Brits reveal their Christmas party confessions

With Christmas quickly approaching, it can only mean one thing – work Christmas parties! And with work, Christmas parties comes dancing on the table, hangovers and lots of embarrassing stories to tell the next day. But what are the top Christmas party confessions among the UK’s employed? 

Following a survey that revealed 56% of workers think it’s important to celebrate with their colleagues over Christmas¹, we polled Brits to find out their top office Christmas party confessions². 

The results reveal the top five Christmas party confessions among working professionals, and falling over drunk takes the top spot:

It’s no secret that Christmas parties involve indulging in tasty Christmas food and festive drinks, and below reveals Brits tipsy Christmas confessions: 

• Falling over due to being too drunk (18%) 
• Sneaking in their own alcohol (15%)
• Calling into work sick the next day due to being hungover (14%) 
• Stolen alcohol from another table (11%) 
• Drunk texting an ex-partner (9%) 
• Getting drunk and making an embarrassing speech (8%) 
• Been admitted to hospital due to a drunken injury (5%) 

One of the regions most likely to fall over drunk includes Yorkshire and Humber, with 30% of Brits located here prone to stumbling over after a festive drink. 

Perhaps most shockingly, our survey reveals that over four million³ employed adults in the UK are set to call into work sick over the Christmas period, which could significantly impact businesses’ Christmas deadlines. 

The industries most likely to go wild at an office Christmas party are education (25%), finance (20%), marketing (44%) and transport (33%). According to the study, women are 15% more likely than men to sneak alcohol into a venue, and 45-54 years olds are the worst culprits for stealing alcohol from other tables (21%). 

Christmas is the most joyous time of the year, and this can often lead to heightened emotions and increased excitement, and for some Brits, it can lead to igniting a romance with a coworker: 

• Kissing a coworker (14%) 
• Had a one night stand with a coworker (11%) 
• Drunk text an ex-partner (9%) 
• Asked for a coworkers number (8%) 
• Cheated on your partner (8%) 
• Admitted to your boss or coworker that you had feelings for them (6%)

Our survey results indicate that kissing a coworker is among the top Christmas party confessions regarding love and relationships. A staggering 4,480,000⁴ UK workers confessed to the act, with men 27% more likely to kiss their colleague at the office Christmas do compared to women. 

Those living in the West Midlands are most likely to kiss a coworker, with 16% of the working population in the region admitting to the scandal; this equates to over 400,000 workers in the West Midlands. The industries most likely to kiss a coworker at an office Christmas party include arts and culture (40%) and IT and telecommunications (17%).

Brits from all over the UK confess their Christmas party secrets, with Yorkshire and Humber taking the top spot for falling over because they were too drunk: 

• East of England – Stolen alcohol from another table (17%) 
• Greater London – Said something rude/mean to a coworker and regretted it (21%)
• East Midlands – Had a one night stand with a coworker (25%) 
• West Midlands – Kissed a coworker (16%) 
• North East – Fallen over because you were too drunk (22%) 
• North West – Snuck your own alcohol in (25%) 
• Northern Ireland – Had a one night stand with a coworker (26%) 
• Scotland – Fallen over because you were too drunk (25%) 
• South East – Snuck your own alcohol in (25% )
• South West – Fallen over because you were too drunk (25%) 
• Wales – Fallen over because you were too drunk (19%) 
• Yorkshire and Humber – Fallen over because you were too drunk (30%)

Christmas parties are a great way to learn more about your coworkers, and you might often find out things about them you wouldn’t expect. The survey reveals the arts and culture industry takes the top spot for kissing a coworker at the Christmas do: 

• Architecture, engineering, building – Snuck buffet food home from the party (24%)
• Arts and culture – Kissed a coworker (40%) 
• Education – Fallen over because you were too drunk (25%) 
• Finance – Fallen over because you were too drunk (20%) 
• Healthcare – Snuck your own alcohol in (27%) 
• HR – Had a one night stand with a coworker (18%) 
• It and Telecoms – Kissed a coworker (17%) 
• Legal – Had a one night stand with a coworker (22%) 
• Manufacturing and utilities – Snuck home buffet food (16%) 
• Retail, catering and leisure – Snuck in own alcohol (28%)
• Sales, media and marketing – Fallen over because you were too drunk (44%)
• Travel and transport – Fallen over because you were drunk (33%) 
• Other – Fallen over because you were drunk (22%) 
• I do not work – Kissed a coworker (16%) 

Celebrating the festive season with your colleagues is important. It’s a chance to let your hair down and toast to all your hard work over the past 12 months. At work Christmas parties, you often see a different side to your colleagues that they may not be able to share in the workplace. But it is important to still keep in mind that you’ll be heading back to the office on Monday morning, and you don’t want to do anything too embarrassing! 

If you are looking to organise a party this Christmas, we can provide you with various event solutions so your party will go off without a hitch. 

Whether you’re holding a family get together and want a little more sparkle, or you’re hosting a large company Christmas party and want all the bells and whistles, we can support you every step of the way.  

From event lighting and event staging to event audio and production support, we have lots of event equipment available to hire, and our team can even take the pressure off you and organise the event for you. We can also liaise with venues, suppliers, entertainment and even manage your guest list to ensure things run as smoothly as possible. 

If you are interested in learning more about how we can help you organise the Christmas event of the season, please visit: https://www.ayre.events/contact-us/