You’re heading to another corporate outing. Beer and wine will flow freely. And the regular workday is over. However, there are some business etiquette dos and don’ts to consider before you arrive.
It seems easy: Have a few drinks, shoot the breeze, and go home. Yet your actions could affect your future in an organization.
The history of corporate outings is rife with horror stories.
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“If there is an employee who has proven to be a little bit risqué in their behavior, the company may not fire that person, but that person certainly might have a glass ceiling imposed on [their advancement],” said Andy Cutler, president of Cutler Communications, a public relations firm in Providence.
Cutler has been to his share of corporate outings, having spent some of his 18-year career with large companies in Boston, New York and San Francisco. He now organizes business functions for his clients here.
“Let’s say you make a fool of yourself at a party after consuming too much alcohol,” Cutler said. “Or you ‘connect’ with another employee there. That can be a career-inhibiting move.”
Don’t touch, says Cutler. An Italian executive learned that the hard way, said Cutler, who attended a corporate retreat where the man groped several female employees. The executive was fired the following week.
Robbin Beauchamp, director of the Career Center at Roger Williams University, hosts classes that teach students business etiquette while dining, interviewing and interning.
“If I were to give any advice to [people],” said Beauchamp, “any corporate outing that they go to, they have to remember to act as though they were still at work.”
Beauchamp provided these survival tips for company outings:
*Dress appropriately. “Dress for the event as though you are going to work on a casual day,” Beauchamp said. For summer outings, men, and women in particular, should avoid revealing clothing. Women could wear Capri pants, for example, rather than shorts.
*Apply cosmetics sparingly. “It needs to be appropriate for a fancy work outing,” she said. Despite its intended effect, perfume or cologne could actually serve as a human repellent when overused.
*Stay sober. “It’s probably a safe bet to have one drink, or maybe two, depending on how you hold your alcohol,” Beauchamp said. Employees should stay away from the bar, however, if their bosses decide not to drink.
*Beware taboo topics. “Stay away from anything that could be controversial,” she said. “You don’t want to necessarily talk about politics or government.” Corporate outings are also not the place to complain about your organization or to gossip about other employees.
*Give compliments. “You can certainly talk about what a nice event it is, and how you appreciate someone working hard to put that event together,” Beauchamp said. It’s also appropriate to compliment another employee’s efforts at the office.
*Make allies. Corporate outings provide a venue to network with senior managers whom you may not have access to at work. “Use it as an opportunity to find allies within the organization,” she said. “We all need to advocate for our departments. This may be a good opportunity to ask for something.”
*Play nice. “Gosh, there’s an awful lot of golf tournaments,” Beauchamp noted. “Sometimes winning the game is not so important. You want to make sure that you don’t alienate people within the organization.” Still, displaying your athletic talent could be a plus, she said, especially if you help your boss’s team win.
*Put cell phones on “vibrate.” A cell phone call could interrupt a conversation. And certainly, taking the call could be perceived as rude. “If you really need to make a call,” she said, “step outside and do so in privacy.”
