Workplace Christmas Statistics 2026: 48 UK Facts on Parties, Gifts and Work

For many people, December at work means a party, a Secret Santa and a pile of emails before the break.

It also means shifts for those who keep hospitals, shops and kitchens running, and a few bills for employers.

This page collects the most reliable UK numbers on parties, gifts, bonuses, working over Christmas and sickness. Every figure links to its source. For the wider season, see our UK Christmas statistics.

Office Christmas parties: who goes and who skips

1. 63% planned to go in 2023

In a 2023 survey of more than 1,000 UK office workers, 63% said they planned to attend their workplace Christmas party, and 81% said they enjoy attending.⁵

2. 23% planned to skip in 2024

In a 2024 survey of more than 1,000 UK office workers, 23% would not attend a work Christmas party. Another 15% said their employer was not hosting one, and 6% were undecided.¹

3. Not enjoying it is the top reason to stay away

Among those skipping the party in 2024, 31% do not usually enjoy it, 24% do not want more time with colleagues and 19% want to avoid drunk co-workers.¹

4. Londoners returned to the party in 2024

A 2024 survey by London Heritage Quarter found 75% of London employees planned to attend an employer-organised Christmas party, up from 53% who took part in 2023.⁶

5. 60% of employees had a festive work party in 2024

Drinkaware surveyed 2,300 adults in November 2024. More than half (60%) of employees said they would have a festive work party that year.⁷

6. 47% of companies were not holding one in 2024

A 2024 survey by Craze Central found that 47% of UK companies would not hold a Christmas party, citing cost and HR concerns.⁸

7. Three quarters of parties are single events

In a 2025 survey of more than 300 organisations, about 74% held one party for everyone, and about 26% ran several departmental parties. Plus-ones were invited at 16% of events.²

8. Most parties are small

Of the organisations in the 2025 Office Christmas report, 41.8% had 20 guests or fewer and 38.8% had 21 to 50. Only 7.6% had more than 100.²

What parties cost and who pays

9. London budgets run about £37 higher than elsewhere

In 2025, companies budgeted £132.00 per person in London and £95.44 elsewhere in the UK. Actual spend came in lower: £115.38 and £82.46.²

10. Two in three companies pay for everything

In 2025, 65.8% of parties were fully funded by the company, 19.6% were self-funded by guests and 14.6% used a mixed model.²

11. Most firms did not plan to raise the budget in 2025

For 2025, 55% of organisations expected no budget increase, 36% expected about 10% more and 8% expected 20% to 30% more.²

12. A festive menu averaged £36 per person

Dojo data for Christmas 2025 puts the average three-course festive menu at £36 per person. Bookings in December were down 1% on the year before.⁹

13. Cost is felt by guests, too

In 2023, 69% of surveyed office workers said Christmas parties had become more expensive to attend since the cost of living crisis, and 76% planned to wear clothes they already own.⁵

Drinking and behaviour at the party

Drinkaware offers free advice on cutting down, which helps in party season.

14. Two in five 2024 parties included alcohol

Of employees with a festive work party in 2024, 41% said it would include alcohol, and 78% of those parties would be held in a pub, bar or restaurant.⁷

15. 18% feel more pressure from colleagues to drink

In 2024, 18% of UK employees always or often felt more pressure to drink from colleagues than usual at this time of year.⁷

16. Drunk colleagues top the list of annoyances

In 2023, 60% of surveyed office workers named overly drunk colleagues as their biggest Christmas party annoyance. Team building activities came second at 34%.⁵

17. A quarter feel pressured to drink

In the 2024 Team Tactics survey, 43% said alcohol helps them relax at the party, 25% felt pressured to drink and 47% had seen drunk colleagues behave inappropriately.¹

18. Non-drinkers are far more common outside London

Around 36% of guests at parties outside London did not drink, compared with about 15% in London, according to organisers surveyed in 2025.²

19. Work parties were a pressure point already in 2019

In a 2019 YouGov poll for Drinkaware, 33% said they felt pressured to drink at work parties, against 29% at New Year's Eve and 20% on Christmas Day.¹⁰

Secret Santa at work

20. Participation fell to 44% in 2024

Love2shop found 44% of UK employees took part in Secret Santa in 2024, down from 50% the year before.¹¹

21. The average gift costs £14

The average Secret Santa gift cost £14 in 2024. Workers aged 18 to 24 planned £35 (up from £23), while those aged 55 to 64 planned just £10.¹¹

22. 2.5 million gifts end up in the bin

Love2shop estimated that 2.5 million unwanted Secret Santa gifts are thrown away every year, worth £32.4 million.¹¹ What else people do with presents they do not want is in our unwanted Christmas gifts statistics.

23. Secret Santa is the most common office tradition

Among organisations in the 2025 Office Christmas report, 42.33% ran a Secret Santa. Employee gifts followed at 19.43% and paid Christmas leave at 19.22%.²

24. Workplace Secret Santa was a £167 million business in 2023

The UK Money Bloggers survey of 2023 estimated that workers would spend £167 million on workplace Secret Santa, about £15.50 per person.¹²

25. A quarter bought for a stranger

In the same 2023 survey, 24% had bought a gift for a colleague they had never spoken to, 29% dreaded buying for certain colleagues and 18% called Secret Santa an extra stress.¹²

26. Chocolate wins, socks lose

In a 2021 instantprint survey, chocolate or sweets (58%), alcohol (48%) and candles (36%) were the most wanted gifts. Underwear or socks (32%) were the least wanted. 28% donate unwanted gifts to charity and 28% regift them.¹³

Bonuses, gifts and giving

27. One in five expected a Christmas bonus in 2024

The Global Payroll Association surveyed 2,320 British office workers in 2024. 21% expected a Christmas bonus, and only 14% of those said it was contracted.³

28. The average bonus was £788

The average Christmas bonus expected in 2024 was £788, up 8.3% on the year before. 64% of those expecting one felt the sum was sufficient.³

29. 87% prefer a bonus or gift card to a party

Love2shop found 63% of workers did not want an office Christmas party in 2024, up 7% on 2023, and 87% preferred a Christmas bonus or gift card to a staff party.¹¹

30. Staff gifts up to £50 are tax free

An employer can give a gift worth £50 or less without tax or reporting, if it is not cash or a cash voucher and not a reward for work. Directors of close companies are capped at £300 a year.¹⁴

31. £37 million raised by Christmas Jumper Day

Since it began in 2012, Save the Children's Christmas Jumper Day has raised over £37 million. The 2024 edition took place on 12 December, with workplaces and schools joining in.¹⁵

Working and taking time off over Christmas

32. Christmas Day 2026 falls on a Friday

In 2026, Christmas Day is on Friday 25 December in all of the UK. Boxing Day falls on a Saturday, so the substitute bank holiday is Monday 28 December.¹⁶ How likely snow is on the day is covered in our white Christmas statistics.

33. Bank holidays are not a legal right to time off

UK workers are entitled to 5.6 weeks of paid holiday, which is 28 days for a five day week. Employers can count bank holidays towards it, and bank holidays do not have to be given as paid leave.¹⁷

34. No right to extra pay on a bank holiday

Acas states that there is no entitlement to extra pay for working a bank holiday, though many workplaces offer it. A worker cannot be paid in place of a bank holiday.¹⁸

35. Employers can close over Christmas

Employers can close for Christmas and require staff to use holiday, but they must give notice of at least twice as many days as the days they require.¹⁸

36. Christmas Day dining bookings rose 4%

Dojo booking data showed Christmas Day reservations up 4% in 2025, with Manchester up 36% and London down 8%. The week of 8 December accounted for 34% of festive bookings.⁹

Sickness, stress and lost days

The Health and Safety Executive has free guidance for employers on preventing work-related stress.

37. 148.9 million working days lost to sickness in 2024

The ONS estimates 148.9 million days were lost to sickness or injury in 2024, or 4.4 days per worker. That is 0.5 days fewer than in 2023.⁴

38. Minor illness is the biggest cause

Minor illnesses made up 30.0% of sickness absence in 2024, musculoskeletal problems 15.5% and mental health conditions 9.8%.⁴

39. Public sector absence is higher

The public sector sickness absence rate was 2.9% in 2024, against 1.8% in the private sector. Women had a rate of 2.5%, men 1.6%.⁴

40. Employers report 9.4 days per employee

The CIPD Health and Wellbeing at Work 2025 survey found an average of 9.4 days of sickness absence per employee, up from 7.8 days in 2023 and 5.8 in 2022. It measures reports from employers, so it is higher than the ONS figure.¹⁹

41. Public sector employees take 13.3 days

In the same CIPD survey, the average was 13.3 days in the public sector, 9.1 in the private sector and 6.5 in the non-profit sector.¹⁹

42. Mental ill health leads long term absence

In the CIPD survey, 41% of respondents named mental ill health among the top three causes of long term absence. For short term absence, minor illness led at 78%.¹⁹

43. 22.1 million days lost to work-related stress

HSE reports 22.1 million working days lost to work-related stress, depression or anxiety in Great Britain in 2024/25. That is about 62% of all days lost to work-related ill health.²⁰ For the festive side of the picture, see our Christmas stress and loneliness statistics.

Tax and employment rules for the festive season

44. A party is tax free up to £150 a head

An annual party is exempt from tax and National Insurance if it is open to all employees and costs £150 or less per person.²¹

45. Several events can share the £150

Multiple annual events can be combined, as long as the total stays within £150 per employee. Online and virtual gatherings count too.²¹

46. Client gifts are capped at £50

Promotional gifts to customers stay tax deductible only if the total per recipient does not exceed £50 in a tax year. Input VAT can be reclaimed only under the same £50 limit.²²

47. Employers have had a duty to prevent harassment since 2024

The Worker Protection Act, in force since October 2024, extended employer responsibility for preventing sexual harassment. Skillcast, a compliance training provider, cited it as a reason some firms scaled back parties.⁸

48. From 30 October 2026, clients count as third parties

From 30 October 2026, employers are liable for harassment by third parties, including clients and event attendees, if they have not taken all reasonable steps to prevent it.²³

What the numbers mean for businesses

Three things stand out. Many staff would rather skip the party than endure it, so the format matters more than the budget. Most people like small, low pressure gestures, such as a gift or a shared moment, more than a big night out. And an employer can show appreciation to everyone, including shift workers and remote colleagues who never make it to the party.

Our advent calendar statistics show how many adults enjoy a small daily ritual. Ideas for team gestures are on our pages for employees, businesses and customers.

My take

Frequently asked questions

How many people go to the office Christmas party?

In a 2023 survey, 63% of UK office workers planned to attend. In 2024, 23% said they would skip it, and another 15% said their employer was not hosting one (Team Tactics).

How much do UK companies spend on a Christmas party?

In 2025, companies budgeted £132.00 per person in London and £95.44 elsewhere. Actual spend averaged £115.38 in London and £82.46 elsewhere (Office Christmas).

How much is the tax free limit for a Christmas party?

An annual staff party is exempt from tax and National Insurance if it is open to all employees and costs £150 or less per person (GOV.UK).

How many people get a Christmas bonus?

In a 2024 survey of 2,320 British office workers, 21% expected a Christmas bonus. The average expected was £788 (Global Payroll Association).

How much do people spend on Secret Santa at work?

Love2shop found an average of £14 per gift in 2024, with 18 to 24 year olds planning £35 and 55 to 64 year olds £10. 44% of employees took part.

Do employees have to be given Christmas Day off?

Not as a legal right. Bank holidays do not have to be given as paid leave, and there is no entitlement to extra pay for working them (GOV.UK, Acas).

Where can I use these statistics?

You are welcome to quote them in articles, reports, HR newsletters and presentations. Please link to this page as the source.

Sources

1. 1Team Tactics, Office Christmas party survey 2024 (teamtactics.co.uk)
2. 2Office Christmas, UK Christmas Party Market Report 2025 (officechristmas.co.uk)
3. 3Workplace Journal, citing Global Payroll Association bonus survey 2024 (workplacejournal.co.uk)
4. 4ONS, Sickness absence in the UK labour market 2024 (ons.gov.uk)
5. 5instantprint, Office Christmas party survey 2023 (instantprint.co.uk)
6. 6CXM, citing London Heritage Quarter survey 2024 (cxm.world)
7. 7Drinkaware, Festive drinking patterns 2024 (drinkaware.co.uk)
8. 8Workplace Journal, citing Craze Central 2024 (workplacejournal.co.uk)
9. 9Morning Advertiser, citing Dojo booking data 2025 (morningadvertiser.co.uk)
10. 10Caterer and Licensee, citing Drinkaware YouGov poll 2019 (catererlicensee.com)
11. 11Always Finance, citing Love2shop survey 2024 (alwaysfinance.co.uk)
12. 12Employer News, citing UK Money Bloggers survey 2023 (employernews.co.uk)
13. 13instantprint, Secret Santa survey 2021 (instantprint.co.uk)
14. 14GOV.UK, Expenses and benefits: trivial benefits (gov.uk)
15. 15Save the Children UK, Christmas Jumper Day 2024 (savethechildren.org.uk)
16. 16GOV.UK, UK bank holidays 2026 (gov.uk)
17. 17GOV.UK, Holiday entitlement (gov.uk)
18. 18Acas, Bank holidays and Christmas (acas.org.uk)
19. 19Peninsula, citing CIPD Health and Wellbeing at Work 2025 (peninsulagrouplimited.com)
20. 20HSE, Working days lost in Great Britain 2024/25 (hse.gov.uk)
21. 21GOV.UK, Expenses and benefits: social functions and parties (gov.uk)
22. 22ACCA, Christmas gifts for staff and customers (accaglobal.com)
23. 23Acas, Harassment law changes under the Employment Rights Act 2025 (acas.org.uk)