Everyone at work is talking about the various holiday parties going on in the industry this season. I have no desire to go to the party, if there even is one, for internship #1, if I were even invited in the first place! All this talk reminds me of the work holiday party I went to last year. The one that was in the show room of my office...the one where we had a painfully long karaoke session that quickly turned into a striptease, left that office, went out to dinner, then went to a bar, and by the time I left...our tech guy was sleeping at the bar, and our other tech guy was making out with the tech girl, getting ready to leave with her. The next day my boss told me if I went into the office to get her computer I could stay home the rest of the day. I got to the office and less than half the company was there and the people that were there were either a) hung over or b) feeling awkward about the previous night's shenanigans. The night was however, one I think of often and with fond memories.
I didn't take part in anything too crazy, but in case you did, here are a few tips to avoid that awkward next day conversation in the office kitchen.
The Daylight Rule - It's okay to drink at your office's holiday party, but don't drink more than you would during the day. A lot of times we feel protected by the darkness of the night and tend to act out of character. Socialize and have a drink or two, but you shouldn't be drunk. Always remember to keep your drink in your left hand so you right hand is free to shake hands with other people.
Spread Out - Holiday parties are one of the few times you'll be in the same room with the people on the very bottom of the food chain and the very stop. It's easy to stick with your go-to group of office friends but try to spread out and socialize with different people. I took the opportunity to talk to the CEO last year and we had such a nice conversation, we even took pictures. After that he always said hello to me and remembered my name.
Research - Make sure you know what type of party this is--is it going to be in the office, at a bar, at a bowling alley? The setting can give you a pretty good idea of what the atmosphere will be. Find out what the dress code is too..unless you go to work everyday wearing casual clothes (like I usually do) you don't want to wear something too crazy or too revealing. I think of these parties in the same way as when you were a kid and saw your teacher in regular people clothes outside of the classroom on weekends. People will be looking at you differently in this different setting and you still want to keep it on some type of professional level.
Show Up - People will be talking about those who don't show up and often times, the holiday party is a great way to bond with your co-workers. You don't want to miss out on this and be excluded from the party convos around the office the next day. Even if you only stay an hour, make the effort to show up and appear happy to be there! Don't stay out too late though because you DO have to go to work tomorrow and you can't exactly lie to your boss and say you can't come to work because your dog is sick when the entire office knows you were out partying until 3 am.
Most importantly, have a good time...you worked hard all year and you deserve it! Remember to think about what kind of office culture your company has and translate that to a party setting. Happy Holidays :-)
At work, I feel like the outcast at recess who has no one to play with. In real life, I feel like a million bucks. Is there a sign on the door of my office building that read, "check your confidence at the door" ? If there is, I'm probably holding my head too high to see it, but one thing's for sure, my confidence never even makes it to the elevator.
The office culture at my job is like a secret society. Only the cool kids are allowed and somehow I snuck past the border and they let me in. I can tell the difference when I go to my newest internship and this one. At my new one, everyone smiles and says hello, if you're in the elevator with someone and they see you're getting off on the same floor with you, they immediately strike up a conversation with you because they know you are on their side. At this other internship though, its more like a contest, or something. Whenever I see someone walking around my office, I just get stared at blankly. Sometimes I get looked at up and down and I know all the females there are probably making fun of my clothes in their mind, I can just see it on their face. It didn't even bother me at first, it's just recently starting to get to me.
It is the meanest office culture I've ever experienced. But what are you gonna do about it? I talk to a few people here and there and have found that the ones that are most snotty are the ones that are in fear of their job (aka executive assistants and people who have made up jobs, (like "Brand Manager" seriously?)). The ones who are secure are fairly nice and at least you get a half smile from them.
I've never had such a hard time fitting in at the office before. My first internship it took just one day. The most recent internship I had before all of these, about a week and a half to two weeks before I started getting invited places. I recognize it usually takes longer than this but I'll never fit in at this one and I think I decided 3 weeks in I didn't WANT to fit in there. I could write a million blog entries on each specific person and the things I've noticed while at work, but I don't want to get down to their level.
Here's one indication though, that says a whole lot. I sit next to a mirror. Why there's a mirror in the office, I'll never know, but I sit next to it (a living hell when you're having a bad hair day, its a constant reminder that you look like a crazy person). People come up to this mirror non stop all day to look at themselves in it and make sure they look okay...and no one ever says hello to me. I've said hello to them and have been met with blank stares. Really? I'm all for checking myself in the mirror as much as the next person, but I'm not for having an ego so huge there isn't room for anyone else to be on my side.
My thing is, if we're all working for the same company, we should all be working towards one common goal...when the company does good, we all do good and when one of us messes up, we all mess up. I've seen battles between companies in the music industry, and I've seen the claws come out, but not between people who are on the same team.
There's always someone tryin to take your spot, and there always will be. I'm just glad I'm not the one who's so worried about it that I forgot how to act...
