Office Party Problems: The 3 Things To Avoid

’Tis the season to be jolly… Tra la laaaa.

OK. It’s not. Not yet, but we can see it around the corner. Supermarket shelves have “seasonal” goods that have gone from Halloween to Christmas, and somebody’s smart kid has taken obscure glee in telling you exactly how many hours, minutes, and seconds it is until Santa is coming down their chimney.

Spoiler: it’s not as many as you think!

That means it’s time to plan the Office Christmas PartyTM! Huzzah!

It’s a much-anticipated event, a chance to socialise with the bodies you share much of the week with, to show a more relaxed side of yourself, and enjoy the rewards of everyone’s hard work throughout the year.

But the OCP also has the potential to create the odd disaster - mix together a cocktail of colleagues, alcohol, and high spirits and fear the aftermath…

As contract cleaners, we’ve seen our fair share of party debris - both in terms of physical mess and emotional fallout, so we feel confident in offering some advice on what to avoid when planning your Xmas Do. Read on…

Avoid The Ghost of Christmas Past - Poor Planning

A lack of preparation will mean everything falls apart when hoards of jolly teammates come together. Simply setting a time and date isn’t enough to ensure a good time will be had by all.

Consider the following:

A Theme

Having a theme, whether it’s “Bad Christmas Jumpers”, “Glitter and Glitz”, or simply “Wear Red and Green”, will give everyone a common goal and help everyone feel comfortable and part of the festivities.

Avoid anything that’s too hard to do, as you don’t want to exclude people who only give themselves five minutes to sort it out before leaving - it’s an Office Christmas Party, not the Comic Con Cosplay Competition.

That said, you can still give out an award for “best dressed”, just to enliven things with some friendly competition.

On the Day Organisation

Don’t pull out the project management suite for this (we know you’re thinking it), but it pays to be a little organised. Have a rough idea of times for things, especially any sort of awards or thank-yous, and delegate someone to be the Master of Ceremonies. Once people have had a couple of drinks, they can be harder to shepherd than monkeys; an MC can keep the event flowing.

Sort the Space Beforehand

Don’t just get to the end of the working day and throw on the lights and music. Kick everyone out of the space a couple of hours before so that you can put up decorations and remove anything hazardous or precious. Remember, safety is key even at a relaxed event, so get potential dangers tucked away or, if necessary, clearly marked.

It also means less risk of damaging anything.

And turn the photocopiers off, no one wants to see that…

Office Party Problems- The 3 Things To Avoid

Avoid the Ghost of Christmas Present - Overindulgence

It might seem like an office party rite-of-passage, but staff getting too merry can cause all kinds of problems - HR can tell you that! (As can the cleaners… Oooh, the stories we’ve heard.)

Being a little bit sensible and limiting the amount of alcohol flowing means people can still have a good time, but it won’t get too messy. It also means more room in the budget for other niceties like awards or decorations.

Consider a ticket system for free drinks, which’ll keep a lid on both overindulgence and over-expense and don’t forget to have plenty of non-alcoholic alternatives, from low alcohol beer to simple fizzy drinks or orange juice.

Avoid the Ghost of Christmas Future - The Clean Up

The day after an office shindig can loom over you like Scrooge’s spectre, but it doesn’t have to. There’s absolutely no need to have to face cleaning up plates of cold food, reams of streamers, or far, far, far worse.

Imagine instead, walking into your office on the next working day to find it not only restored to its usual neatness, but gleaming and smelling fresh.

That’s what your contract cleaner will achieve. Like Santa’s elves, they’ll come in during the wee hours to turn your party aftermath into a professional workspace once again. Plus, with all the bins cleared out, you won’t even be able to tell there had been such a raucous going on the night before.

It saves time, saves headaches, and ensures everyone has a refreshing boost the morning after - better even than hair o’ the dog!

Best of all, it’s inexpensive. Certainly much cheaper than hiring out an alternative venue for the party.

An Office Christmas Party to Remember

At the end of it all, what you are really after is for everyone to have a good time and feel ready and enthusiastic for the next year. There really is no need for chaos, regrets, or having to clean vomit in the toilet. All those problems are easily avoided, and you’ll have the Office Christmas Party that you deserve.

Want to make sure your office is ready to party? Need a little help keeping your work environment clean all year round? Call LNC today to get a quote and find out how we can make your life easier and save you time.

< Older Post

Newer Post >