For everyone here at Hyperion the office Christmas party is a time to let our hair down and enjoy a successful year. However, each of us has the ever present worry that one of the candidates we placed will commit career suicide after a few too many tequilas.

Many of us have or know of someone who has humiliated themselves at the office party. Whether they have given an out of tune rendition of ‘All I Want For Christmas Is You’ or danced through the party tinsel round their head, or even let that special colleague know how they really feel – the possibilities for social faux-pas vastly increase over the holiday period.

Given this I thought I would give a few tips on how to avoid more than just a hangover after your Christmas party.

Firstly remember that it is still a business function – even though it is labelled as a party you still have to turn up to work with these people on Monday morning. Acting like an idiot in front of your friends can make you feel stupid at most, but doing it in front of your colleagues and superiors is a whole different ball game.

It is a well-known statistic that a third of couples meet at work. While the Christmas party may seem like a great chance to spill the beans to ‘that’ person about what you think of them – a tongue loosened by alcohol will not give you the best chance to convince them it’s meant to be. You have the rest of the year to find the right moment – don’t get up on stage with the microphone and let them (and everyone else) know your feelings.

This all seems a bit worrying and I’m not telling you not to have fun, after all it is a reward for a successful year. For smashing through our yearly targets the Hyperion team are off to our annual bowling championships followed by a trip to the darts at Ally Pally on Friday then racing at Plumpton the following Monday.
 

Merry Christmas everyone and I wish you a prosperous 2012!

Matty