Joy to the World
I loved that ad, you know the one where all the girls are
getting ready at the office – straightners plugged in under the desk, computer
screens used as makeshift mirrors and work shoes swapped for party heels. It really captures the atmosphere amongst the
office gang before the Christmas party.
And although the girls are in a makeover frenzy, a loosened tie is the
guys’ only concession to the festive celebrations. The priority is to get
moving and get the pints in.
Around this time there is always keen debate in the Irish
press as to whether the office party should be banned or not. Almost likened to some kind of horrific blood
sport, the office do is pulled apart and declared too dangerous and risky an
undertaking. For both employer and
employee alike, stories emerge of lawsuits filed, grievances brought to bear,
p45s issued and marriages broken. And
so the Irish working masses are told what NOT to do, ever, at the Christmas
office party.
There are rules for both guys and girls but if we take
the key action words it would seem the girls are more at risk of veering into
the vunerable zone. Rules include no
hitting (the bottle or your boss), no asking (for a raise or any kind of
recreational drugs), no flaunting (of underwear or sequinned Ibiza-inpsired
clubwear), no over-talking, over-eating or over-dancing. And absolutely, under no circumstances, let
there ever be a Limbo moment.
It’s all very cautionary and finger-wagging. Add to this the current economic situation
where there is widespread talk of cancelling Christmas work parties altogether and
the outlook is bleak. So what can we
do? Right now, more than ever, we need
a break from all the doom and gloom. A time
to shake loose and end 2012 on some kind of positive note. But in its current sanitised, scrutinized and
downsized state, the festive office party is in danger of extinction.
Granted, the Christmas office gig won’t see the
extravagance of Tiger-tastic yesteryear; the era of chocolate fountains, ice
sculptures and spa treatments for staff is certainly over. Instead it’s bring-your-own-beer style gatherings
on the shopfloor. Or thrify “Bake ‘n’
Bring” option where staff are invited to bake their own cakes and share the
goods (No bun fights please). Many
companies have opted to scrap the gig completely and have a celebratory dinner
in January instead. Calling it “Happy
January” in some cases I believe (a very brave combination of words considering
if this month was a dwarf, it would certainly be Grumpy).
Indeed the concept of the festive office party has
evolved somewhat over the years. Back in
the 70s and 80s, when the idea of corporate culture first came to light, the
emphasis was on a happy environment. A
company needed happy employees, and happy employees needed to have fun. And the
best way to have fun ? Have a
shindig! Since then, it has manifested
itself in various guises, ranging from Blue Nun passed around in plastic cups
over the photocopier to the more lavish champagne receptions in quaint country
manors. Taking the theme of a happy
workforce to the max, US ice-cream makers Ben & Jerry’s formed a “Joy Gang”
to plan the company’s festive frolics.
Their remit was “to infuse joy" into everything that they did for
staff events. Sounds a little scary
actually. I’ve an image of a band of Merry
Men brandishing clipboards and jotting down names of all staff members who are
not making merry to the required levels. A sort of Smile Police for the staff
party. Creepy.
These ice-cream moguls even put together a list of the
top 30 business motivational songs, including numbers like "Put a Little
Love in Your Heart" and "We Are Family." A little extreme perhaps but we could do with
some of that joy infusion on this fair isle right now. In fact, we could also do with a motivational
tune of our own, something to rally the working troops and get the silly back
in the season.
And I know just the song.....all together now.....
“It’s my party and
I’ll cry if I want to”.
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