Black Eye Friday, or Mad Friday as it is more charmingly known, is the busiest day of the year for staff Christmas parties and thus the busiest day for staff punch-ups, brawls and riots. This year Mad Friday falls on the 18th and ambulance crews are on full alert and police are issuing warnings to those who plan to take the festive season to the extreme.
New statistics released by the Institute of Leadership and Management (ILM) have revealed that 77 percent of staff have reported seeing their colleagues drink too much, while 50 percent reported over-sharers were rampant and 36 percent saw much more of their colleagues than they would like. One in 20 even reported that they had seen illegal substances consumed.
When asked what behaviours they had seen at the annual staff bash:
- 77 percent say they have seen their colleagues drinking too much
- 50 percent heard too much personal information being shared and 27 percent said that colleagues’ secrets were spilled
- 36 percent thought their co-workers dressed inappropriately and 16 percent said they saw items of clothing being removed
- 35 percent had witnessed people kissing
- 32 percent thought that dancing inappropriately was an issue
- 31 percent said people made a mess
- 29 percent suffered attendees shouting or being aggressive and 28 percent being rude to colleagues
- 11 percent confirmed that confidential company information was revealed
- 6 percent thought that illegal substances were consumed
Perhaps it shouldn’t be surprising, then, that 25 percent of employees say their organisation has decided against a Christmas party this year.
The survey of over 1,800 managers and employees, also found that of those who are having parties, a further quarter of employers aren’t putting their hand in their pocket to pay for staff, with 27 percent estimating that their company doesn’t spend anything on their Christmas party, per head.
However, the Christmas party is a positive experience for many, with the stats showing that festive celebrations with co-workers could be beneficial to your career. For under 40s, nearly one in three (31 percent) said that their behaviour at their company party had resulted in a positive impact on their career. This compares to one in four (26 percent) overall.
Robert joined the HRreview editorial team in October 2015. After graduating from the University of Salford in 2009 with a BA in Politics, Robert has spent several years working in print and online journalism in Manchester and London. In the past he has been part of editorial teams at Flux Magazine, Mondo*Arc Magazine and The Marine Professional.