The Dos and Don'ts of Office Holiday Parties (Mid-Career feature)

Is a daytime or evening party more convenient for attendees? For employees with children, arranging child care may be an issue. If a party is planned during office hours, however, make sure everyone can attend. Leaving someone behind to answer the phones dampens the holiday mood.

Make sure employees understand who is invited to the party. If spouses or children are not included, make that clear.

Plan a party that reflects well on the company. Choose an appropriate location, control the flow of alcohol (or provide none) and take your employees' interests into consideration. As with other business functions, your holiday party can either add or detract from your company's culture and image.

Your company's holiday party is just around the corner -- time to let loose and party hearty with your coworkers after a long year, right? Wrong. According to Hilka Klinkenberg, founder of Etiquette International, a firm specializing in business etiquette, the cardinal rule for attending your company's holiday party is to remember that no matter how festive the occasion, it's still about business. Don't fall off the fast track to success or risk damaging your professional reputation in one night of inadvertent blunders. Klinkenberg offers the following advice to ensure a smooth and enjoyable evening.

Eat drink and be merry -- in moderation. Where else but the office party can you find the CEO and the mailroom clerk belly up to the bar together? Beware of the spiked eggnog, though. Alcohol + you + your boss = Monday morning's "I can't believe I said that." If you do choose to drink, do so minimally. This is not the time to lose your inhibitions.

Dress appropriately for the occasion. Klinkenberg says this rule especially applies to women who sometimes use company parties for strutting their stuff a bit. Anything short, tight or revealing should stay in the closet; you've worked hard to create a professional image and revealing clothes can totally alter your coworkers' and boss's perception of you as a competent professional. Unless you want to be the subject of post-party gossip, leave the party dress at home.

Your company party may be the only time you see the president, CEO or VPs in person. Introduce yourself. This is a great opportunity to become visible to your organization's higher-ups. At the very least, don't spend the entire evening with your regular office buddies. Get in the holiday spirit and mingle with people from other departments.

Clarify exactly who is invited to the event with the party coordinator. Spouses, boyfriends and girlfriends are not necessarily always on the guest list. Find out beforehand to avoid a potentially uncomfortable evening for your significant other.

If you've been a star performer in your organization this year, you may be honored with a toast. Accept the honor gracefully, but don't drink to yourself or clap when others are applauding you. Also, make a toast to the person who toasted you, thanking him or her for the recognition.

Pay attention to the time you arrive and the time you leave the event. Even if you don't really want to attend, avoid arriving 20 minutes before it ends just to make an appearance. On the flip side, don't party until the wee hours of the morning either. Both errors in judgment will be noticed.

Be sure to thank the person who coordinated the party. He or she likely put in a great deal of effort hoping you would have a good time. Not only is saying thank you the nice thing to do, it also makes you stand out from all those employees who don't -- which never hurts your career.

Gift-Giving in the Workplace

Aside from the standard no fruitcake policy, here are some tips on appropriate workplace gift-giving:

Normally subordinates do not give their boss a gift. Doing so can be perceived as brown-nosing, especially if the gift is expensive or elaborate. A better idea is to have everyone in a department chip in for a group gift.

If you have an assistant, definitely buy him or her a gift. Note: a bonus does not count as a gift.

Gifts given in the workplace should not be too personal in nature. The professional environment dictates more conservative gifts.

Unless you are giving gifts to all your peers or staff members, give gifts intended for individuals privately.