Hopefully, you or someone you know has not played a starring role in one of those oh-so-common scenarios. But statistics are not on our side. A report titled, “Workplace Holiday Parties Breed Bad Behavior” found at least 23% of work-related partygoers knew someone who had to be reprimanded for excessive merrymaking behavior. And a full 14% of respondents knew of someone who had been fired because of too much of said merrymaking. With that, we may as well share some stories. Dig in.
Every Party Needs a Pooper
No one invited this one. Employees of the company threw a big holiday bash. The boss, however, was not invited. He somehow got wind of the shindig and showed up.
You could’ve heard a pin drop. As one employee put it, “He walked in during the party and got super mad.” On the upside, he presumably could not fire everybody.
Photo Booth Bomb
Photo booths at parties are a lot of fun for everyone. This person’s coworker had a little too much fun and lived to regret it. But seriously, how was he to know the photos would find their way to Facebook?
As she tells it, “My coworker mooned the camera in the party photo booth, not realizing all the photos would be put on Facebook the next day.”
Edibles on the Potluck List?
She begins her anecdote with, “One of the managers brought brownies.” We pretty much know where the story is going. So, yeah. A manager brought brownies and set them on the table. The director of operations helped himself to a piece and about a half-hour later he is getting giggly.
It’s exactly what we expect. The manager brought in the wrong plate of brownies. Oops. She finished the story saying, “Needless to say, [we] gathered as many of the stoners as we could to clear that plate…”
The Great Mashed Potato Caper
This person attended her father’s Christmas work party. Her dad’s boss “thought he was funny and took a bolt out of one of the trays” that the restaurant staff was using to serve the food. At first, it didn’t seem to make a difference until the tray hit a little bump and “50 lbs. of mashed potatoes went flying everywhere.” It didn’t end there.
Next, the boss slipped in the mess, landed face-first in the spillage, and knocked out his front tooth. The takeaway: “Emergency dentists are very hard to find.”
Crashing the Beer Pong Game
A Business Insider employee says everyone still talks about it. The production company he was freelancing for held a holiday party at a nearby pub and mayhem ensued, quite unexpectedly. It was a mellow party, no heavy drinking. The anonymous employee said a very petite freelance colleague was sitting on the ping pong table.
Everyone was shocked when the ping pong table collapsed under her, leaving the freelance producer on the floor with a lot of spilled beer. He said it was hilarious, “because she’s so tiny and nobody really drank too much (and nobody got hurt).”
‘No one was very chatty in the morning’
This holiday party was hosted at a fancy hotel in the mountains. She went with her boyfriend and was enjoying a fine dinner and an open bar. They were seated at the “young people” table. There was another young couple and some singles seated there. Things started to go south.
The person who told this story said, “One lady got so [inebriated] she started making out with one of the singles on the dance floor while her boyfriend sat at the table and saw the whole thing.” It was an awkward morning.
Vogue
At this party, a table got flipped. Nobody was hurt, but some were so drunk that the company ended its open bar policy. A woman says she was dancing the moves to Madonna’s “Vogue” when she slipped and fell on the table that the CEO had been sitting at. The table was upended.
She said, “food and drinks flew everywhere and my rear end was in the air with my dress up and my undies showing.” Not a snazzy fashion statement. That was the company’s last holiday party with an open bar.
Everyone Still Talks About It
She was completely tanked. But she knew her limits and grabbed a taxi to preempt any potential escapades. So, she hopped in the ride and heads home. “I was right around the corner from home when I realized I was going to puke.”
She said there was no time to pull over. “I opened my purse and threw up in there.” Her coworker spread the barf bag story around the office, and 15 years later, “people still mention it.”
A Company Owner’s Breach of Propriety
This anonymous person’s company organized a rafting trip for the employees. She was a waitress there. One of the restaurant owners was in the boat with her and she asked her to hold her arms so she could try to relieve herself off the side of the raft.
“But the minute she crouched over, we hit some rapids,” said the employee, “and an oar knocked her into the river.” Splash!
Actual Live Penguins
Someone wrote about a penguin-themed holiday party. Imagine everyone’s surprise when penguins showed up for entertainment. “The company rented penguins for the party. Actual live penguins,” according to the anonymous employee.
It was at the height of the company’s success, she said, and “the penguins were a disgusting representation of extreme excess. We kept saying how ridiculous the whole thing was.” Years later, she says she still feels weird about it.
Epic Letdown
This story comes from a wife who attended her husband’s company party. She said they invited spouses that year and trumped up the event, even chartering buses. She and her husband dressed nicely and waited for the bus. Almost two hours later, no bus. So, they drove themselves to the party. By the time they got there, the food was almost gone, and drinks were not gratis.
Other employees waited for the bus. The food was completely gone by then. A boss who had a little too many beverages profusely thanked only big wigs, none of whom were there. Coworkers who were stuck waiting for the bus arrived home at 3 a.m.
Belligerent Sales Manager Gets His Company Banned from Venues
He has kicked in bathroom doors, threatened staff, and broken chairs at venues. One year, that sales manager got drunk and tried to fight the DJ because — wait for it — the disk spinner wouldn’t play his song request. The DJ had fun with it provoking him from the mic at the DJ booth.
A hilarious scene ensued. But guess what, he has never been fired. The commenter wrote, “He makes a lot of money for the company, so the higher-ups tolerate his Christmas holiday party antics.”
This Holiday Party was a Total Rip Off
Employees were promised they could close the shop up early, go to a 5-star restaurant buffet, and the boss would comp it all. The boss man also said he would share client gifts with the staff. This is how things really went down:
They had to work overtime. The boss called for a mandatory party at the office. He gave them donuts and forced them to watch Meghan Trainor's music videos for hours. Plus, the head honcho took the pile of client gifts home for himself.
Company Owner Goes All Out at the Holiday Celebration
But it ends with a twist. Employees were treated to an exclusive steakhouse where a side of beef is rolled out. Guests are privy to observing their steak order being carved out before it goes to the kitchen. The lavish meal concluded with the boss buying shots of Louis XIII brandy at $450 a pop.
The person who shared the story tossed back three of them. The next day, the office is vacant, and the boss is gone. He took the company jet, embezzled a ton of money, and fled. They learned later that he’s living large somewhere in South America.
Employee Dude Crashes the Party
The employee drank way too much and, inexplicably, mounted the ceiling and went climbing through the rafters. He crashed through the ceiling of the venue that hosted the event and tumbled onto the floor, just like Oscar from “The Office.
“Amazingly he was not fired but I’m pretty sure the guy doesn’t work at the company anymore", was said.
Work Party Melee
“Luckily no one had to go to the hospital or anything,” says this employee of a startup company. He said, “Tons of free booze, a DJ with huge speakers, and just general craziness ensued.” The cops showed up and the DJ cued the “Bad Boys” tune from that cop show.
It was summed up like this, “On the one hand it was an epic rager. On the other, it did turn into a horror show.”
‘We are No Longer Together'
This person shared an office party story that did not end well. She said, “I used to work for a high-end fashion brand in the U.K., and every year, they held a Christmas party at a swanky locale in London.” She and her boyfriend dressed to impress for the formal event.
He took full advantage of a complimentary bar. They had arrived in a party van with some others. On the way back, he passed out and vomited several times. She was stuck cleaning up the mess that also ruined one rider’s designer shoes.
White Elephant Gift Exchange Leaves Guy Red in the Face
At this gift exchange, all the gifts were legit. Bottles of wine, gift cards, and the like were passed out. One guy got a 4-pack of toilet paper. He began complaining. Soon, he “demanded to know who the cheapskate was who couldn’t be bothered enough to buy a decent gift but was gladly going home [with a prize].” A quiet person piped up asking if he had checked underneath the package of TP.
Two NBA game tickets are attached. “The guy turned red, quietly apologized, and sat down.” He ducked out of the party a couple of minutes later.
‘I Was Somehow Lucky Enough Not to Lose My Job …
She had just begun dating a coworker a few months before the holiday party. Anticipating being linked at the shindig, news that he was with another coworker stung. She wrote: “When he showed up to the party with her and another coworker, I was livid.” An open bar did not help.
The HR coordinator said she went to the interactive photo booth, “snapped a photo flipping the bird, and then wrote ‘F—love’ in big digital letters.” It was caught on camera and spread all weekend. They let her keep her job.
This Woman Clearly Made a Lasting Impression
It was the first-holiday party she had been at for this company since she was newly hired. She was confident and ready to get to know some colleagues, and perhaps impress some execs.
Instead, she had this to tweet after the event: “In my zeal to attend tonight’s #holidayofficeparty at my new job, I walked face-first into a glass wall.”
A Chocolate Connoisseur Hit Her Limit
This young lady had the posh occupation as a taster for a high-end San Francisco chocolatier. For the company’s holiday party, an entire restaurant was booked. IDs weren’t checked. “So,” she said, “I feel confident ordering a Midori Sour.” She says it arrived in what looked like a fishbowl, but she still drank it. When she returned from the ladies’ room her colleagues had ordered her another!
Then, just when she thought she might “keep it together,” the boss presented truffles for all, enormous and filled with hard liquors. Heading home, the cabbie asked what she does. “I just whispered, ‘I’m a connoisseur,’ and started crying.”
Desperately Seeking Holiday Cheer
It sounded promising. That year, the company invited employees to dine at an upscale restaurant. Directed to their table, they found themselves seated in an outdoor tent. Temps plunged to 20 degrees that night and the heaters failed due to a tripped breaker.
Next, part of the tent collapsed. It seemed holiday cheer could be no more bereft. The man who shared this experience said, “To make matters worse we found a dead rat underneath one of the tables.” He was furious. “By the time our food came, we were freaking angry. Luckily the staff let them inside and comped unlimited drinks.
The Boss’ Last Holiday Party
It’s a wonder he is still living. This person’s office party took a dramatic turn during the festivities. The boss and his wife were extremely drunk. As this employee tells it, “I guess [the boss] said something she didn’t like so she grabbed a wine glass, shattered it, and then went after him with the broken stem!”
The inebriated pair straggled out the door and left a mess for everyone else to deal with. “They didn’t end up coming to another Christmas party!”
Invited to Serve
This anonymous employee relayed a situation that she found herself in while working at a sandwich shop. All six employees, she and five other workers, were invited to a formal holiday party held at the boss’ house. She dressed to impress but was shocked when she arrived.
“I didn’t realize until I showed up – in my only fancy party dress – that I was expected to work the event, serving all the owner’s friends and family!” She served as a servant instead of a welcomed guest.
A Legendary Lady
This employee left a strong impression. The person telling her story says that she was “pretty legendary.” At one office Christmas party, she got so drunk she grabbed a bottle of whiskey by the neck and drank it, straight out of the bottle. Meanwhile, the boss’ 12-year-old daughter was speaking loudly, standing behind the inebriated woman.
“The lady yelled, “SHUT UP!’ Turned around, realized who it was, and immediately went white .” It was a wonder she didn’t lose her job.
A Christmas Bonus
When Christmas rolls around, many employers get in the giving spirit and offer the folks that help make them rich a bonus, a raise, or some kind of show of appreciation. At this holiday event, the employee was put in an excruciatingly awkward position.
The employee said, “My former boss got drunk, sat me down at the bar, and said that he was giving me a raise [for less money]. Whoops!”
An Office Memo
A couple of days before the event, the office circulated a memo. It said that if anyone is arrested during the office holiday party, they would not be bailed. As hilarious as it sounds, there was a legitimate reason for the memo.
A year before, a handful of people were arrested at the party. The CEO had to bail them all out of jail.
Waiver Required
In response to the previous post about bailing workers out; at her work, the company approached the situation of potentially unruly employee guests by taking it up a notch. “I walked into [my holiday party] last night and was handed a waiver to sign.
Our guests didn’t have to sign it, only the employees.” She said the form meant to waive company responsibility was probably required because free drinks were being served. Waivers, incidentally, are getting increasingly common each year.
Christmas Karma
This holiday party ended with a cringe crash. “One of my coworkers drank too much and proceeded to hit on our boss,” she begins. But the plot flipped when this happened. The reader added, “When she got up from the table to walk away, he stood up to follow her, tripped, and split his chin open.
The next day he came into work with a busted chin and a bruised ego.” Ouch.
Timber!
At home, the pet cat is usually to blame for this type of fiasco. In this scenario, the employee was at the annual holiday party. The lavish affair took place at a swanky winery in the banquet room. Complimentary beer, wine, and a live band made the event lots of fun. Employees got three drink tickets, but one employee got blitzed.
She was the manager of lawn and garden at the hardware store they worked for. In a surprising calamity, she accidentally took down the venue’s festive 8-foot Christmas tree in a drunken stupor. That’s one way to crash a party!
Big Mouth Strikes Again
Bringing a date to an office party is a great way to feel less awkward. Walking into a crowd of people is easier with someone on your arm. Not this time. A woman who brought her boyfriend to her work party regretted it.
The boyfriend turned to a lady next to him and asked her if she worked for “the same cheap company” as his girlfriend. Turns out, she is married to the companies manager. Cringe!
Total Nightmare Holiday Party
It was not a festive evening but employees paid for it. It cost at least $50 per person, more for dates. When they arrived, the banquet room was double-booked. “So there are 300 people trying to share a space meant for 200 at the most.” The crowded venue left people standing and waiting to eat while others ate.
The meals were frozen inside, likely inadequately microwaved, and it caused a food poisoning breakout. A full refund was demanded, but only the company was reimbursed. The lucky ones got a pizza that the manager ordered because of the fiasco.
‘Such Cringe’
This office party took place in the office. They turned office space into a party venue with bars set up throughout. All for a-rockin' prank, these coworkers thought it would be hilarious to sneak into the VP’s office and snap a group selfie. “Well, he came in when it was happening,”.
“We froze and then literally ran away in a horrified panic.” She happened to look back down the hall and saw him in hysterics. They didn’t get busted. She said, “It was never brought up. Ugh. Such cringe.”
Swanky Holiday Pool Party
This swanky party was not intended to be a pool party, but guests at the lavish vacation home were tempted. She said that she was an intern for highly paid professionals. From inside the home, she heard splashes coming from the infinity pool.
“People were in expensive suits and dresses,” she said. But in a party mood, they thought it would be a riot to push each other in. Shivering and wet, she said the next day was “filled with complaints about cleaning bills, ruined clothes, and wet car seats.”
Karaoke King
At this office party, the company boss provided the entertainment. It was not welcomed. The reservation for the karaoke room ended twenty minutes ago, but the boss was still belting it out into the mic. A venue employee tried to corral him, but he went rogue, rapping all the way while he was wrestled to the ground.
“They’d cut off the music. My boss, totally drunk, started rapping into the still-on microphone.” To make matters more humiliating, it was a “freestyle rap cataloging everybody’s role on the team.”
A Horse Tale
At this holiday party, elaborate decorations included a life-size horse sculpture. A coworker who had one too many was drawn to the sculpture, “ripped off her fake eyelashes and put them on the giant ceramic white horse they’d rented for decoration.” It didn’t end there.
The most hilarious part is, as this person tells it, “She promptly started crying because she thought the horse had alopecia since it ‘didn’t have fur.’”
Party Foul
What would you have done? This person was in line at the buffet. He didn’t breathe on the food or touch five rolls before taking one. It was way grosser than that.
As he put it, “While in line for the food, I broke wind so loudly in front of one of the office managers that I just dropped my plate and left. No one ever said anything to me.”
It Didn’t End as Badly as it Seemed
At this Christmas party, a woman ended up wearing her boss’ vomit. He threw up all over the front of her dress and then laughed it off. She reminded him of it the next day at work. This happened to the sister of the person who tells the story.
She said the boss’ response to her sister was something like, “‘Oh, my goodness I am extremely sorry, would a promotion help? I’ll buy you a new dress, too.’” She worked for him for a while, as it turned out.
Adding it Up
A lot of times people don’t want to go to holiday work parties. You sit around feeling awkward and must socialize with the same people you see day in and day out. Plus, there’s that risk for inappropriate behavior. This person weighed his options, and it wasn’t worth it.
He characterized it as, “My most pathetic Xmas party.” It cost $35 per ticket which included a mandatory secret Santa gift exchange set at a $25 minimum. Adding it up, “[Sixty bucks] to spend time with my coworkers…. Hmmmmm yeah didn’t end up going.”
Surviving the ‘9th Circle of Hell’
This holiday party was held in a vacant warehouse on Chicago’s south side. People were crammed in and there was no seating available. And, “because the gods of Christmas hell apparently didn’t think we’d taken enough punishment, there was no heat,” according to this maligned partygoer.
“Picture about 500 people packed like sardines into a dimly lit, way too small room, unable to sit,” he added. He was afraid to eat their food. “So after spending 3 hours “in the 9th Circle of Hell, I left absolutely starving on top of everything else.” Fun times.
Scrooged
At first, this holiday work party seemed pretty swanky. There was an open bar, and it was held in a classy restaurant. The CEO called for everyone’s attention. The teller of this story said, “We assumed he would just be congratulating us on a great year and wishing us happy holidays.” Instead, he informed everyone that there would be no Christmas bonuses.
Worse yet, he announced people would soon be laid off. It turned into a bacchanal. Someone vomited on a plate of fillet mignon. The CEO’s wife had to be carried out. “It was glorious,” he concluded.
‘Don’t tell Bruce’
Bruce is the boss. People can end up with their foot in their mouth at very inopportune times. This employee was at a holiday party complaining about her latest assignment. Another employee witnessed it happening and said, “I saw a coworker complain about a recent assignment, then say, ‘Don’t tell Bruce I was complaining.’”
And who, was she saying this to? “She was talking to her boss, Bruce.” Perhaps her next assignment will be better?
A Secret Farewell Party
Instead of ruining everyone’s good time, this boss did not mention it. He invited everyone to a barbeque held at the company warehouse. They celebrated the business’ first year. There was great food, live music entertainment and a good time had by all.
The party was held on a Friday. “The next Monday, when we arrived to work, the company was closed, and the warehouse was completely empty.”
Attention: The Boss is Giving a Toast
When the boss stands up to make a toast, employees anticipate words of praise and appreciation. But it doesn’t always go that way, as we have seen. The president of the firm made a very awkward announcement.
An editor who was there relayed the story said there wasn’t really a toast, “Instead he gets up there and after thanking us for all the hard work we do, he tells us he’s selling the magazine.” Everyone was left standing there, assuming they would all lose their jobs. Merry Christmas!
How Bad Was It?
We will never know. But the person who was scheduled for a job interview the day after the holiday office party had a vague sense. The offices smelled disgusting, and two-thirds of the employees were no-shows.
The people who were there to interview her, for some reason, assumed she was already hired. She didn’t disprove it. “Suffice to say, I took the job.”
Sent to HR
The day after this office party, photos from the photo booth were published at a link sent to everyone who worked at the company. “After scrolling through several hours of tame photos, I discovered a series of 25 pictures showing my boss in a progressing state of undress while hooking up with a colleague from a different department.” Needless to say, the photos were gone in a minute.
“The gallery was removed from public access within the hour, and both photo subjects were sent to HR,” according to the coworker.
Lady Flips Out at Office Party
A couple of drinks can make people a little too brazen. This person lived to regret it. She was sharing her past accomplishments in gymnastics and proceeded to demonstrate her skills.
As she put it, “I decided to brag about my past as a gymnast, then proceeded to do a backflip in the office lobby.” What could go wrong? All she said was, “Woke up with a rug burn on my forehead. Yeah…”
Fun and Games
It’s all fun and games until your manager’s wife slaps you in the face. This employee was 22 and working at a local restaurant. She playfully grabbed a hat from one of the cooks. Next, the manager’s wife grabbed it from her head and put it on her own.
The employee thought it was all fun and games. “I grabbed it back,” she said. And, “She promptly slapped me across the face.” It was her first time meeting the woman and her first-ever face slap. It took two shifts before her manager faced her to apologize.
Don’t Do This at Office Parties
She was embarrassed the following day. Her name is Rachael, she is a fashion designer out of NYC. Having over imbibed in open bar beverages, she went around asking coworkers if they might have some cannabis on them.
The news organization found that a survey by a women’s group said drinking too much was women’s number one regret for office parties. Rachael agreed, “That was kind of embarrassing the next day.”