Rhiannon Ingle
Now that we're finally in the month of December, it's clear many of us will be attending our Christmas work parties.
And while office bashes are a great way to blow off some steam following the chaos of the festive period, they can also bring their own chaos with them.
So, to make sure you don't end up with the worst workplace hangxiety following your work do, like some bloke who woke up to a horrifying HR email the day after his, a careers expert has issued a serious warning and key advice.
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Along with a deathly hangover, a 'career educator' who goes by Paddy Jobsman online woke up to the alarming email, which he later shared on TikTok.
The email in question read: "I am contacting you from the HR department regarding reports of your behaviour at our recent Christmas party. These reports are concerning and require an immediate discussion.
"Please attend a mandatory meeting on Monday at 9am in the office. This meeting is to address the behaviour in question and its implication under our company policy.
"It is crucial that you attend this meeting. Failure to not comply may result in further action."
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Talk about hangxiety!
While Paddy didn't go into the deets behind what actions led to the stern email, he did reveal what the outcome of his meeting was a few days later.
In another video, Paddy shared a screenshot of a follow-up email he had received following his chat with HR.
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It read: "Following our meeting concerning your behaviour at the Christmas party, we have decided to issue a written warning. This warning will be kept on your personnel record."
Clearly buzzing after dodging a sacking bullet, Paddy joyfully captioned the clip: "Made it out alive!"
Since then, career expert, Rob Phelps, at AI Jobs told Tyla that the 'most important thing' to remember when it comes to your Crimbo work do is that, while it is a party and a time to enjoy yourself and let your hair down, ultimately, you're still at work - so maybe don't let your hair down too much.
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Now, this isn't to say you need to act like you're in a meeting for the whole event.
Rob advises: "Allow yourself to have fun, of course, just remember to keep your wits about you and stay professional.
"If there are colleagues or managers that you don't get along with, try to keep your distance to avoid confrontation."
He continued: "Your behaviour may just be embarrassing to you, like a bad rendition of All I Want For Christmas Is You on the karaoke machine, or it could have more serious consequences, like a written warning in this case, or could even end with you losing your job."
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So, if you have perhaps not acted as professionally as you should have, and have been called into a meeting with HR, don't laugh it off.
"If the situation is serious, humour might feel like it will ease the tension, but trying to downplay it won't help if you disrupted the party for the whole team, or caused real offence," Rob warns.
Additionally, the career expert adds, you should 'avoid public apologies' (unless necessary) as they can draw more attention to the situation - as can trying to hide away, which can make the situation seem worse than it is.
"Take it seriously, don't make excuses, apologise sincerely, and try to move on," Rob resolves.