In a viral TikTok video, a worker shared a PSA on why you shouldn’t get too lit at your upcoming work holiday party.
With the holiday season now here and lax COVID-19 protections, more and more offices are bringing back the holiday work party. For many people, it’s a time to hang out with the same people they see daily, see what co-workers can (and can’t) dance, and most importantly—get tipsy and fed on the company dime.
People often fall into two categories when it comes to office parties. Some go out of obligation. They get dressed up, maybe have a glass of wine, and then they’re out within two hours. Then some take advantage of getting drinks paid for by the company. They can get a little messier than expected and potentially have some office party regrets the next day.
Well, TikToker @paddyjobsman likely falls into the second category.
“When you wake up after the work Christmas party and HR wants to set up a meeting,” the text overlay on the video reads next to a GIF of a distraught-looking man.
The video includes a screenshot of an email from HR stating that they received multiple reports about the worker’s behavior at the Christmas party.
“These reports are concerning and require an immediate discussion,” Karen, the HR person said.
She added that at the meeting, scheduled for 9 a.m. on a Monday, they’d discuss the “implications under our company policies.”
“I’ve got a wife and kids you can’t do this,” the caption read.
The video has well over 8.7 million views and thousands of comments.
If you were worried about whether @paddyjobsman was about to lose his job, rest assured that it’s likely his post was just a joke. Not only does @paddyjobsman regularly post funny work culture videos on his account, but this specific video is tagged with the following hashtags: #memes, #workmemes, and #workmeme.
@paddyjobsman I’ve got a wife and kids you can’t do this #workparty #relatable #memes #workmemes #workmeme ♬ original sound – Lou.bloom
Many commenters warned others about drinking around co-workers.
“I would never drink with coworkers, then they might see too much! Don’t do it, your coworkers aren’t your friends,” a top comment read.
“How do ya’ll not know that you CAN’T be your real self at company parties?!?!” a person wrote.
Another person shared a potential way out of the situation.
“Tell them you just started a new antidepressant because you’ve been stressed and didn’t know it would interact with alcohol,” the commenter wrote.
And @paddyjobsman shared his own real-life anecdote: “I’ve a friend who blacked out at his Christmas party and was fired the next day. To this day he still doesn’t know what happened.”