Warning issued to anyone going to work Christmas party to ensure you don't get in trouble with HR

The festive season is well and truly underway, and with it comes the much-anticipated Christmas parties.

While we all know exactly how to act at home - think Bailey's, Love, Actually on the TV and spending most of the day in a horizontal position - work parties come with a different set of expectations.

While we spend the majority of the year chatting idly with our colleagues, the festive celebrations lower our inhibitions and we get to know each other in much more detail.

One influencer, Sylvia, who gives her audience 'career advice for corporate go-getters,' has shared her must-know tips for the work Christmas party season.

Labelling it a 'public service announcement,' Sylvia outlined her strict rules to ensure you still have a job the next morning.

She said: "I don't know who needs to hear this, but do not - I repeat do not - stay to the end of your work Christmas party.

"Nothing good happens from staying past 11pm at a work Christmas party.

"These aren't your family, they're not your friends."

She continued: "They're your bosses, the people who hire you, promote you, and make big decisions.

"So leave early. Don't be there past 11pm."

So, there we have it. According to the career coach, it's imperative to leave well before midnight.

This advice seems to be commonplace among those giving tips, so it seems like it's worth listening to and saving ourselves the hanxiety.

Lifestyle writer Katie Rosseinsky shared with the Independent that in order to ensure the night is a roaring success - we shouldn't ever be the first or last to leave.

She says: "This is perhaps the golden rule of the office Christmas party. Make an early dash immediately after you’ve downed your complimentary welcome drink and everyone will inevitably remark on how keen you were to get away (and you’ll get further black marks against your name if you spent all your time banging on about how many other festive events you had to squeeze into this one night – no one likes a performative socialiser)."

She concludes: "Stay until the lights come on and there’s a high chance you’ll end up humiliating yourself in some way, or getting mired in drunken conversation with the very person you’ve been trying to avoid all night.

"Finding a good middle ground is key. No one can begrudge you for leaving around 10pm: you’ve put a decent shift in and hopefully your hangover won’t be too bad if you race home and neck some water."

Noted.