Office parties a source of embarrassment

FOR anyone who was forced to hide, red-faced behind their computer screen following their Christmas party, the good news is you are not alone.

Latest statistics reveal more than one-in-three people said they did something embarrassing at the Christmas party. Of those who embarrassed themselves, 69% said they drank too much alcohol but 38% said it was because they had a romantic interlude with a colleague.

Almost one-in- five told their boss what they really thought of him, with 3% going further and resigning at the office party.

Marketing manager of RecruitIreland.com Aoife Curtin said: “The fact that 3% of respondents said they had resigned at the Christmas party means that HR and Recruitment managers need to be very wary about the party season.”

One-in-five respondents say they will spend over €100 on an outfit especially for the office party, while 30% will spend between €50 and €100.

Results of the RecruitIreland.com survey also revealed that a quarter of workers have to pay for their own Christmas party.

Among respondents who pay toward their work party, 46% paid between €10 and €30, with one-in-three saying they paid up to €50.

If you failed to get a Christmas bonus this year, then don’t despair, only one-in-three workers said they got a Christmas bonus, which ranged from a percentage of salary to over €2,000.

One-in-three respondents said they have to work over the Christmas period, with 7% having to work Christmas Day and St Stephen’s Day.

Just over one-in-three people said they will buy presents for their work colleagues.

Of those that do buy gifts for colleagues, the spending limit for most people (88%) was found to be €20.