Even though just under a third of employees admitted to having had sex with a co-worker at the Christmas party, nearly three quarters don’t want to go this year.
According to a poll of 1,000 UK staff undertaken by married dating website IllicitEncounters.com, three out of five also acknowledged having kissed someone that they work with, while a quarter said that they had chatted up the boss.
About the same number had used the event as an opportunity to tell their manager exactly what they thought of them, however.
Some 39% had shared a secret with a colleague but subsequently regretted it, while 13% had stripped off. Unsurprisingly then, more than half of respondents revealed that they had done something embarrassing during the festivities and ended up making a fool of themselves in front of their peers and superiors.
Mike Taylor, a spokesman for the website said: “When you work with someone day in, day out, you can sometimes form close bonds. Mix that with a Christmas party environment, where alcohol is flowing freely and people are more relaxed and uninhibited, and that is when you are most likely to make compromising decisions.”
Bah, humbug
A second study, conducted among a further 1,000 employees by health care cash plan provider, Sovereign Health Care, revealed that a huge 75% would prefer to give the Christmas party a miss altogether this year, however.
The key reasons were a reluctance to contribute financially to the celebrations, an unwillingness to spend more time with work colleagues, preferring to be with family and friends, and a preference to receive money instead.
Meanwhile, some 73% said that they weren’t getting a Christmas bonus this year, 85% wouldn’t be receiving a card or gift, while a quarter pointed out that the party had been cancelled anyway.
More than 45% of those who were still having a party had been asked to contribute financially, but 72% said that they weren’t keen on spending more time with colleagues unless their employer paid for it.
Russ Piper, Sovereign Health Care’s chief executive, said that he was surprised by the findings. While the Christmas party used to be universally viewed as a treat for employers and employees to let their hair down together, things now appeared to have changed.
“Employees now want their rewards to hit their pay packet or be reflected in the benefits they receive. While this seems sad, it’s really a sign of the times and the challenges that people are facing in the current climate,” he added.
2 Responses
You’re (not) the one that I want
"Even though just under a third of employees admitted to having had sex with a co-worker at the Christmas party, nearly three quarters don’t want to go this year."
This would imply that peoples ‘selection strategies’ definitely need improvement …
Peter 🙂
disappointing
That this erstwhile worthy publication gives voice to a swingers’ club spin on playing up!