Ah, the annual work Christmas party. We’ve all been there – having a wild time, enjoying the free bar, watching Sandra from Accounts bust out some unexpectedly raunchy moves on the dance floor. But then the morning after comes – and with it, the hangover to end all hangovers. And along with that hangover, the creeping dread: what did I do last night?
If that sounds familiar, then don’t worry – you’re not alone. We conducted a survey to reveal the best (should that be worst?) Christmas beer fear party regrets, and it turns out that over a third of Brits (35%) have regretted their actions at the Christmas party.
Pick up some Christmas cards for your co-workers
Before we get into the nitty gritty, maybe you’ve not yet had this year’s office Christmas party? Great news! That means there’s still time to sort out Christmas cards for your favourite work colleagues, aka the ones you’ll make time for at the Christmas party
We’ve got the perfect options for those who will make the cut, below:
Regrettable romances
But what kind of shenanigans are we getting up to at the annual office party? Well, office parties can be a highly dramatic affair – all of those office crushes and flirty work banter combined with a ton of booze is a recipe for some messy moments. And it turns out that almost 3 in 10 people (28%) have slept with colleagues, and almost half of the people we surveyed (45%) have kissed a colleague at the Christmas party.
Beer fear
It’s not just messy romantic entanglements that happen – the beer fear is real on the day after. While 58% of Brits intend to not drink too much at their work party, all those good intentions don’t seem to amount to much.
In fact, over a third of people (34%) have been too hungover to work after the Christmas party, and just under a quarter have had to pull a sickie after the big night. (Although we’re not sure what kind of cruel company is scheduling their office party for a weekday – that’s a recipe for trouble if you ask us!).
And then there’s the 26% of Brits who were too drunk to even remember their regrettable actions – but maybe they’re the lucky ones. After all, over a third (34%) of people have had an embarrassing moment that they’d rather forget! For the one in three people who accidentally told someone some major work gossip at the Christmas party, you’d better hope that the person you blabbed to drinks enough to forget your slip of the tongue…
How hard does your industry party?
It’s not enough to just expose the embarrassing actions – we’ve also got to put certain industries on blast. While most of the industries we surveyed loved the yearly office party, some were a little more reckless at those parties than others, and the results might surprise you.
When it comes to sleeping with a colleague, the worst offenders are those in the environment and agriculture industries, where a huge 62% admitted to sleeping with a colleague. They were also the most likely to be too hungover to work the day after, again at 62% – the next closest sector was business and consulting, at 47%, which is a big drop. The takeaway from this? Well, we clearly all need to be wrangling an invite to environmental agency office nights out for a good time.
Overall, though, the industries that have the biggest Christmas party regrets? Law enforcement and security, where 56% of the people we surveyed have regretted something they did or said at the big office shindig. They’re very narrowly followed by those in the energy and utilities sector, and business consultancy and management in third place. Maybe those slightly drier sectors need the excuse to really cut loose at Christmas!
Messy millennials
When it comes to the office Christmas party, there’s also a bit of a generation gap – 51% of Gen Z have regretted their actions the night before, compared to just 20% of those aged 65+. We’ll leave it to you to decide if that means behaviour is getting worse as the years go on!
But in fact, it’s millennials who have some of the worst behaviour, coming out top as most likely to be too drunk to remember their actions, as well as being most likely to kiss or sleep with a colleague. In terms of cringey Christmas behaviour, they’re also tied with Gen Z as being the most likely to have sex at their parent’s house over Christmas.
How to survive the work Christmas party
Wondering how to make sure your upcoming Christmas party doesn’t end up a drunken mess? We’d recommend having a designated party buddy. Someone capable of recognising when you’ve had one too many – there to send you off in a cab on your merry way home at any given moment. You could also make a pact to leave together. By setting a curfew, you can ensure a timely exit before it all goes south. Of course, sticking to the plan is essential!
Another vital tip: make sure you stick to the dance moves you’re good at. Don’t bust out any precarious shapes that could make you the centre of the office gossip (cue, the slut drop). While dominating the dance floor might seem like an excellent idea in the moment, it probably won’t put you in a good light when you return to work. Unless, of course, you can dance like Beyonce!
And well, to be honest, that’s it. We can’t help with any more tips – the rest of it’s down to you! But, we can help you out with our guide on how to plan the best office Christmas party ever. And if you’re looking for the perfect card for your office pal to say ‘wow, you were a mess at the party this year’ then look no further than our range of Christmas cards.
For more fun party ideas, head over to the thortful blog for more suggestions, tips and guides on how to have the best Christmas.
