Staff who work remotely are more likely to cause scandal at the office Xmas party by smooching with a colleague, it has been revealed. A poll of more than 2,000 office workers found those who work from home or out in the field have a ‘devil may care’ attitude as they won’t have to face anyone the morning after.
The study also revealed that a surprising one in four home workers have got together with a colleague at the Christmas party, compared to just 10% of office workers.
In addition, one in 20 of those who work away from HQ admitted getting together with their boss – double the amount of their deskbound colleagues.
The research, which was commissioned by Staples, found half of home workers would regret getting together with a colleague, in comparison to two-thirds of those who are based in the office.
Half of these polled put this down to not having to face the object of their affections in the office the next day- another quarter said that not really knowing their festive date means there is no awkwardness afterwards.
More than 26% added they don’t worry about their Christmas party antics as they don’t have to face their colleagues and the inevitable gossip the next morning.
Amee Chande, MD for Staples UK, said:
“Remote working has become increasingly common in UK businesses and is changing everything from the day-to-day work to how we approach the annual Christmas party.
”As people work from home or on the road they’re spending less time than ever in the office but it’s good to know that this isn’t standing in the way of a good old office romance.
”In fact the research shows not having to work closely with the object of your affections is giving home workers the confidence to make a move at the Christmas do.”
Those who work from home admitted they are also more likely to tell a colleague what they really think of them and have a row with someone, the research found.
The culture of remote working has also had an impact on an additional Christmas tradition – Secret Santa.
Nearly two-thirds of those polled said they no longer took part in the festive activity and half saying it was annoying to buy for people they hardly knew.
