Picture this: You're at your Contact Centre Christmas party, the music is playing, the drinks are flowing, and you're just about to photocopy your body parts as a fun party trick. Stop right there!
We're here to guide you through the do's and don'ts of the Christmas party, especially in a Contact Centre environment. After years of enjoying (and surviving) these festive gatherings, we've gathered some invaluable insights that we're ready to share. From warning against pre-drinks to advising against mixing drinks, and what they may lead too, we've got you covered.
And the conversation gets deeper as we tackle serious issues such as dealing with alcoholism at these events, handling inappropriate behaviours, and the exploitation of power dynamics. All while keeping the festive spirit alive! We even delve into the humorous side of things, discussing why some things are a no-go and why a pay rise request might not be the best party conversation. We wrap things up by exploring the fun element of party themes. So, get ready for some candid chats and hearty laughs as you navigate the Christmas party in your call centre.
Find more useful and essential contact centre development from realitytraining.com
Picture this: You're at your Contact Centre Christmas party, the music is playing, the drinks are flowing, and you're just about to photocopy your body parts as a fun party trick. Stop right there!
We're here to guide you through the do's and don'ts of the Christmas party, especially in a Contact Centre environment. After years of enjoying (and surviving) these festive gatherings, we've gathered some invaluable insights that we're ready to share. From warning against pre-drinks to advising against mixing drinks, and what they may lead too, we've got you covered.
And the conversation gets deeper as we tackle serious issues such as dealing with alcoholism at these events, handling inappropriate behaviours, and the exploitation of power dynamics. All while keeping the festive spirit alive! We even delve into the humorous side of things, discussing why some things are a no-go and why a pay rise request might not be the best party conversation. We wrap things up by exploring the fun element of party themes. So, get ready for some candid chats and hearty laughs as you navigate the Christmas party in your call centre.
Find more useful and essential contact centre development from realitytraining.com
Speaker 1:
Contact Center Focus the reality training podcast.
Speaker 2:
Hello, contact Center Focus listeners. So are you having a Christmas party? That's what we're looking at here, and we're looking at what should you do and what should you don't.
Speaker 1:
Do's and don'ts for the Contact Center. Christmas party and Jeremy and I have extensive experience of Christmas parties. Over the years I've been to Christmas parties at massive black tie jobbys in London, I've been to Christmas parties that were beer throwing events in pubs and I've been to watch Greyhound Racing as part of the Christmas party all sorts. Now the key single factor that unites all Christmas parties is the level of alcohol taken at them. And actually, to make it worse, I've also noticed in recent years not only do you turn up for the Christmas party and have a few drinks, many people like to start early and go out for a few beforehand. So by the time you get there, you turn up a bit of oil. So give us that one, Jay my number one is don't do pre-drinks.
Speaker 2:
I've got a kid who's just gone off to university. I had no idea it was a new thing at universities. Now we have pre-drinks before we get what You're not going to make it. And you're not going to make it if you're not paying for the booze. So number one is don't say, oh, let's start at mine and we'll go on and don't I don't know, don't exit the Contact Center, go over the road for five jars before you come back in. So number one is don't have the pre-drinks.
Speaker 1:
So that's a big don't. Now other don'ts, and this is a tough one. Let's lead on to the whole drink thing Now. Everyone has a few drinks at the Christmas party and gets drunk.
Speaker 1:
And I know that Jerem is dying to tell us about don't mix your drinks. Okay, but he's at 104. And, of course, if you're younger than that, you're perfectly happy to mix your drinks on the regular basis and you're not going to sit there and go. Well, I heard this old buffer talking about not mixing your drinks, so I'm not going to do that. Most people mix their drinks. That's a fact of life. It's going to happen. My feeling is this if you know you're going to get tanked up and you probably are at the Christmas party take the morning off. Just take the morning off. The day after the day off, just take, take it off so you can lie in bed and get over it. You can drink with abandon and not worry about it so much. But I think if you're going to have a skin fall and you're expected to work the next day, you are absolutely going to have a nightmare on your hands. So just don't do it.
Speaker 2:
Yeah. My other one is don't go if you're an alcoholic, it's fairly obvious. But do not attend and stop coming up with excuses. But if you cannot be surrounded by people drinking huge amounts of booze or you're a tea, total for the time, you don't have to attend. I remember going to a Christmas party with an alcoholic and she went off and made six calls that evening to cope with it and I said log the problem. I said look, you can talk to me, talk to someone else. But it was murder. I said well, it's compulsory attendance.
Speaker 1:
Look, I said, that's not fair.
Speaker 2:
You can't have compulsory attendance anymore.
Speaker 1:
I mean, you could also say don't attend if you're a sex addict, because that's going to be a nightmare for you, isn't it really? That brings us on to the next thing. Well, let's go into that, shall we? Let's talk about snogging, okay, yeah, let's talk about it. Lots of people especially in contact centres, by all accounts will go to their Christmas party and somebody that you've kind of had your eye on for a few months you're going to end up snogging.
Speaker 1:
Well, you hope you are. Well, you hope you are, and everyone likes a snog, and that's fantastic. Now there are, of course, people who will take this slightly further and, going back to our previous don't, if you've had a few and things do lead from one thing to another, the consequences of that particular action may, may be a weight around your neck for a considerable amount of time.
Speaker 1:
And I think it's a dangerous one because it does create an atmosphere at work and could make your work life very, very difficult. Now, to take that slightly further people in senior positions should not take advantage of their position and use it to take advantage of someone at a lower level. And that does happen as well with a few drinks, you know it happens.
Speaker 2:
So please try to avoid that. Well, I think number one we could say do snog if you have to, and the don'ts don't go any further, and then you might be fine.
Speaker 1:
Again, I mean you're talking as a man, who that particular activity is. Let's be honest, it's.
Speaker 2:
Lots of to.
Speaker 1:
Yeah, to some degree. And so I think people like, why not? You know, do whatever you like, but just think about you know what could possibly happen. And I'll tell you this I know a chap who was so outrageous at a Christmas party once he had a few was a bit too over the top and he was sacked a day later. And these, you know, the consequences of your actions can take place.
Speaker 2:
My favorite story. A CEO of a business was standing talking with everyone in front of him. He was a him and only a workforce of about 100, and they're all in a hotel, in a room that they've got cordoned off, and out of the corner of his eye, somebody starts moving to the left and he's thinking I'll carry on because she's oh, she's still walking around. This person then stood over his left shoulder. He carried on thinking, well, I think we'll be okay. And then she just chose to get her hand and go whack into his buttock, squeeze it incredibly hard, stare at him as he continued his speech. This person was 22 years old, couldn't stop themselves. Now, that is over inebriation, but obviously something was very pent up in this poor person. So I would say, as well as kissing, be careful with physicality. Don't touch, rub, peck on the cheek, don't kiss on the lips, all that stuff. Be very careful physically. Don't over, be overamorous Bob's face you should see it now because he's thinking well, I've never managed that.
Speaker 1:
I've got a lovely don't. I've got a lovely don't Happened to one of ours.
Speaker 2:
Don't photocopy your arse.
Speaker 1:
No, don't do that, don't photocopy your body.
Speaker 2:
I would definitely agree with that. No.
Speaker 1:
Now a few other don'ts related to the boss. Actually, don't ask your boss for a pay rise at the Christmas party. Don't tell your boss exactly what you think of them at the Christmas party. That's a big mistake. Just keep yourself to yourself.
Speaker 2:
Or what you think of the rest of your team. Not the right environment. Yeah, don't take them to one side and go. I can't bear you all.
Speaker 1:
Yeah, absolutely OK. So a few other don'ts. I've got another, do yeah go for it.
Speaker 2:
And again, this is being in perfect land, of course, which may not be, Of course, of course. I think if you're senior, do leave earlier.
Speaker 1:
Yeah, good idea.
Speaker 2:
Because people will let their hair down. You know, it's a bit like when we do training we have some CEOs and directors who turn up for a bit, but they don't stay in the whole time because they will generally inhibit the idea created in the room and so on. So I think, if people are slightly on guard that the senior bosses are all in there, I think clear off, clear off.
Speaker 1:
CCF is brought to you by Reality Training. Our theatrical and entertaining approach to training is you and your people will change and improve what you do quickly and consistently. Please contact us about change projects and new sales and service models. Go to realitytrainingcom.
Speaker 1:
Ok, now I mean, there are so many things you could say. The other thing to think about is themes. Now, we've talked about this in one of our other podcasts. Bob Adgeram is a conflag, but I think it's important.
Speaker 1:
If you can avoid embarrassing themes for your parties, I think so much the better, because there's nothing more dreadful than having to dress up as some stupid costume, to then turn up at a party and have a few, and there's nothing worse than a sort of hammered octopus lying on a couple of seats at the end of the night. It's just not what people are after, is it? I once turned up at a Christmas party dressed as a fox. I'd hired this fox outfit because our company had changed their logo to a fox and I thought it was so ridiculous. I turned up as a fox to the Christmas party. I almost got sacked for it, but just about got away with it. But these things happen Now.
Speaker 1:
The thing about Christmas parties is this. You are there to enjoy yourself, have a bite to eat, have a few drinks, let your hair down. It's good fun. Let's be clear, though some people cannot bear the forced fun of a Christmas party, so don't force everyone to go. If they don't want to go, they don't want to go. Now there's one other thing I'll add to that. Some companies think isn't it lovely, when we have a Christmas party, to invite partners as well? So you extend the invite to your team's partners and everyone turns up, and we completely forget that through the year in your contact center team, you'd have had good times with your partner, and possibly occasionally.
Speaker 2:
Everybody knows about it.
Speaker 1:
Not so good times with your partner and everyone knows what's going on and they start talking about it and and I think that's quite interesting where you turn up with your partner and one of your mates you work with looks at them and goes, oh my god, and there's that kind of I. I just, I just think why would you mix it if you didn't?
Speaker 2:
have to, or somebody brave enough walks up and shakes hands. So this is the person who makes him bring you a cup of cocoa every night in bed. You're the person who refuses to make a Friday.
Speaker 1:
Oh, oh, you're the person who he runs a bath for, right, okay.
Speaker 2:
Very good, very good, so Uh so anyway.
Speaker 1:
So that's another another question. Now, I think the other thing about Christmas parties is it's great to have Christmas parties. If you're gonna do secret Santas, keep my wife's school do that extremely well.
Speaker 2:
It's a fixed amount of money. If you go over you, you're not allowed to do it. So, you don't open a sort of you know Joe Malone, amazing candle for 50 and the next person opens a you know a twix. You should, um, you know, get some kind of level some kind of level.
Speaker 1:
I also think some companies leave it to the last minute, knock it into January. It is always worse in January. Just organize it earlier in the summer, book it in for December and then it's a proper Christmas party and it's like a segue into Christmas. It's gonna be much more successful, don't just, you know, book it late because you've left it late.
Speaker 2:
Yeah, I mean I suppose I've got one more again. It companies see it as a cost. They often, often contact centers stay on site. Have been in so many contact centers where, where we turn up in March and there's still tinsel, you know, in a corner to the odd bobble hanging around, you get as an organization you get a budget per head to have a Christmas party. Suspend it and it's tax deductible. So Do go off-site, otherwise people are having the party where they work and yeah, okay, saves you if you quit. But why don't you just go off-site for a bit, put somebody behind the bar or something?
Speaker 1:
The only advantage of having a party about where you work is that if you were to get off with someone, you know exactly where you can go to hide the stationary cupboard. You know the little alcoves, the little meeting rooms. The trouble is everybody else is doing the same thing, so you're talking from experience there, mentioning an alcove.
Speaker 2:
That's an interesting image of something in your past, is it?
Speaker 1:
It is. I always knew where the alcoves were, yeah.
Speaker 2:
Well, we hope you're having a Christmas party. We should say we hope you're having one offered one because let's not have a Christmas party in Gabriel or in 25 quid. Doesn't have quite the same ring about it. Well, thanks for tuning in anything else from you, bobby.
Speaker 1:
No, no, enjoy your Christmas party. We'll see you on another CCF very soon. Thanks for listening.