What not to do at a staff Christmas party
Staff Christmas parties can get pretty crazy. I've been to a couple in my years and some of them maybe got a little bit out of hand. With that in mind I thought that I would put together an episode for you this Christmas period and talk about some of the things you should not do. As you will see, most of them are pretty logical, however it does surprise me that despite this people still go crazy.
Did you know that sexual harassment and inappropriate behaviour is more common at this time of year? When you put together grown adults who have been working all year and combine this with free alcohol, well, the result is that some people can take things too far.
Today, you are going to learn what not to do at your next staff Christmas party, as well as some useful expressions to help you talk about these kinds of situations .
Essential vocabulary
To make a fool of oneself
John really made a fool of himself last night. I can't believe some of the things he said.
To embarrass yourself
Make sure you don't embarrass yourself at the staff Christmas party. Remember, some things to avoid are, getting too drunk and vomiting.
Hangover
If you drink too much then you get a hangover the next day. Nobody likes a hangover!
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To get drunk/To get pissed
Mike got really pissed last night, I think he had about 10 shots by the end of the night.
To go overboard
Things got a little crazy at the Christmas party. The sales team went a little overboard and started dancing on the tables in their underwear.
To take things too far
I think you took things to far on Saturday! You thought it was a harmless joke, but John is furious, I think you should go and say sorry.
To throw up, vomit, chunder, throw your guts up
Chunder means to be sick, it originates from old seafaring days when sailors would get seasick and stick their head out of the porthole in their cabin. As they did this they would shout "Watch Under" to warn people in lower cabins of the forthcoming puke. Over the years this has evolved into Chunder.
Foul language, to swear, obscene language
Can you believe the foul language that was coming out of Maria's mouth at the party? What a shock, she is normally so well spoken.
Sexual harassment
There is no place in society for sexual harassment, I still can't understand why people think it is OK to be sexist and approach members of the opposite sex inappropriately.
Inappropriate behaviour
Inappropriate behaviour at the staff Christmas party will not be accepted. Any member of staff caught behaving in such a way will receive a formal warning.
To be disciplined, reprimanded
Frank and Carl where disciplined by the HR manager after their disrespectful behaviour at the party. They were lucky the company didn't terminate their employment.
To get fired
Did you hear the news? John got fired today... The company didn't appreciate the comments he made at the staff Christmas party.
To be abusive
Jean was really abusive towards her boss at the Christmas party. She shouted at her and used some pretty bad language. I was surprised as I thought they had a good relationship.
To get thrown out
Have you heard the news? Richard got thrown out of the nightclub last night. Apparently he was so drunk that he kept falling over and knocking over tables.
To regret having done
I think Jim regrets having gotten so drunk last night. He was very quiet at work today and I think he has quietly said sorry to a few people.
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Final thoughts
So, as you can see, if we get too drunk we can start to lose control and then we are at risk of doing some stupid things at the staff Christmas party.
I hope you like the list of expressions that you can use to talk about things you shouldn't do at the staff Christmas party.
Please comment below, let me know what crazy things have happened at your staff Christmas parties.
Take care and I hope you have a great Christmas!
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