I know Halloween was just a few days ago, but the Christmas ads are out in full force, and if you’re planning an office party, it’s time to get started (if you haven’t already). Which of course, leads to the question…what are we eating and drinking, and the related question…do we serve alcohol? Now, if you work at (a) a brewery or (b) a rehab center, the answer is pretty straightforward, but for the rest of us, it’s something to think about. Having been the office party planner, I have a few ideas:
- Think about last year’s party, if you were there, and if not, ask about last year’s party. Did people feel left out because they don’t drink? If you didn’t have drinks, did people leave the official party early to go to the bar? Ask a variety of employees so you don’t get influenced by one person’s or department’s thinking. Obviously, if anything bad happened at last year’s party that might have been a result of drinking, this would probably be a good time to change it up. While I’m on the subject of bad things happening, I’ve seen a fair amount of bad behavior at office parties, but one thing I’ve never seen, even though it’s a common trope on TV shows and movies, is people making copies of their bare rear end on the office copy machine! Has anyone ever actually done that? Or at least seen it done – I’m not sure I need to know if any of my readers have done it, ha ha!
- Think about your corporate culture, written and unwritten. Some places that seem very buttoned-up are full of party animals, and some companies advertise beer taps in the kitchen, but no one uses them. What’s more likely to happen in your office – people going out for happy hour or to run together? If your office would appreciate cocktails and you haven’t had any problems, then bottoms up (bottoms of your glass that is – keep your bottoms off the copier, folks)!
- Think about your workforce – where do they live and how do they commute? Of course, you’ll want to arrange for a car for anyone who may not get home safely, but getting home from a city office where most people take public transportation is a lot different than a suburban office where everyone drives. If you are in the burbs and you’re worried, perhaps you can arrange a van to make sure people aren’t tempted to get in their cars after one too many. Don’t give your non-drinking employees the responsibility of being designated drivers – they probably don’t want the attention and aggravation of driving home a carload of drunks, and there are way too many things that can go wrong when one employee is driving another home, even if they’re both stone-cold sober.
- If, after all this, you’ve decided to go ahead and serve alcohol, make sure you have non-alcoholic alternatives readily available. No one wants to have to search for the sparkling water or hunt down the party planner to find out where they can get a soda! A non-alcoholic punch or other drink that can be made in volume and spiked by those who want to is a good idea – be sure to list the ingredients on a card near the bowl, so both drinkers and non-drinkers will know what’s in it! Punch is a good way to stretch the party budget anyway, as is avoiding hard liquor in favor of beer and wine (unless you know some of the VIPs will have a hissy fit if they can’t get their cocktail of choice, in which case you can always make their favorite the “specialty” cocktail for the evening and avoid having a full bar).
- Make sure there’s enough food! You can’t force people to eat, but if you have a variety of yummy foods, it will happen! If you don’t want to break the company budget, there’s always a potluck…have people sign up to bring something and you’d be amazed at the creative cooks (or purchasers) you have in your office! While it’s a good idea to make sure people who are drinking are also eating, even if you’re not serving alcohol, make sure there’s enough food. There’s nothing worse than watching people fight over the last potato chip!
- If you’ve decided this is the year to go alcohol-free, consider a different type of party. An escape room, scavenger hunt, or something else involving physical activity may be a good alternative to everyone sitting around a restaurant or the office thinking that this would be more fun if they had a beer! If your budget or corporate culture won’t allow for anything out of the office, what about a breakfast party? It can be a fun break in the workday, as long as the Powers That Be are OK letting everyone relax and enjoy themselves first thing in the morning!
While you’re considering all this, here is a recipe for my go-to office party dip – unfortunately I don’t have a picture, but this was so popular at my last office job that I had to bring it to parties held in restaurants and give people the recipe when they left the company!
Bacon/Ranch/Cheese Dip – serves anywhere from 2 to 20
1 16-ounce container sour cream
1 envelope ranch dressing mix (not ranch dip mix)
1 package real bacon bits (not Baco’s, the ones that say “real” bacon)
1 cup finely shredded cheddar cheese
Combine all ingredients. If you feel like getting fancy, keep some of the bacon bits on the side and top with bacon bits and a little shredded cheddar. Serve with chips (sturdy ones like “scoops” or Fritos work best) and/or carrots and celery for those watching carbs or trying to avoid feeling guilty about eating dip! This tastes better if you make it at least an hour in advance, but if you don’t have time, it’s fine to eat as soon as it’s mixed!
Hope the article has given you food for thought and the dip recipe has given you food for your next party!