Holiday Survey Reveals Top Office Party Blunders

NEW YORK - If you drank too much egg nog at the office holiday party last year, you’re not alone. Drinking too much alcohol ranked as the biggest mistake employees make at office parties, according to the TheLadders.com’s Holiday Survey. TheLadders.com, the world’s leading online service for $100,000 jobs, conducted the survey to tackle the season’s tough questions. Armed with answers, employees everywhere can successfully navigate the office gift exchange and holiday party scene.

Although the purpose of an office holiday party is to spread good cheer, employees should remember they’re at a company-sponsored event. Seventy-nine percent of executives said that the top gaffe employees make at office parties is overindulging in alcohol. Flirting with coworkers or someone else’s spouse ranked as the second biggest office party faux pas (53 percent). Other sources of holiday party embarrassment are dirty dancing (42 percent); wearing inappropriate outfits (41 percent); discussing hot button topics (35 percent); bringing poorly behaved guests (33 percent); or skipping the party altogether (29 percent). When asked whether or not they had ever been involved in an embarrassing incident at a company holiday party, 14 percent of executives admitted that they had.

The holidays are a great time to bond with coworkers and to get valuable face time with senior management, said Marc Cenedella, president and CEO of TheLadders.com. This is also a chance to make a positive impression on the other influential people in your workplace. They may be able to help your career in the future, so keep that in mind when you’re tempted to do something embarrassing.

Still, despite the potential pitfalls of office holiday parties, 65 percent of executives said they’re a great way to celebrate, bond with employees and have fun. Among office Grinches, 20 percent said parties are a waste of money, and 15 percent said they’re a burden and they’d rather not attend.

TheLadders.com’s Holiday Survey also unwrapped the mystery around who’s participating in the office gift exchange. When asked whether they’d be buying gifts for anyone at the office this year, 35 percent of executives said no. Among those who are buying gifts, 27 percent are getting them for coworkers; 22 percent are getting them for the boss; 20 percent for direct reports; 18 percent for assistants; and 16 percent for clients. Gift-givers don’t plan on spending too much of their year-end bonuses on gifts, though. The majority (56 percent) plan to spend less than $100 in total on work-related gifts.

TheLadders.com’s Holiday Survey was conducted in November 2006 and included 1,200 executives. The results of this survey are statistically accurate to within 2.06 percentage points.