* 31% of Brits admit to cheating at their work Christmas party – and 63% say they “pre-selected” the colleague they wanted to hook up with before the big night.
* Nearly 1 in 5 festive flings (19%) turn into long-term affairs, and only 15% feel any next-day regret.
* People working in finance, media and hospitality top the list of the most ‘dangerous’ professions for Christmas party infidelity.
* Study conducted by IllicitEncounters.com, the UK’s largest extramarital dating site
With glittering decorations and flowing fizz, the office Christmas party is often the highlight of the corporate calendar. But for a surprisingly large number of Brits, the event is less about festive cheer and more about secret flings, with new research revealing the shocking scale of infidelity at Christmas work parties.
A study of 2,800 UK adults by the extramarital dating site IllicitEncounters.com has uncovered the truth about workplace party antics, finding that 31% of people admit to having cheated on their partner at a Christmas party.
The data suggests these illicit encounters are often far from spontaneous. A telling 63% of those who strayed confessed they had mentally “pre-selected” a colleague they were hoping to hook up with before the event even began.
For nearly 1 in 5 (19%), what started as a tipsy one-night stand escalated into a long-term affair. Perhaps most surprisingly, only 15% reported feeling immediate regret the next morning, suggesting many see it as a calculated risk rather than a drunken mistake.
The research also identified a clear ranking of the most ‘dangerous’ professions when it comes to office party infidelity, based on the percentage of employees in each sector admitting to festive cheating:
Top 10 Most ‘Dangerous’ Professions for Christmas Party Cheating:
- Finance – 43%
- Media & Advertising – 37%
- Hospitality & Events – 32%
- Sales & Retail Management – 29%
- Legal Sector – 26%
- Creative Arts & Design – 24%
- Tech & IT – 21%
- Healthcare – 19%
- Education – 16%
- Construction – 14%
Michael*, 34, an investment banker from London, shared his experience: “The party is the open secret. You spend weeks building up to it, spotting who’s single or who’s been giving you that look in meetings. Last year, I’d been low-key flirting with a woman from the design team for months.
At the party, with a few drinks and the boss gone, it just… happened. We booked a taxi to hers before the last round was called. My girlfriend thought I was in a hotel with colleagues. It was thrilling, and honestly, no regrets. We still message sometimes.”
Jessica Leoni, sex and relationships expert for IllicitEncounters.com, comments: “The office Christmas party creates a perfect storm for infidelity. It’s a sanctioned event where normal rules are suspended – hierarchies flatten, alcohol flows freely, and everyone is dressed to impress.
Professions in the finance sector top the list because they often combine high-pressure, long-hours cultures with lavish, expensed parties. The ‘work hard, play hard’ mentality can easily blur personal and professional boundaries.
For many, the lack of immediate regret is telling. An affair that starts at a Christmas party can feel like a separate, compartmentalised part of their life – a secret gift they’ve given themselves before returning to the realities of family life over the holidays. It’s a dangerous, but for some, irresistible festive tradition.”
*Name has been changed
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