The mix drinks + boss is dangerous. AND YOU KNOW.
AM I GOING OR NOT GOING?
In agreement, you already spend ten hours a day surrounded by people you haven't chosen and Christmas is too short and too full of events to spend a night in his company. But keep in mind that if you decide not to participate, you will be defying a series of firmly established social norms that can cause you to be seen as a dangerous revolutionary, an asocial hermit or a cool edge.
If you are willing to live with it or you already burned yourself at last year's company dinner and swore to yourself never to go to any again, bravo for you But yes, either because your friends at work have convinced you, or because you are employed by one of those companies where not going to dinner is grounds for sudden dismissal, you have decided to go, go with the best of dispositions possible and avoid referring to the plan as "the pain of dinner".
Peace love and empathy
WHICH RESTAURANT ARE WE GOING TO?
Mind yourself: everyone will never be happy. If you have been part of the organizing committee or you are a person whose love of manduca makes your vote double when choosing the venue, be prepared to be criticized no matter what . Of course, find out what partners they have allergies, intolerances and opt for a place of "normal food" , that concept that is so complex to understand when we live in a world for which some people consider endives to be an exotic food or there are people who say “I like everything and I eat everything, except cheese and fish”.
Here and here you have some ideas, but, we repeat, there will always be someone who is not happy with the choice . Skip it all and choose the one you like best, and if the selection of the site has not been yours and you are not satisfied with it, for God's sake, shut up. If it's too awful, commit with your best smile to choosing you next year, and think they've been through hell to select that site similar to yours. organize the arrangement of the guests at the tables of a wedding . Which brings us to the next point.
Keep your composure, mate
WHERE DO I SIT?
If possible, as far away from the boss as possible . If you work in a small company, you like your boss or even you are the boss, try to pull the mix between departments, so that the objective of the dinner, which is to promote a good work environment, meets the casual chat and the establishment of links between departments and people who do not work together directly. And, remember, **there you have a powerful ally in the shots and after drinks**.
WHAT TOPICS OF CONVERSATION DO I HAVE?
An entelechy: try not to talk about work. We know it's impossible, but there have been legendary stories of company dinners where no clients were discussed, internal memos, and anecdotes involving misunderstandings between departments. In these circumstances it is almost desirable that forbidden topics arise such as religion or politics . Being among co-workers in which each one belongs to his father and mother guarantees strong emotions if certain keys are touched , but at least you won't have to suffer five more hours hearing again the story of when Garcia's computer crashed.
Be careful not to touch sensitive topics at the table
HOW DO I REACT TO THE GIFT DISTRIBUTION TOMBOLA?
In some companies, the house is thrown out the window by organizing a raffle of gifts that are usually tickets to a sporting event, cameras or electronic devices . Everyone reacts to them with a mixture of disdain and dying to be touched. If you are the lucky one, react as if you had won an Oscar : Be genuinely grateful but don't brag too much about it. Let everyone touch your present and avoid forgetting it in the restaurant or in any of the places you visit later. It doesn't have a good effect.
Rehearse your face before company gifts
AND BEFORE THE INVISIBLE FRIEND?
As if the tension of the dinner was not enough, there are companies that decide to add extra stress by adding the invisible friend. You'll find yourself having to give something on a budget to a person you're not even sure you know. Avoid being too obsessed with the subject and send it as soon as possible so it doesn't become an obsession in the weeks leading up to dinner. If you know the person who touched you, discreetly find out what they might like, and if you don't have any direct contact, sneak a peek at him in the lunchroom in the elevator at work and throw on something that matches his usual outfit. And she remembers, with a scarf it is impossible to go wrong.
How to react to the invisible friend?
SHOULD I STAY FOR THE DRINKS OR NOT?
You have to choose two paths: maintain seriousness and professionalism at all times or precisely the opposite . If you stay for the drinks, it is quite likely that you will end up falling for the latter. But tonight that's fine and even desirable. The debauchery of seeing you in an environment other than the office will make what you have not achieved with months of daily coexistence be achieved in one night: you will tie bonds with peers you didn't like very much , you will find out gossip that will leave you abracadabra and you will establish alliances that will be very useful in the future. Avoid, as far as possible, being too sincere in your opinion about other colleagues, especially if your opinion begins with "Do you know who is an asshole?..."
Will you stay for drinks?
AND THE NEXT MORNING?
If even on the Twitter account of the national police they warn about the dangers of the night, take it seriously. What seemed like a great photo and idea at four in the morning may not be so great at nine in the morning the next day with a hangover and puffy eyes. Otherwise, acts completely normal as if three hours ago you hadn't been on the stage of a bar discovering that that colleague who seemed so dull in the photocopier is an expert in Lambada. And regarding those things that usually happen in company meetings, guy the general manager has got involved with one of administration , another from human resources has hooked up with customer service… be glad if they have taken place. They are the signal that the dinner has been a success.
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In situations like "the director has got involved with one of the administration..." BE HAPPY
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