As the year quietly meanders towards its end, many in corporate cubicles and coffee stations are bracing up for the days ahead. The days ahead and the inevitable high water-mark, the annual office party. Now consider the ebbs of the year – the recessionary gale that ripped through the horizon, the litter that is caused in its wake and the inevitable tension that sent out roots in the minds of the young and the impressionable. Minds, that were already overburdened with an obsessive desire to keep winning the rat race and an equal desire for instant gratification. With this as the backdrop, the year’s party is definitely going to be one that many will remember for a long, long time. A prospect that is as scary as the “Nightmare on Elm Street” for people like us in HR.
Consider this. We, I mean the HR guys like me, are the initiators, the conductors and the white boards that soak in all the complaints about everything that went wrong. We initiate the process because we sincerely believe that such office parties are an excellent vehicle for building and strengthening bonds, of encouraging teams to come closer, of fostering fraternal feelings amongst co workers, of providing a catharsis to stressed-out individuals, of creating a sense of family, of belonging among the workers.
We explain to the reluctant management the values of such parties. We do the legwork. We ensure that every ingredient required for the success of the party is in place. We stand by, in the background to ensure that the music is exactly of your choice, the booze flows unhindered and that the food is just right. We carry on, long after you are bombed and floating near the ozone layer, settling the bills and picking up the pieces – of smashed crockery’s and broken reputations .
We do it because it is part of our job. We also do it because we love you all. Fellow comrades, marching on to unveil the new dawn. We understand the pressures under which you perform and excel. We also see things that many of you do not for the lack of either foresight or time. That is why, here are a few pointers that you should pay heed to before you go out to paint the world (and the office party)!
Alcohol is the biggest spoiler. It has different effects on different people. While some feel euphoric having imbibed it, others get obnoxious and aggressive. At the most pedestrian levels are the jokes (with blurred punch lines) and songs sung way out of tune. The higher levels are attained by those who abuse – especially those that seek to regurgitate years of pent up anger against superiors and the system. The highest echelon being attained by those who just pass out.
And then there are the wolves. Trusted co workers, who having imbibed generous doses of “firewater” attain their lewdest best and metamorphose into stalkers per excellence. Don’t laugh, in one case I’ve witnessed someone’s boss doing this rope trick.
Finally a few words of caution to all you Cinderellas. Let that backless black gown remain in the closet. For its cold out there (and no i DO NOT comment on what attracts the wrong kind of gazes). Please remember, the line between being an eye candy and the cynosure of all eyes is a razor thin one. Two, if dance you must, don’t do the wild hop that sets discs on fire. Three : try sticking to your best friend/ colleague. And finally pay heed to what fairy god mother said. Get back home before the clock strikes mid night. Because after that, the rats and the pumpkins get back into shape.
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