Gadgets make office party antics even riskier
— -- Remember: Office party antics can go viral.
Workplace fêtes are on the rise this year, according to several new studies. And with the increased revelry comes more opportunities for partygoer actions — from silly to truly embarrassing — to spread via e-mail, social media and blogs.
"Everything is fair game at this stage," says career expert Nicole Williams. With smartphones, a record of any shenanigans "can go online within moments of it happening."
Julie Webb, an assistant account executive at Marketing Maven Public Relations, recently uploaded a funny photo of two colleagues at her firm's "ugly sweater party" to Facebook. The men wore goofy shirts that featured embroidered cats. Marketing firm BzzAgent posted 103 holiday party pictures, including photos of workers doing shots, on its public Facebook page.
But the shared images could be worse — much worse.
Four in 10 workers have committed or witnessed an inappropriate or embarrassing action at a work holiday party, says a survey from human resources firm Adecco. A new poll of Monster.com users found that nearly one in 10 workers admit to acting in a somewhat or extremely regrettable way at a past workplace party. Half of workers have seen someone under the influence of alcohol behave improperly during a work-related outing, such as flirting with a supervisor or driving drunk, according to another survey from addiction treatment group Caron Treatment Centers.
Office soiree manners can be tough to figure out, says workplace expert Charles Purdy. His advice: "It's work first and fun second."
Employees should not only be aware of what others may broadcast about them, but also be cognizant of what they send out. "It's really easy to tweet out, 'I'm on my fourth margarita at the office party,' " he says. "Employers want you to have fun, but that can come across as unprofessional."
Some companies may be OK with the sharing, but others may not. "Use your good judgment, but remember that alcohol also impairs that," says Purdy.
"You may be the one who looks bad" for posting off-color updates from the company party, says Williams. "Career success is all about relationships."
And, besides, partygoers shouldn't be tethered to their smartphones. "If you're busy tweeting or taking pictures, that means that you're not interacting with your boss," she says. "This is a work event, so bring your best, most sociable self."
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