Should You Enforce The Use of Corporate Clothing at Your Office Christmas Party?

When it comes to the office Christmas party, many individuals focus their attention on the word "party," completely ignoring "office." This can cause major difficulties during the event. When you are organizing a Christmas office party for your employees, you need to be concerned about what your employees are wearing to the event if you want to avoid potential attire blunders.

Corporate Clothing and Your Office Christmas Party

Without a metaphorical line in the sand, your employees may arrive in attire totally unsuitable for the occasion. They may try to show off a little bit of skin, or get overly excited about the holiday and appear decked out in reindeer sweaters and Santa hats. While this type of clothing may work well for a neighbourhood Christmas gathering, they do not keep up the professional appearance of the office, especially if your office is also entertaining corporate clients.

By enforcing a corporate clothing dress code, you can help your employees avoid these common clothing mistakes, and make the most of the party. Your workers may not realize it, but the annual holiday party will be attended everyone, including their superiors. If you allow for a casual appearance, the mood of the party may be a little too casual as well, leading to too much drinking and inappropriate behaviour their superiors will remember for a long time.

When you are attempting to enforce your Christmas office party dress code, there are a couple of steps you can take to ensure everyone in the office remembers to dress appropriately.

• Have The Party In The Office - If you can set aside a few hours during the workday for a Christmas party, your employees will have no choice but to wear their typical corporate attire. For some businesses, however, this may not be feasible, and it does not allow for spousal attendance.


• Send Out A Memo - A couple of memos would be best actually. When you first send out a memo, informing your employees of the office party, make sure you mention they must wear their corporate clothing. The day of or the day before the party, send out another memo with a friendly reminder of what they are expected to wear.


• Hold a Meeting - Some of your employees may not understand the benefits of wearing corporate attire to the Christmas party. If you hold a meeting, you can listen to their concerns and inform them of the many advantages their regular work clothes will bring.


• Reward Them For The Correct Attire - If you are unsure your employees will adhere to your clothing guidelines, or you are also allowing their spouses to attend the party, consider rewarding them for appropriate attire. For instance, you could make sure they know they will only be eligible for the office Christmas raffle if both your employees and their spouses are wearing the right clothing. Who would pass up a chance to win a big screen TV or a day at the spa just to wear a skin tight dress or jeans?

When it comes to the office Christmas party, make sure your employees focus their attention on the word "office" and wear their corporate clothing.