HeadBox survey data finds 39% of UK employees have called in sick at least once after office Christmas party - and 8% do it every year
-Excitement building as in-person Christmas parties are back for 2021-
8th November 2021, London: A recent survey by event tech scale-up, HeadBox, indicates a strong return to the in-person office Christmas party along with some revealing facts about how UK employees behave at the annual event.
Data for the ‘12 truths of Christmas party campaign’ was collected from 1000 UK employees between the ages of 18 - 54+, from a range of industries, as well as internal HeadBox event data*. The interactive calendar reveals 12 truths about what people love about the Christmas work do, their party pet peeves and what they really get up to.
Last year, over 90% of enquiries were for online events** but it appears we can wave goodbye to online Zoom quizzes and say hello to a proper Christmas party in 2021. Just 3% of survey respondents indicated their ideal office party would be virtual. This is reflected in HeadBox booking data which shows 99.7% of parties are in-person this year with an average spend of £91 per head.
Brits aren’t afraid to have a good time either. The survey uncovered that 39% have called in sick at least once after the office Christmas party, with 8% revealing they do it every year.
Half of UK Christmas party-goers may be on ‘the naughty list’ too, as 50% admitted they have done something they regret at least once.
Respondents also revealed that their biggest Christmas party turn-off is a low food and drinks budget, with fancy dress a close second.
“Everyone is feeling the festive spirit this year and our Christmas event enquiries really reflect that”, says Sheridan Roberts, HeadBox Head of Events. “The return of live events is such a welcome boost for everyone in the industry and people are going all out to make up for losing out on a Christmas work night out last year. COVID safety is still a top priority and something we - and the wider events community - are committed to. We see it as opportunity to get creative with ideas and different formats to deliver a festive season to remember."
The event tech company was one of a minority of live events businesses that grew during 2020, having recently received a £2 million fundraise led by Deepbridge capital and doubling its team from 28 to 52 people during the past three months.
The full PDF list of Christmas stats, including which industry most hates spending time with colleagues at the office party, can be found here.
* Data collected from 441 Christmas party enquiries submitted to HeadBox from August - October 2021
** Data collected from 658 party enquiries submitted to HeadBox from August - December 2020
For further information please contact Amy Stroud
Email: amy@headbox.com
Notes to Editor
HeadBox is the UK’s fastest-growing event technology company, on a mission to reinvent the global events industry through technology.
HeadBox is the easy way to plan meetings, events and parties with confidence. Book, manage and deliver everything in one place - no long searches, no stress and no hidden costs.
HeadBox has raised a total of £13.2M in funding, including £4.5M from Guinness Asset Management, £1.5M from Deepbridge Capital and €2.5M from EGORA, a Munich-based German-American tech investment group.
Product overview
● headbox.com Let the perfect venue find you. Submit your enquiry and get fast personalised responses from available venues that match what you’re looking for.
● Smart Book is a CRM software that enables organisations to plan, book and manage their meetings and events all in one place with the visibility for them to stay in control.
● Lead Feed is a live feed of relevant leads that venues can book their way, commission-free.
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