A new survey of 1,000 office workers reveals how their companies will be celebrating Christmas this year. With the government urging the country to work from home wherever possible, uncertainty looms, and the upcoming party season hangs in the balance.
Research carried out by Moneypenny, the outsourced communication provider, revealed that 26% of UK office workers say their company is in fact, planning a virtual Christmas party in exchange for a traditional “Christmas Do”.
Virtual Christmas parties appeared a popular option among companies located in West Midlands (49%) and London (38%). On the other hand, only 10% of employees in East England stated their company is planning a virtual Christmas party.
Of those surveyed, over half (54%) of office workers aged (18-24) stated that their workplace is hosting a virtual Christmas party.
On the whole, 11% stated that they were excited for this year's alternative to a Christmas party and particularly, those situated in the West Midlands (24%) and London (19%).
However, only 4% of those in Scotland and Wales expressed their excitement about the new Christmas party plans.
“Secret Santa”, a common office tradition, is also looking different this year. Overall, 23% of workers stated they are participating in “long-distance” Secret Santa.
The findings revealed that companies in the West Midlands (38%) and the North East (25%) were the regions most in favour of “long-distance” Secret Santa.
Almost a third (30%) say they do not think a Christmas party is being planned for them this year. The majority (49%) of those unsure, were located in the East Midlands, followed by (38%) in Scotland.
A further 14% of office workers say that discussions of the Christmas party have not yet taken place, but are however hopeful of a plan.
On the other hand, traditional Christmas parties are still on the cards for some. The research highlighted that overall, 7% are planning a “traditional” Christmas party, with 17% of those located in Northern Ireland and 11% in Yorkshire.
.png?w=600)
