I was recently responsible for helping to put together an office party for a charity. It was a great event. The tables were wonderful, food was plentiful, booze was lacking, and people had a great time singing karaoke songs.
Then something went haywire. It was not with the people at the party, but one person who didn't think they wanted to party with the others. I guess she thought they would be drunk since there had been a history of employees getting drunk at the Christmas party, therefore she would come drunk. It turned out she was wrong, and had come to work drunk, and continued to drink after she got there.
So here are some tips for the potential office party drunk.
1. You must attend the party in order to get drunk. Being loaded and then coming along sends a clear message that you really didn't want to drink with them, but you didn't want to feel left out either.
2. Handle your liquor or don't drink it. People know how they act when they are drunk. I mean if you wake up in strange rooms, can't find your car, or can't even remember the night, then that might be a clue that you don't want to drink at the party.
3. Do not screw co-workers literally or figuratively. If you have sex with a co-worker, your reputation is shot and may not be repairable. If you are drunk and don't do your job, then you are screwing over your co-workers who will have to do your work.
4. Don't lie to your boss to get out of work. Placing family members in the hospital is considered bad form. If you can't handle your liquor then own up to that and be prepared to handle the consequences.
The behavior of the drunken employee was such that she may not recover any respect she earned. People like to have a good time, but no one likes the person who gets out of control.
