64% will not miss the Christmas party this year – survey finds

Did you know that 64% of Brits won’t actually miss the Christmas party this year? That’s according to a survey of 1,000 adults in the UK, conducted on behalf of Joe Browns. Even though the Christmas party can be fun, it can also end up being HR nightmare as the drink flows and levels of professionalism decrease by the glass too. From flirting with the boss to embarrassing dancing, the survey reveals the stories that get workers into trouble, 2020 Christmas party suggestions for the virtual office and even some awkward secret Santa mishaps too!

Embarrassing stories

This year, as Christmas parties go online, there should hopefully be much less work for busy HRs, as the opportunity for unprofessional behaviour is limited. The survey of Brits revealed that the usual Christmas party is often full of these stories. Making a trip into the office Monday morning daunting to say the least! When asked about their most embarrassing stories from past parties, the results could be grouped into the below key areas and quotes from real people have been included.

• Flirting
  • “Mainly being overly nice to my boss which I regretted the next day”
  • “I flirted with my boss!”
• Kissing/relations
  • “I kissed my boss”
  • “I have kissed two of my colleagues after getting drunk”
• Accidents
  • “My colleague threw up all over our CEO – red wine on a white top. Wasn’t pretty!”
  • “Pulled lights out of the plug and knocked the tree over”
• Passing out/falling asleep 
  • “Passing out blind drunk early into the party and sleeping under the table for the whole evening”
  • “I was very drunk and fell onto a cake”
• Drinking too much 
  • “Getting drunk and chasing my boss round a table”
  • “Waking up freezing in a hedge after drinking too much”
• Dancing
  • “Dancing with a female senior director and I accidentally grabbed her in the wrong place when I spun her round and went to grab her hand!”
  • “Drunk dancing is not a good look”

With this in mind, here are a few slightly more workplace appropriate ideas to make sure your team can celebrate this year. Even if it is remotely!

11 alternative Christmas party ideas ranked best to worst,

1. Zoom Quiz (37% think it is a good or brilliant idea)
2. Virtual Bingo (33%)
3. Virtual Murder Mystery (32%)
4. Virtual Wine/Beer/Gin Tasting (31%)
5. Virtual Cocktail Making (29%)
6. Virtual Cooking/Chocolate Making (29%)
7. Online Gaming (28%)
8. Virtual Takeaway & Video Call (28%)
9. Virtual Horse Racing (24%)
10. Virtual Wreath Making (22%)
11. Virtual Karaoke (22%)

Office secret Santa

Secret Santa is a great way to bring team members together, especially those who might not otherwise cross paths in the office very often. As part of the survey, Joe Browns found that some gifts however, weren’t particularly well received. The worst or most embarrassing gifts included…

• Risque gifts 
  • “Sexy underwear”
  • “Stockings” 
  • “Playboy bunny outfit”
  • “A crappy mug with a picture of a man in swimming trunks on it. When hot drink in mug trunks disappear…tacky and vile, was put straight in the bin”
    
• Random 
  • “Wallpaper shears”
  • “A tin of hotdogs”
  • “Shower cap”
• Used products
  • “Half used bottle of shower gel”
  • “A jar of half used moisturising cream”
  • “I once received a tea towel….that had already been used!!”
  • “Worn socks”
• Fashion
  • “I received a scarf from the football team I hate the most”
  • “Shoes without shoelaces… the shoelaces were misplaced”
  • “Socks. Not new, but worn!!!”
  • “I received some socks that were children’s sized so wouldn’t even be close to fitting me”

There’s a fine line with secret Santa gifts between comical and offensive and it’s safe to say that some of these do cross the boundaries when it comes to workplace gifting. Visit the blog to find out more about the survey and the outlook for Christmas 2020.