One in five offices not holding Christmas party

Twenty per cent of UK employees say that they are not having an office Christmas party this year, according to research undertaken by recruitment specialist OfficeTeam.

The research found just over a third say that they’d rather spend time with close friends than with workmates, while almost a quarter believe they deserve a party after such a difficult year at work.

Almost a fifth of employees have already made resolutions about what they won’t do at their party, with one in 10 resolving not to overindulge. This rises to 15% for the 18 – 24 age group, but falls to 6% for the over 65s. Other resolutions include ‘I will not behave inappropriately’; ‘I will not record proceedings on my phone’ and ‘I will not post pictures on Facebook’. Some 33% of people say that they have regretted certain behaviour at Christmas parties the next day. Top of the regrets chart is ‘behaved or danced inappropriately’. Only 1% of employees have regretted either ‘resigning’ or ‘demanding a pay rise’.

Phil Booth, Director, OfficeTeam said: “The office Christmas party is still an important motivator for employees who have been working hard all year, so it’s a shame to see that so many companies have decided not to go ahead with parties.”

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