said, 'and me'. She smiled wickedly and we decided that it would be fun not to tell her that I had been invited to this 'select' gathering also. When it came to the time to finish work for the day, I took my party clothes into the ladies room and washed, changed, tidied my hair up, put a bit of lippy on and a squirt of obsession and went to the party. She finished work some 30 minutes later and turned up in the same clothes she had been in all day. When she saw me, Champagne glass in hand, laughing and joking with one of our bosses, her face was a picture. If looks could kill, I'd have died right there on the spot! Needless to say we heard nothing more about the party the next day and she didn't brag again!
- —eclair123
I'm Driving
- I tell people I'm driving and I'm alone, so I'm the designated driver. I say it with a "lilt in my voice," to make light of it. When others jeer at me, I tell them, additionally, that when I wake up tomorrow, I want to know where I am. Then they stop giving me a hard time.
- —Guest Adrian Windsor
Not Always Funny Later
- I was not at this party, but had to make a decision about a career later. At an office party in DC, one person had too much to drink (probably one of many). No one thought anything about it when she started drivng herself home. She lost control of the car on the beltway and killed another driver. My decision was whether she retained her job - I was with another agency. I don't care how boring I seem to anyone after that, I never drink when I'm going to drive. Never drink enough to lose control so I can be the office joke. I like a good drink as well as the next person, but it isn't worth it. I'm the designated driver.
- —Guest Justme
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