It’s never a good time to lament to co-workers about your ex, or go into detail about your wild Friday night, but for some reason — also known as vodka — holiday parties tend to bring out unprofessional behaviour. Remember your party etiquette and you won’t have to do damage control come Monday morning.

PARTY DOS:

Mingle with everyone

“Strike up conversations with those outside of your usual circle — especially the ‘power brokers’ within your company,” suggests Christine Endres, the Philadelphia branch manager at hiring firm OfficeTeam. And feel free to venture outside of cubicle chitchat. “Have a few nonwork topics to bring up, such as recent movies you’ve seen or holiday vacation plans,” says Endres.

Dress appropriately

Dressing up is fine, but be sure to keep it classy. “It is a party, but you are still at work,” says Jill Spiegel, author of How to Talk to Anyone About Anything! The Secrets of Connecting. “You want to keep your sense of professionalism.”

PARTY DON’Ts:

Have that one last drink

This, of course, is the biggest faux-pas. A study by Wakefield Research for HomeGoods found that 29 per cent of respondents ranked a guest who drinks too much as the deadliest party sin. Overdoing it with friends is one thing, but overdoing it with the boss could be disastrous.

Participate in gossip

Bite your tongue if you must, but don’t use this time to badmouth a colleague. And if someone else tries to pull you into the negativity? “Just change the energy and direction of the conversation through compliments and support,” says Spiegel. “If you are kind to everyone, your positive energy is contagious.”