Do mingle, don’t gossip: Six rules for your work Christmas party

DO: get into the spirit. Not everyone loves being forced to mingle with your colleagues. In fact, research by hiring platform Indeed last year found that more than one-third of Australian employees say they “dread” the end-of-year events held by their workplaces.

But there’s nothing worse than a Christmas Grinch in the corner of the party who doesn’t want to be there. So if you’re going to go, make sure you get into the spirit and enjoy the break from the usual routine.

The work Christmas party is an annual tradition where your professional and personal lives collide.

DO: hang out with new people. You spend the entire year working and socialising with your closest colleagues, so the best part of the Christmas party is usually that you can hang out with new co-workers.

Intentionally seek out people at the event that you only nod “hello” to all year, or have never had a proper conversation with. You’d be surprised the new connections you can create that might grow into genuine work friendships, or at least useful work relationships.