St. Patrick's Day Customs that Put You in a Pinch at Work

Your name may be Paddy O’Brian and you were born on a blarney stone with a shamrock in your teeth, or you might not be Irish at all. Either way celebrating St. Patrick’s Day shouldn’t be an excuse to stop being professional. Some traditions, while seemingly harmless enough are simply inappropriate for the work place and other more serious infractions may get you in big trouble with your boss or looking for a new job altogether.

While it’s ok to celebrate safely on your own time, here are 4 common customs you should avoid while on the clock.

1. Pinching – Just because someone isn’t sporting any green garments that you can see doesn’t mean they should be punished with a pinch. Unwelcomed physical contact like this might not seem aggressive to you but others could find it painful and embarrassing.



2. Kissing – Keep your “Kiss me I’m Irish” kitsch at home and don’t give anyone an outstanding offer. Even the idea of locking lips with a coworker is kind of creepy, actually acting on it could violate your company’s fraternization policy and leave you in the unemployment line.



3. Puns in poor taste – Avoid jokes that refer to getting lucky in a sexual manner. Like propositioning puckers from people who work in your office, jokes in poor taste can be considered sexual harassment.



4. Drinking – St. Patrick’s holds the record for date with the highest consumption of alcohol. Wait until you’re clocked out to start the party because drinking at work will almost surely get you fired immediately. Don’t pay your tab with an expense account or company credit card unless you are trying to get fired. Calling in hung-over won’t impress anyone at work either.

Show your cultural pride at the office or participate in celebrating someone else’s heritage by coordinating your own green clothing. Simply sporting a shamrock on your person can be a subtle statement.

If you’re feeling particularly adventurous and generous then perhaps preparing a traditional meal to enjoy with your office mates over lunch would be a good way to share info and win points. Whatever you decide to do, make sure you have fun and celebrate responsibly so you can keep your job.

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By Heather Fairchild - Heather is a multimedia developer with experience in web, film, photography and animation as well as traditional fine arts like painting and sculpting. In addition to writing for RealestateJobSiteBlog.com, she is co-founder of design and promotion company, Creative Kazoo with fellow Nexxt blogger, Staci Dennis. Heather’s spare time consists of making puppets, teaching Sunday School, building Legos and doing science experiments with her children.