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From party frocks to invites and Christmas cocktails, we've got everything you need to throw a fabulous party
Christmas cake and contacts
If you’re self-employed, don’t be shy. Use the Christmas bash as a means to mince pies and more work
When it comes to celebrations at this time of year anyone who isn’t employed in a permanent position may well find their social diary a little lacklustre as far as work Christmas parties are concerned. Being freelance myself, I’m inundated with invites to pub gatherings with friends and family get-togethers over a plate of home made mince pies, but as far as work shindigs go, my letter box has been fairly bereft of invites.
Having said that, my situation has improved considerably compared to a few years ago when I first became self-employed. I hadn’t quite learnt the art of persistence, you see (so vital for any freelancer). Call it British politeness if you like, but I just wasn’t pushy enough when it came to making employers aware of my existence. Now, I’m sure, they think, ‘Oh no, not that damn woman again. Quick, send her an invite to shut her up.’
Create your own social whirl
Gemma Wilder, 26, who’s been running her own desktop publishing business for the last five years has a very active social life, but used to groan constantly that she wasn’t invited to work dos. She did find a way of improving the status quo though. She says, ‘I do realise that funds can often be tight and employers should think of their permanent staff first, but I work for these companies all year round. So I threw a big party myself, invited many of the staff from the company’s I work for and from that time on I was flavour of the month – no, the year. Networking is important if you’re self-employed and it doesn’t have to stop outside working hours.’
The trend is catching on and now over 30% of the UK workforce is self-employed. This figure accounts for all industry sectors, including entertainment and the media, construction and caring professions.
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