Expert's advice on dos and don'ts of the office Christmas party

It's the end of the year and with social calendars fast filling up - the office Christmas party is one of those opportunities to let your hair down and relax with your colleagues.

It can also be a HR department's worst nightmare, with the lines between what to do and not to do getting blurred, particularly when alcohol is involved.

But employment expert Roxanne Calder told Today there are some key things to remember if you want to avoid getting yourself into trouble when you return to the office.

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"Do limit the alcohol and make sure when you're at the party, maybe don't approach your boss and give them advice on what they should and shouldn't do in terms of management," she said.

"Don't get into workplace grievances with colleagues, it's not the place and don't bring up any controversial topics or social issues - I know it's a party, but equally it's still a work environment and we need to bear that in mind."

And while a lot of staff do see the end-of-year party as an opportunity to really cut loose, there are often a lot of people who are happy to just give it a miss completely and stay home instead.

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But as anxious as socialising with workmates might seem, Roxanne said it can be an opportunity to bring people together in a good way.

"I would encourage management to make it really warm and welcoming for people," she said.

"If we think about hybrid working from home, there are probably a good proportion of people who are a bit reluctant to attend, so if you give them some guidance on what to do, it's a really great opportunity to bring people together.

"Do make sure that you've got expectations in place and lay the ground rules, it's a good opportunity to do that because common sense is just not that common anymore."

Hear the full chat with Roxanne in the video above