Who’s most likely to act up at the office Christmas party?
The office Christmas party is often an occasion to relax and unwind; and to get to know your work colleagues in a casual setting, away from deadlines, boardroom meetings, and boring presentations.
But throw alcohol into the mix and office Christmas parties can get messy. Indeed, booze can loosen up even the most ordinarily uptight folk, seeing them say things and do things they usually wouldn’t on the other 364 days of the year.
A study last year by UK PR firm Instaprint found that half the respondents surveyed admitted to having “hooked up” with a work colleague at their Christmas party and, surprisingly, 53% of these ended up in a relationship together a year later!
Of the 2000 participants in the study, nearly three quarters admitted to having gotten drunk at their work Christmas party (72%) while 16% said they had gotten “embarrassingly drunk”.
A humble five percent said they stuck to drinking waters on the night.
Of all departments in the workplace, the main people that cheeky behaviour came from were staff in Human Resources and IT.
Of all departments in the workplace, the main people that cheeky behaviour came from were staff in Human Resources and IT. A staggering 63% of people employed in these areas had kissed another colleague at a work Chrissy do, while an astonishing 56% confessed to having gone all the way with the sex thing.
In the current social and political climate, where sexual harassment is now being taken very seriously, things this year might just change. Or indeed, come the New Year, there may be a whole lot of new allegations coming to light. Not from Hollywood or the corridors of Washington, but from the office cubicle right next to yours.
Antonino Tati
Feel free to leave a comment!