Ahh, Christmas!
It’s that time of year when business centres and coworking spaces around the world glitter with twinkling fairy lights, holly wreaths and nativity scenes. Whether you’re a Christmas nut or a seasonal Scrooge, there’s no escaping the festivities.
But what do your office colleagues really think of the Christmas season?
WatchShop attempted to find out in its 2014 Christmas Survey, based on 2,000 working UK adults who celebrate Christmas.
According to the data, 85% of respondents said they generally enjoy Christmas. But despite that, a significant 65% said they did NOT attend the work’s Christmas party this year.
Have Christmas parties had their day – or is there simply too much going on in December to squeeze in another ‘do? The survey throws an entertaining light on attitudes towards Christmas and suggests that in today’s modern business world, there’s much less room for traditional work parties than previous years.
Indeed, given that most workers in WatchShop’s survey spend more on their pets than their work colleagues – £5.80 versus £5.20 on coworkers – that’s a sure sign that many would rather skip the work ‘do in favour of an evening with Fluffles.
But a Christmas company bash wouldn’t be complete without a little office gossip – and of those who do attend work parties, it seems they’re happy to oblige.
When asked to reveal their biggest regret from last year’s work Christmas party, responses included: kissing a work colleague (6%), saying inappropriate things (4.5%) and embarrassing dancing (5.5%). A sizeable 16% admitted to getting too drunk, while 4.5% confessed to cheating on their partner with a work colleague.
Not exactly the spirit of Christmas. But still, it could be worse. Our favourite response to workers’ biggest party regret has to be: “Not throwing my boss out the window.”
Whatever you’re up to during the festive season, may we wish you a very happy and healthy Christmas! – The OT Team
