Should you get drunk at the office Christmas party? It’s a question as old as time. We get the case for and against in this week’s Debate
YES: Sometimes you just need to get drunk to show your colleagues the real you
I was in my thirties before I had my first proper Christmas party. I worked at small start-ups where I was the only employee and a party for one would have been rather sad, and when I waited tables for a living I was clocking into work to serve pints to the nine-to-fivers having their Christmas parties. We were working too hard to have our own.
So when I first got a job that came with an invite to the Christmas party, I was delighted. We went to a Canary Wharf restaurant and I remember walking in but not walking out. It was the classic situation in which a glass turns into a bottle, and a bottle leads to heart-warming moments of connection over a cigarette on the terrace between courses.
I wasn’t used to being in a work setting but feeling like I could be myself. Typically I played the role of a more restrained, sensible version of myself in the office – but that first Christmas party helped me bond with colleagues in a way I hadn’t before, and helped me feel more like I could be myself in the office in the weeks following, because (and come at me for saying this if you like) sometimes you just need to get drunk and let loose to show your true self.
Other than being essential for bonding, Christmas parties are an essential opportunity to dress up in colourful clothes, dance around and be expressive and creative with colleagues – to show a different side to yourself. Of course you should be watching what you’re drinking, and make sure that others in the space are having fun too, because Christmas parties can be overwhelming and of course some people go overboard. But the opportunity for bonding is stronger at the Christmas party than at any other event in the work calendar. Offer people a little more of you and trust me, they’ll reward you by being open in return. Cheers!
Adam Bloodworth is deputy Life&Style editor at City AM
NO: The Christmas dancefloor is not the place to drunkenly bring up work woes with your boss
Not getting drunk at your Christmas work party could be the best decision you make all evening! At the time, you might feel a bit envious watching your colleagues busting moves on the dance floor or doing shots with people they don’t even know from other departments. But here are a few reasons why I think you won’t regret it.
Number one: no hangxiety or beer fear! Even if you had a lovely time, a drunken night can find you waking up tomorrow feeling full of dread about what your work friends, new acquaintances in the company or even your boss might have witnessed. On the other hand, if you have one or two drinks (or none at all), you’ll hopefully just wake up with a memory of a fun evening with your coworkers.
Number two: you’ll feel fresh the next day. It’s now quite common to have Christmas parties midweek in order to snap up the last remaining tables at popular venues. This means that people all around the country are dragging themselves into the office – or logging on looking very bleary eyed – on Wednesdays and Thursdays, with just as much work to catch up on as any other day.
And number three: avoid workplace awkwardness. Overindulging can lead to awkward moments, like bringing up tricky work topics with the wrong person. For instance, if you’ve been hoping for a pay rise, you want to talk to your boss about it the right way – maybe over a coffee during work hours – not shouting into their ear while someone from Accounts belts out “Merry Christmas Everyone” on the karaoke mic.
Peter Duris is CEO and co-founder of Kickresume
THE VERDICT
It’s Christmas party season, can I get a woop woop? Maybe not: according to reports, the office Christmas party is dying, or at least, thanks to the ever puritanical Gen Z, its most boozy iterations are. So is it time to rein it in at this year’s office bash?
Mr Duris thinks so, and provides a sage case: getting hammered at the office do may have you yippee-ki-yay-ing on the dancefloor, but facepalming in the morning. It’s advice that is maddeningly sensible, but ultimately comes from a place of love. Nonetheless, we shall spurn it.
As Mr Bloodworth argues, the Christmas party is one of the places where you can finally let your hair down with colleagues, and spend time with them as people rather than just fellow passengers on the rat race. This is a beautiful thing and shouldn’t be sacrificed just because Gen Z has decided it’s now gauche. If not drinking is their truth that’s absolutely fine, but don’t let it cloud yours. Get on the dancefloor, in your skinny jeans if you have to, and have a good time! It’s Christmas, after all.