Topic: holiday office party

What Should Lawyers Wear To The Holiday Office Party?

On this site we have talked about the difficulties female lawyers face when it comes to dressing for work. Kat Griffin, founder of Corporette.com, a site that advises professional women on how to dress told The Grindstone:

“Lawyers in particular have to adhere to conservative rules for clothes, primarily because they are very rarely speaking for themselves. If a judge or jury hates you, you want it to be because they heard and considered your client’s argument… not becase your clothing conveyed a lack of respect, or offended them in some other manner.”

Video: Conan O'Brien Gives His Employee The Perfect Christmas Present

For a little bit of entertainment at the end of this crazy holiday week we thought we would give you a holiday treat. A lovely staffer from Team CoCo sent me this great video of the man himself participating in his office’s secret santa. This is the first time Conan O’Brien has participated in Secret Santa because as he says he gives the “gift of employment.” But he’d thought he would give it a try this year. Watch him hilariously struggle to find a present and then end up finding the best gift ever. Enjoy!
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7 Ways To Deal With The Morning After The Holiday Office Party

Even though we are probably approaching the finish line for office holiday parties (though some companies hold theirs after New Years) there are still a few going on. We have provided you with tons of tips on how to thrive and survive the office holiday party but now we have some advice for how to survive the morning after. After all the party is a mindfield, but the morning after is a mindfield plus a hangover. More »

8 Fashion Tips For Going Straight From The Office To The Party

We are getting down to the wire here but there are still a lot of parties happening this week. But a lot of us are still working our butts off everyday. It is always hard to work a whole day and then go straight to a party. Even if you start the day looking fabulous by 6 pm you are wrinkled, your hair is struggling and you are just less chipper in general. However, we were lucky enough to talk with New York-based stylist Annie Ladino, editor and Chief Stylist for Shop It To Me, about the whole going from the office to the party fashion conundrum. More »

What To Do When The Grinch Is Actually Running Your Company

Apparently Commerzbank did not get the memo about holiday spirit. Bloomberg reports that, according to its sources, Commerzbank cancelled its Christmas party a few weeks back, telling its staff that it had to in an effort to cut down on costs. Bloomberg also reports that the firm has axed base salary raises for senior-level employees, and imposed a hiring freeze over at the investment banking unit. Happy Holidays! More »

More Than 1 Million British Employees Do Not Make It Home After The Office Holiday Party

Party dress, heels, snappy conversation topics and sleeping bag? For British people, bringing some bedding to the office holiday party may be a smart choice and save you from the walk of shame. According to The Daily Mail more than one fifth of the UK’s workers will be having their office Christmas party at some point this week and almost one in six of them (15%) admit to not having made it home after their office party. According to research from YouGov, more than a million people (1,070,518) have turned up to work the next day wearing the same clothes as the day before – doing the work ‘walk of shame’ after the staff Christmas party. More »

10 Things People Would Rather Have Instead Of An Office Holiday Party

hough there is expected to be an increase in holiday office parties this year (6% from last year) according to CareerBuilder.com, most of you would rather be getting appreciation from your company in other ways. In fact, most of you would be rather be getting almost anything else than a holiday party. Only 4% of the respondents in a Harris poll, put a Christmas party on the top of their holiday list. The top thing everyone wants is cash because at the end of the day, apparently we all have a little Ebenezer Scrooge in us. “During tumultuous times, cash is king,” said Rusty Rueff, a career and workplace expert with Sausalito, Calif.-based workplace culture website Glassdoor.com. “Until employees feel confident in their jobs, have cash in their pockets, can take care of the basics, and have enough time to take care of what needs to get done, everything else feels like fluff.” More »

10 Ridiculous Holiday Office Party Horror Stories

You’re a savvy professional who knows how to conduct herself at an office holiday party by now. (If not, check out the Grindstone’s advice before it’s too late!) But not everyone is so wise, and thank goodness for that. After all, if everyone at your office maintained their dignity during holiday parties, we never would have heard from you about their hilarious, drunken antics. Enjoy these stories of fondling, flirting, and good old-fashioned falling down. More »

10 Fashion Looks You Should Never Sport At The Office Holiday Party

According to a new survey from CareerBuilder.com, there will be more holiday office parties this year. Roughly 58% of employers are planning holiday parties, up from 52% in 2010. So you know what this means? Countless ways for women to make major holiday fashion faux pas. When did it become acceptable to wear a santa hat, thigh-highs and sparkly make-up? That counts as Christmas spirit? Women, more than men, tend to get in trouble in social situations because they have so many more options, says branding specialist Amanda Sanders of NewYorkImageConsultant. And in the quest to look good, women often choose revealing rather than understated outfits. Sanders, who has dressed Gwyneth Paltrow, says the main mistake women make at company holiday parties is dressing too sexy. “People really lose sight of the fact … that this is still a business event,” she says. We came up with a list of the biggest fashion mistakes you can make at the office holiday party. Take a look. More »

What We're Reading:

Holiday Business Etiquette That Will Blow The Competition Away

The holiday season is the time of the year when business etiquette skills can help individuals and organizations outclass their competition, says Lydia Ramsey, international business etiquette expert and author of newly published e-book, Being the Polished Professional throughout the Holidays: The Complete Guide to Etiquette and Protocol for the Holiday Season . Some of us get so caught up in the stress and preparation of the holiday rush that we forget this is a great time to advance our careers. From writing a quick personal holiday greeting to picking up the check at dinner, December is a season for career progress! Holidays schmolidays! This is about giving you a competitive edge. More »

Why Holiday Office Parties Are Important For Company Morale

Tonight, my company will host our annual holiday party. We’ve rented out an amazing catering hall. There will be plenty of free alcohol, although as an alcohol distributor, that’s to be expected. Someone will win a 60” flat screen TV. Dozens more will get neons and pub mirrors. Last year, they even gave out an old-fashioned toboggon and a huge wooden wagon. Not a single employee will miss this event. In fact, our night crew come in early so that they’ll have time to attend. It is, by far, the most beloved company tradition we have.

It’s not the extravagant gifts or even the prime rib that make this party so important. It’s the fact that every year, the owners of our company get together and throw their employees a party to thank us all for a hard year’s work. And ya know what? That means something.

8 Things You Never Want To See At Your Office Holiday Party

CBS News Asks The Grindstone What Not To Do At An Office Holiday Party

Last night CBS News did a segment on the do’s and dont’s for employees at office holiday parties and to get that expert knowledge they of course came to The Grindstone! Our Editorial Director, Meghan Keane, weighed in your best strategy for the party, which people often seem to forget is still a business event. One of the big rules: Don’t get drunk. Another biggie: Don’t hook up with a co-worker. “When you’re at your office holiday party and your flirting with a co-worker it may seem harmless to you but later on it could be something that becomes sexual harassment suit,” said Keane in the interview with reporter Cindy Hsu. Also, don’t put pictures up from the party on your Facebook wall. Even if your company doesn’t have an official policy on it, it can just lead to trouble. More »

Study Shows 1 In 4 Kiss A Co-Worker And Teachers Can’t Hold Their Liquor At Holiday Party

According to a new survey from London newspaper The Daily Mail in conjunction with TGIFridays, one in four people will kiss a colleague at their work Christmas party over the coming weeks. The poll of 2,000 people revealed that a quarter of office workers find themselves in a romantic embrace at the annual work bash.And even more interesting, those who work in human resources are the most likely to have a liaison, with 55% admitting to having kissed a colleague, although those in PR are the most likely to go all the way, with a third admitting they have taken a co-worker to bed at the end of the night. More »

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