'My work Christmas party got so out of hand everyone was chucked out of venue'
It's that time of year when talk at work turns to what you are going to do for a Christmas party. It's pretty easy to get a bit merrier than usual, but a woman is warning people after her "feral" behaviour got her thrown out of her work do.
People cannot get enough of makeup artist Brooke who shared her nightmare work night out stories. The 33-year-old took to her TikTok page @brookesto and said: "I always dread a work do because I go with every intention not to act like a feral animal but do you know what I do? Act like a feral animal."
The hilarious woman, who is not shy about how much she loves a night out, left people in stitches after sharing how she got her whole work team kicked out of a restaurant on their work's Christmas do last year. "I have not lived it down," she said.
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Brooke added: "I got my whole company chucked out of last year's Christmas meal. They still talk about it to this day. Luckily, I work with people who are fun and find me funny, because if I didn't, I probably wouldn't have had a job."
She explained the group went out for a boozy brunch before bar hoping around London. "We got very, very drunk," she added. After a long day drinking session, the colleagues ended up in a noodle bar at the end of the night for some food. But Brooke could not have cared less about the food; she wanted a souvenir.
"As I walked into the noodle bar there were gold buddhas everywhere," Brooke said. She explained a colleague said they would quite like one of the buddhas and she insisted she would get one for them. "I thought what I would do is that I would pick one of those buddhas up, hid it and then when we go I'll have that," she said on social media as she laughed hysterically.
Thinking she got away with it, the group sat down to have some food - but they found it strange as no one came over to take their order for a while. A server eventually came over and said: "You all need to leave. Because you've tried to steal the buddha."
"Then they escorted us out of the building," Brooke noted. But before she was escorted out, she went to the toilet and saw some more buddhas, asked a stranger to get it for her, hid it in her coat and got away with it. So, it has now become a prop at her workplace.
Brooke was hoping to redeem herself again this year, but at her 2024 Christmas party things remained chaotic. Her team went bowling as her boss decided this would likely tame the group. She and her boss were left in stitches of laughter when they drowned their drink before leaving the bowling spot and realised that Brooke walked out with the bowling shoes still on.
Others rushed to shared their work Christmas party stories as one said: "Don't worry about it. I am banned from my town Weatherspoon. That's pretty bad."
Another shared: "I got so drunk few years back. The CEO wife was so worried about me. She took me home, plonked me on the sofa with a duvet. In my drunk state, the boxer dog looked cold in his bed so I took the duvet and slept in the dog bed with him, to be woken by my boss in the morning. I was mortified."
How to recover if you messed up at work Christmas party
Career expert Rob Phelps at AI Jobs shared how to recover from office party mishaps, to ensure you get to see the New Year at the company. He says if you are worried about how you behaved at Christmas party you should start by assessing the damage.
He said: "The first step is to take a breath, calm down, and work out exactly what happened. Was it a major mistake or a minor slip up that can be laughed off? Drunken karaoke that ended up on social media, an awkward overshare to your boss, or an argument with a colleague? Consider your audience and who saw what may have happened, as that could determine the severity of the situation, and how you should react."
It is wise to apologise if you think it is necessary - but keep it short and simple. Rob suggests saying things like 'I'm sorry about my behaviour at the party; it was out of unprofessional, and I regret it'. He also notes the more you bring up the incident, the more memorable it becomes to your colleagues, so keep a low profile and avoid drawing attention to yourself.
He also suggests to not dwell on it and learn from you mistake. He adds: "Yes, you may have had too much to drink, but don’t make that your excuse. Keep it simple, and avoid trying to place blame on external factors like alcohol or stress."
Have you had a work party blunder? Comment below.
