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Celebrate the Holiday Spirit, Corporate Style

St. Paddy's Day in the office Are you celebrating St. Patrick’s Day tonight?

Do you plan on staying home tomorrow and sleeping the lingering affects away?

Skipping out on the job the day after a holiday or major event might seem like an easy plan, but that decision can lead to many mornings stuck at home – after you’re fired.

It doesn’t take a detective to decipher whether an employee is actually sick or recovering from a self-induced, after-party illness. Those photos you and your friends post on social media also make the job much easier. And at most companies, skipping work for party recovery could be grounds for removal.

But, it turns out, millions of Americans are willing to put their jobs on the line for their favorite holidays. The International Business Times reports that in 2011, 1.5 million people called in sick to work the Monday after the Super Bowl. Another 4.4 million arrived late.

Tonight’s St. Patrick’s Day celebrations will likely result in a few missed time clock punches tomorrow as well. According to InsuranceQuotes.com, 5.5 million pints of Guinness are consumed worldwide on any given day. On the greenest of holidays, that number jumps to 13 million. This year the mayor of Hoboken, NJ canceled the city’s celebration to quell the out of control, drunken revelry.

So if you’re planning to claim at least temporary Irish ancestry around the office this year, do it with a sense of fun - and professionalism.

Diane Gottsman, author, etiquette expert and owner of the Protocol School of Texas, shared her tips for a tasteful celebration via email.

“Decorations are always fun and can brighten an office,” she said. “Don’t go overboard; a few candies in a dish, but stay away from coloring your entire office in green and disrupting your coworkers with anything that makes noise.”

It’s fine and fun to honor the tradition of wearing green, but keep your look professional, she said.

“Silly outfits are best left to the children and even then, they should be worn in good taste,” Gottsman said.

While a touch of green is acceptable, following the practice of pinching those who forgot to don the day’s official color is not.

“Don’t threaten to pinch someone that doesn’t wear green, or force your coworkers to go out and buy something green if they aren’t in the spirit of the holiday,” she said.

Gottman’s top workplace pet peeve: holiday overkill – it may kill professional relationships.

“Coworkers going overboard, such as wearing Kiss Me I’m Irish t-shirts or buttons – keep in mind you may see a client or go out to your child’s school and make an impression that is difficult to shake,” she said.

Gottsman is also not a fan of beads with pints of brew or the aroma of the standard Irish fare associated with St. Paddy’s Day.

“Save your corned beef and cabbage for your own kitchen,” she said. “Some people may find the smell of cabbage in the office lunch room offensive -- even though it’s really tasty.” 

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