Did you take that extra peg at the New Year’s office party last month? Indira Sen did. She’s now out looking for a job.

Not that she was tipsy or anything like that. It’s just that the liquor loosened her tongue. And she said a few things to her colleague whom she had been slavering over for many weeks. Office romance is acceptable in some places these days. But when one of the parties is unwilling — and the whole affair is out in the open — it can quickly get embarrassing.

Sen wasn’t sacked. That would have been too extreme a reaction. But she saw the office gossips fall silent the moment she neared and knew full well who they were talking about. She might have ridden it out. But she knew that when it came to a promotion in the future, HR would remember. Even if they didn’t, her competitors for the post would make sure they were reminded.

Office parties have been around in India for a long time. But, in the traditional format, the lala used to invite all his workers and their families. Food was laid out in style and sometimes there was a small gift to take back home. Without liquor, the chances of a problem were low.

The multinationals also threw parties. There, booze flowed freely. But it was made clear to everybody that they were under observation. In the foreign banks, for instance, holding your drinks on such occasions was regarded as a measure of your ability to handle power lunches later in life.

Today, most companies — particularly in sectors such as IT and business process outsourcing where the crowd is young — believe in letting their hair down. So you have designations like Fun Officer and even organised weekend bashes. “This is part of our culture,” the HR head will tell you. But the reality is that even in such companies, office parties are minefields.

The first problem is the fact that you have to attend them. If you don’t, you are regarded as asocial and not somebody who is likely to go places in a networked world.

At the parties, you are expected to drink, even if it is only a beer to keep the others company. A teetotaller is regarded as a wet blanket. Sure, you need them in every company. In fact, you need lots of them. These people are the backbone of the organisation. But they will never be the leaders.

It would be an exaggeration to say that the HR types are there at every party jotting down their observations. But there is somebody mentally doing it, even while the whole gathering is belting out the latest Hindi hit.

The real victims at such ‘do’s are not the hardcore drinking types. They have already been labelled. The people who lose out are those who mistake the office party for the college bashes they are used to. Yes, the CEO is there being nice to everybody. You must go and introduce yourself. But don’t try to monopolise him. Yes, you can regale everybody with the jokes that made you a big hit in college. But now you need to be politically correct.

There is an enormous amount of advice available on how you should behave at office parties. But the easiest way to stay out of trouble is to treat them as an extension of your worklife. Don’t do anything you wouldn’t during office hours. Otherwise, you can be the heart and soul of the party. But don’t expect anybody to take you seriously when you are back at work.

PARTy RULES

A guide to party behaviour

Eat, drink and be merry — in moderation.

Dress appropriately for the occasion. Women should avoid using company parties to “strut their stuff”.

Your company party may be the only time you see the president, CEO or VPs in person. Introduce yourself.

Find out who can come to the event. Spouses and significant others are not always on the guest list.

If you’ve been a star performer in your organisation this year, you may be honoured with a toast. Accept the honour gracefully, but don’t drink to yourself or clap when others are applauding you.

Pay attention to the time you arrive and when you leave. Even if you don’t really want to attend, avoid arriving 20 minutes before the end just to make an appearance.

Be sure to thank those who co-ordinated the party.

Source: Susan Bryant, Monster Contributing Writer