Corporate Worker Goes Viral For Bold AU$30K Pay Rise Request At Office Christmas Party

As the festive season kicks off, office Christmas parties are in full swing, where colleagues trade their usual office attire for festive shirts and come together to toast to the end of the year.

While the holiday cheer usually masks a year's worth of email battles, one Australian worker is making headlines for a bold move at her company's Christmas party.

Rhian Tannahill, 29, has gone viral for cheekily asking for a pay rise while attending the celebration. In an Instagram post, the corporate worker confessed to drinking "87 litres of Hard Solo, laughing too loudly, telling anyone who will listen my secrets and asking for a $30,000 pay rise."

Her humorous request has resonated with fellow workers, racking up over 900,000 views on social media.

The post quickly became a conversation starter, with many people sharing their own holiday party mischief. "I also did this," one person wrote, while another admitted, "Me this weekend." One fan even declared, "Xmas party done right," while another humorously questioned, "Why do I have to yap so much?"

Tannahill explained to News.com.au that she made the TikTok clip during her ride home, admitting that while the pay hike request was a joke, it was part of her lighthearted, fun-loving personality. "I am always very obnoxious and like to keep it fun," she said.

She was "feeling happy" and fully immersed in the Christmas spirit while making the clip, Tannahill said.

At the event, attended by over 200 people, Tannahill playfully responded to a compliment about being a "valued staff member" by joking, "Let's talk dollars," and then quipped that she would love a AU$30,000 raise.

Tannahill said that the party was all about letting loose. "We're with our co-workers more than we are with our family and it is nice to have those bonding moments and to share things you wouldn't in the boardroom," she said.

However, recruitment expert Roxanne Calder offers a word of caution, advising to steer clear of anything that involves "alcohol and courage."

"It is a work Christmas party. I would advise not doing shots, not giving your boss advice and don't talk about anything controversial or political," she said.

While the festive season may invite some missteps, Calder adds that HR departments are used to these holiday antics. "It isn't just the Christmas party; it is the emails from the next day," she said.

For anyone who makes a holiday party blunder, Calder suggests taking responsibility and offering an apology.