Surviving Office Party Politics

December 8, 2008 by blackgirlgrown
Filed under work

Karen Grigsby Bates, TheRoot.com: “The one good thing about this jacked-up economy,” a friend wryly noted, “is I think they’re going to cancel the office holiday party..” Talk about your silver linings! It doesn’t matter whether you’re treated to a five-course dinner at a spiffy restaurant or Cheez Whiz on Ritz crackers—what happens at the office holiday party can affect your professional life well into the next year. To keep yourself out of the minefield that’s packaged as holiday merriment, remember: The important word in the phrase “office holiday party” is office. In other words, it’s still work, just in dressier clothes and with liquor.

If (thanks to a nonrefundable deposit that was made way back in the summer) yours is one of those offices that is still hosting a festive get-together to mark the season, here are some tips on how to manage the gathering:

Do I Have To Go?

It’s work, remember? And if you work in a place where you’re One of the Few (that’s anything that represents the non-majority in your office), your absence will be duly noted. So mark your calendar and plan to be there. It’s what, maybe four hours out of your life? So go, already; you’ll probably enjoy it more than you think you will. The exception to the gotta-go rule: If the party is held someplace that employs discriminatory practices—the dining room in a club that excludes, blacks, women, Jews, etc. (yes, there still are some places like this), feel free to skip it and tell your boss why. They’ll probably choose the venue more carefully next year. If they have a party next year. Read More.