UK Training Industry Press Releases

1% of managers think that company Christmas parties are a behavioural minefield, with one in five knowing someone who has been disciplined or fired thanks to overenthusiastic festive frolics, according to a new survey carried out by the Institute of Leadership & Management (ILM).

20% of managers also said that they had been inappropriately drunk at a Christmas party, with one in ten admitting to having canoodled with a co-worker. In addition, many stated that their organisation had implemented new behavioural policies after a particularly raucous festive bash.

Surprisingly only 31% of respondents said that they had changed their behaviour at work Christmas parties since being promoted to a management position, so the potential for embarrassing incidents in 2009 looks set to continue.

Penny de Valk, Chief Executive of ILM, said: "At the risk of sounding scrooge-like, managers have to be careful that they don't wake up the morning after the staff Christmas party seriously regretting their behaviour.