The office Halloween party can be a great time to have some fun at the workplace. It gives you a chance to interact with your colleagues and can be a great staff morale booster. Although it’s a time you can relax and enjoy not thinking about work for a few hours, there are still expected ways to behave and certain behaviors that should be avoided.
Wearing provocative, offensive or scantily clad costumes
Halloween parties are a great time for dressing up but at the office, it’s best to dress in imaginative and creative costumes, rather than outfits more likely to shock or cause offense.
Getting drunk
The witches brew may be flowing but drinking too much can lower your inhibitions leading to behavior you’ll quite possibly regret the next day. It can impair your judgement skills, which could result in some poor decisions or inappropriate behavior and can also affect other people’s perceptions of you; although some might find your drunken antics amusing and entertaining, others will possibly lower their opinion of you – not a good outcome if this happens to be your boss or team leader.
Acting in an offensive manner
If foul language or rude and offensive jokes are not acceptable in the office, then the same can be said for the Halloween office party. Although the party is a time to relax and enjoy some social time with colleagues, a professional manner should still be adhered to.
Behaving inappropriately towards other staff
You might think it’s just innocent flirting, but the colleague you are trying to flirt with may have other ideas and not appreciate your attention. The fall-out from this can be disastrous. You’ll still have to work with this person, which could be difficult if your flirtations or sexual advances caused offense.
Trashing the office
It may have seemed like a good idea at the time (though afterward, you’ll be struggling to remember why you thought that!), but it’s not going to do a whole load of good for your career, and at worst, could lead to a criminal conviction and loss of the job.
Be careful what you discuss
Office parties are a great time to get to know colleagues on a more personal level, but be careful what information you disclose. You’re more likely to let your guard down when you’re feeling relaxed in these workplace social events, but this can result in you revealing more about your private life to a colleague than, on reflection, you would be comfortable with them knowing.
Oh yes! A place I used to work at it was decided (due to issue such as you outlined) that any party (be it Holloween or not) would have a dress code and zero alcohol. This lead to having two parties, one was the official “Office Party ” and the other was a “Gathering” that was not sanctioned by our employer. 🙁