What Not To Do This Christmas Party If You Are a Temp
The workplace Christmas party is a national institution and one which we (as a nation and a species) have a love /hate relationship with. While we all relish the opportunity to let our hair down amongst those we colleagues whose friendships we treasure, it also has an uncanny way of bringing out a very different side of some people. When you’re invited to the office Christmas party as a temp, you may be delighted by the invitation. After all, this means that you’re an honorary member of the team and have made enough of an impression that they want to get to know you a little better socially.
But be warned! This is not merely a social invitation… It’s a carefully constructed test. A test designed to see whether or not you really have what it takes to join the team proper. Your colleagues and higher ups will be watching you like hawks, ready to turf you out at the slightest sign of malfeasance… Nah, not really! Nonetheless, it behoves you to behave yourself and absolutely avoid…
“Jokingly” asking your manager for a full-time job
In all seriousness, a full-time position on the team may well be on the cards. Many employers recruit temps on a temp-to-perm basis, but even as the empty bottles add up, resist the urge to “jokingly” ask them when you’ll be put on the payroll. They might not take it as a joke and may think that your (albeit well-meaning) nagging is in poor taste.
Talk shop
You may be eager to show off how much you’ve learned and how much you’ve ingrained yourself into the fabric of the workplace… But try to resist the urge to talk shop. Everyone’s just trying to have a good time and prepare for a much needed festive break. The last thing they want to be thinking about is work.
Reciprocate when someone gets flirty
If you’re single, it’s entirely possible you might be carrying a torch for one of your newfound colleagues, and office parties have a way of bringing out the flirtatious side in many… But if the prospective object of your affections starts getting flirty with you, find a polite way not to reciprocate. Office romances can… complicate matters at best and you wouldn’t want to do anything to make yourself into a potential liability.
Get into competitive drinking
The guys in sales are doing shots with the guys in marketing? Great! Probably best to leave them to it. While it may be tempting to join in the drinking games and bask in the warm glow of workplace camaraderie, drinking a lot in a short space of time may lead to some behaviour you later regret. Would you want to employ a temp who spent half the night bare-buttocked on the photocopier drinking Baileys out of a shoe while grainy hard copies of their posterior are littered around the office?
Skip it
Finally, don’t misconstrue this post as advice that you shouldn’t go. Bosses like to employ people who’ll make an active contribution to the workplace dynamic, and if you politely decline you’ll be notable by your absence.
Show up, have a great time and make yourself such a welcome presence that they’d be crazy not to keep you… Just make sure that your behaviour is unimpeachable!