(WWJ) — ‘Tis the season for office holiday parties and a new survey taking a look at “office party pitfalls” shows drinking too much is the worst holiday party mistake.
A report from resume.io says holiday parties are “a festive highlight of the work calendar - but they can also be a professional minefield.”
A survey of 3,000 office managers identified the worst holiday party mistakes, with “drinking too much booze” coming out on top of the list of the 15.
“Overindulging in alcohol is a classic party misstep, say managers. Slurred speeches, embarrassing confessions, or even a stumble into the Christmas tree can leave lasting impressions - and not the good kind,” the publication wrote.
Inappropriate dancing was ranked the second-worst party mistake, with resume.io writing “the dance floor is no place to unleash moves better suited to a nightclub.”
“Keep it light and fun—no one wants to become the star of the office party’s viral video,” said Amanda Augustine, career expert at resume.io.
Not showing up, flirting with coworkers and oversharing personal gossip rounded out the top five nationally. In Michigan specifically, according to the results of the survey, not showing up ranked ahead of inappropriate dancing for the state’s top three worst mistakes.
The rest of the list includes:
• No. 6 — Bringing an uninvited "plus-one"
• No. 7 — Unfiltered opinions
• No. 8 — Gift-giving fails
• No. 9 — Disrupting the speech
• No. 10 — Social media missteps
• No. 11 — Bringing leftovers home
• No. 12 — Aggressive networking
• No. 13 — Cliquey behavior
• No. 14 — Wardrobe malfunctions
• No. 15 — Winning ugly
In addition to the top 15 worst mistakes, the survey also “shed light on the dynamics of office holiday parties - from themes that spark the most mischief to the best ways to bounce back after a party blunder.”
The publication writes that the format and theme of parties “play a significant role in how events unfold.”
“Unsurprisingly, holiday parties with open bars are the most likely to encourage mischief, with 72% of managers citing this setup as the biggest culprit. Comparatively, ugly sweater contests (9%), karaoke nights (9%), and game nights (10%) lead to significantly less chaos,” the report says.
Awkward conversations often come up at holiday parties, with resume.io saying inappropriate personal stories, politics or religion, office gossip and complaints about the company getting the most responses in the survey.
The full results of the survey can be read here.
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