What To Do if You Embarrass Yourself at the Work Christmas Party

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas which can mean only one thing for employees up and down the land: the work Christmas party is almost upon us.

And 2022 is shaping up to be a bumper year for work-based festive celebrations too, after the two years of disruption brought about by the pandemic.

According to a survey by executive outplacement firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas, 42 percent of companies are planning an in-person party to celebrate the holidays. This is a significant increase on the 13 percent that held similar festivities in 2021 and points towards a gradual return to normality for workers everywhere.

However, some caution should be exercised when it comes to celebrating Christmas in the company of work colleagues. If there's one festive tradition that could do with staying in the past, it's that of someone embarrassing themselves at the work Christmas party.

Awkward Work Christmas Party Stories

In days gone by, these often alcohol-induced indiscretions might have stayed in-house, but in the age of the internet, these misdemeanors can often end up being shared to social media.

The popular online forum Mumsnet has been known to serve as a modern day confessional for tales of this kind. "Had my work Christmas party at the weekend and drank way too much," a user, writing under the handle Goosie Lucy, said. "Did probably the worst thing possible and ended up getting it on with my boss...I'm considering handing in my notice and leaving the country."

But while admissions of this sort pop up, it's more common for someone to share a story about someone else's hilariously horrific behavior. Reddit is rife with these tales of woe.

"I remember going to my dad's company Christmas party one year where his boss thought he was funny and took a bolt out of one of the trays they were using to bring food in," the Redditor jojewels92 said. "They were wheeling the food fine, until they hit a little bump. 50 lbs of mashed potatoes went flying everywhere and then he [his dad] slipped face first in them and knocked his tooth out. Emergency dentists are very hard to find."

Yet while these stories serve as a warning to go steady during the Christmas party shenanigans, Newsweek has sought out a selection of HR and etiquette experts to help navigate any potential fallout from an embarrassing party incident.

Should You Get Drunk at the Work Christmas Party?

Jesse Meschuk is a career and HR expert who serves as Senior Advisor with Exequity.

Meschuk has more than 20 years of consulting and human resources experience and is perfectly placed to highlight the perils of misbehaving at the work Christmas party. "The first thing to remember is that your company holiday party is still a work event," he told Newsweek. "The same expectations related to your conduct and behavior in the office still apply at the holiday setting.

"It's a great opportunity to celebrate with your colleagues, get to know them even better and enjoy yourself - but if you feel like saying something or behaving in a certain way would be questionable behavior in the office - the best advice is to not do it."

Meschuk notes that while these get-togethers offer a chance to build a rapport with colleagues through non-work-related conversation and engagement, it's important to remember that negative behavior can also have the reverse effect, leaving co-workers questioning your judgment in the future.

Ultimately, he was keen to stress the importance of several key facts that should be kept in mind when enjoying any kind of work-related social gathering. "Inappropriate conduct at a holiday event can still be grounds for disciplinary action, including termination," Meschuk said.

"If you choose to drink alcohol at a company event, be mindful of your consumption and be sure to not overdo it. Also be mindful of your travel to and from the event - it's best to take a taxi, ride sharing service or not drink at all."

How To Deal With Embarrassment After a Work Party

Diane Gottsman is a national etiquette expert and the owner of The Protocol School of Texas. She told Newsweek that while embarrassing incidents at work Christmas parties can happen, the key thing to helping remedy the situation is to take responsibility "as soon as possible."

"Reach out to the people or people you offended and offer a sincere apology," Gottsman said. "Don't wait to decide what to do. Go to your boss the next morning and let them know you are sincerely remorseful."

She said it was crucial to avoid making any excuses and take responsibility. "As hard as it is going to be, if you did something embarrassingly specific, mention the behavior," she added.

While Life Coach and Author at Marni Goldman agrees with Gottsman that "aggressive action" is required in the event of a work Christmas party incident, it is important to try and take the positive from any potential fallout.

"Understand that you are likely going to be demoted or fired if your actions were that repulsive," she told Newsweek. "Take this as an unexpected opportunity to work on yourself and contact a mental health professional right away to begin this process."

Goldman believes even lesser incidents should be seen as an opportunity to regroup.

"If you still see a future at the company, ask HR to take some time off," she said. "Time can heal and another upcoming workplace distraction can hopefully diminish people's memory of your holiday gathering shenanigans."