Office Days, Party Nights

Last updated: 10/11/2006 - 10:06

Office party seasonis a hotbed of romance between colleagues, sccording to one U.S survey.

A staggering 81%(!) of 1,200 office staff polled by US business e-zine Business365.com, said they anticipated having a 'romantic' encounter with their boss and 68% were prepared to be unfaithful with a workmate at this year's office party.

A further 69% of partygoers expected to 'throw up' at some point during the night, 21% thought it likely they would get arrested and nearly one in five believed they could lose their job as a result of their behaviour.

Ireland as a whole came top when it came to plans for getting drunk and amorous, with 98% saying they expected to vomit during the evening and 92% anticipating being unfaithful and/or having a smooch with their boss.

Restrained

The Welsh appeared the most restrained with only 3% saying they might end up in hospital and 6% fearing they could arrested.

The survey found the north of England as a whole scored lowest with 9% for those thinking they could be sacked after the Christmas 'do'.

However 42% of the men from the North East and North West expected to get in a fight, while 73% of all the people from the two regions believed the night would end in 'tears'.

The fiery nature of the Scots was revealed in the research with 37% of women and 35% of men admitting they were prepared to have a punch up.

People in the Midlands appeared to be the best at holding their drink with only 53%, the lowest regional figure polled, predicting they would be sick.

The worst table manners were found in the south of England with 55% of those questioned looking forward to an office party food fight. Carlos Osorio, a spokesman for Business365.com said: "We were astounded at the results of the survey, clearly the Brits know how to party.

Here are a few straightforward yet proven tips for making sure the occasion is an affair to remember:

  • Plan ahead. It may seem obvious, but lack of preparation gets a lot of people in trouble as the date of the party fast approaches

  • Have an agenda. For example, if the bash is being held at a restaurant, will everyone gather at the bar, then sit down for dinner? Will there be dancing? Will there be speeches by company execs? Run through all the scenarios in your mind so you are well prepared to keep the evening moving smoothly and seamlessly

  • Send out a memo letting everyone know the night's plans

  • Do something unique. Consider a theme to your party. For instance, if your company is celebrating the success of the Western Sales Division, why not have party attendees dress in authentic western gear? Other ideas that work well are situations that get people involved. If the party is designed to observe the holidays, how about having a 'grab bag' where employees can secretly pick names ahead of time then place them in the bag for exchanging gifts at the party?

  • Reserve the restaurant or other venue as soon as you can

  • Keep your wits about you. Chances are, even with the best planning, your office party will have glitches as it progresses.

  • Whatever you do, don't panic! Stay focused on solving any problems at hand - whether it's sending out for more ice or reporting to the electric company that the lights just went out in the middle of your company dinner. Address the situation calmly, and you'll be surprised how everything will work itself out in the end


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