Reposted from Big Ears–Are you ready for the company’s year-end party?

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I saw this on other forums; sharing it with fellow members: 1. Don’t Arrive Late. The early stages of an event provide an excellent opportunity to talk with senior executives in a relaxed atmosphere, before things get too busy. Arriving early at the venue gives you a great chance to interact with top executives in a calm setting; once everyone is there, the atmosphere becomes too hectic. 2. Don’t Be a Wallflower. Don’t sit in the corner and chat only with the people you work with every day. Make an effort to get to know people from other departments; you never know who might help you advance in your career. Don’t stay in the corner chatting with just your colleagues with whom you work daily. The circle of acquaintances can be expanded by introducing oneself to employees from other departments. You’ll never know who will help you reach the pinnacle of your career. 3. Don’t lose control. Don’t get carried away. If alcohol is served, have one or two drinks, not 12. Getting drunk at a company-sponsored event might not result in you getting fired, but it will make you the subject of jokes and can have lasting negative consequences. If drinks are provided at the annual meeting, limit yourself to one or two drinks, rather than 12. At events organized by the company, various actions that damage one’s reputation may not get much attention, but they will still make you a laughingstock and have lasting negative effects. 4. Don’t Tell Racy Jokes. No matter how relaxed the atmosphere becomes as the evening progresses, there will still be people who might be offended—and who will remember it the next day. No matter how casual the vibe at the annual meeting is, there will still be those who get upset by inappropriate remarks, and those who will recall what happened. 5. Don’t Flirt. Office parties are areas where flirting is not allowed. Even if you think you’re just being playful with an attractive colleague, your behavior can be interpreted as sexual harassment. Company parties are not places for flirting. Even if you think you’re just joking with an attractive the opposite sex colleague, your actions will be interpreted as sexual harassment. 6. Don’t talk at length about how you would run the company. It’s been a frustrating year, and you think you could do a better job than the boss. Keep that to yourself. The situation this year has been tough, and you believe you could perform better than your supervisor. But keep such thoughts to yourself.