Does your workplace grind to a halt throughout December? It can certainly be a quieter period for businesses ahead of the New Year, and new data reveals that this can lead to many workers taking a more relaxed, less professional, approach to work.
With the nation gearing up for Christmas, CV-Library, the UK’s leading independent job board conducted research amongst 1,100 of the country’s workers to expose the top ten funniest festive frolics that happened in their workplace:
We can all get a bit clumsy in the workplace, but one worker who was carrying a large plate of homemade mince pies (while dressed as Santa!) tripped coming through the door and dropped the pies all over the floor…what a waste.
Jane, a retail assistant from Stirling
We all worry about wardrobe faux-pas in the office, but one worker who was wearing a cheap elf costume caught some of the material on a chair, causing a rip in the private area. Luckily his stripy tights saved the day, and his modesty!
Mark, a sales manager from Manchester
No-one wants to be made fun of, but it was too hard to resist for one worker, who said an apprentice walked into a chair during his rendition of the Christmas song ‘Walking in the air’, causing everyone to start singing ‘We’re walking into chairs’.
Barbara, a retail banking assistant from London
It can be hard to know who everyone is at work, but one worker got a colleagues’ gender completely wrong, mistaking their secret Santa for a lady, when it was meant for a man…whoops!
Sam, an admin worker from Leeds
It’s always good to treat clients at Christmas time, but at one company, the important clients that came into the office for a meeting ended up with the Christmas tree falling on top of them – thank goodness they found it funny.
Laura, a PR account manager from Guildford
It’s nice to be able to have a laugh with your boss, but one worker said his CEO bought their project manager a ‘Project Management for Dummies’ book as a secret Santa gift. Unfortunately, she didn’t see the funny side, and actually left the room crying.
Gemma, a marketing executive from Liverpool
More and more organisations are embracing ‘Christmas Jumper Day’, but one employee got the date wrong and turned up wearing his best, most outrageous Christmas jumper (equipped with 3D baubles) …a day early!
Liam, a warehouse worker from Bristol
Some bosses can be pretty generous during the festive season, but one MD (who was dressed as Santa) was clearly in the Christmas spirit (and also very drunk), giving away £100 to every employee at the office party.
Sue, an IT Manager from Cardiff
Santa might be too busy at this time of year to keep up with his house maintenance and this meant that one retail store’s Christmas grotto collapsed on Santa and all of his presents! Fortunately there were no children inside…
Rachel, a store manager from Durham
…And finally, it might be difficult to focus on actual work at this exciting time, but for the colleagues who were chair racing and crashed into their water fountain, resulting in a big flood, there were some serious repercussions!
Michael, an engineer from Reading
Lee Biggins, founder and managing director of CV-Library, comments: “It’s important to have fun at work all year round, but especially at Christmas! Our findings suggest that workplaces become much more relaxed as the year comes to a close and that bosses are, in most cases, more tolerant. This December, I would encourage businesses and workers alike to embrace the festive season and celebrate their hard work over the past year. But remember – it probably won’t be all fun and games when you return to work in January!”