A significant proportion of UK workers have done something at a Christmas party that they have later gone on to regret, according to a new poll carried out by Monster, suggesting that staff need to keep an eye on their behaviour this year.

Just under 5% of the 3,699 participants in the study said they had been fired because of their behaviour, according to the findings of recruitment site Monster. However, 63% of the global respondents said they had never done anything regrettable at their work event.
Employees in the UK were found to be the worst offenders with 9% of Britons admitting to doing something they later regretted followed by Finnish and Dutch workers. Just 2% of French staff said they had done the same, signalling that employees on the continent have caused themselves less embarrassment than their British counterparts.

The Monster Global Poll also showed that almost 14% of European participants said they did not feel any guilt following their bad behaviour during the festive season and were not faced with any career repercussions.

A separate poll from hotel firm Travelodge found that UK businesses are expected to lose about £888 million over Christmas as staff turn up to the office with a hangover.

Seven out of ten employees will spend one day with a hangover, which will hamper their productivity levels for at least the first three and a half hours in the morning. Some staff will end up spending time at three Christmas parties if they attend events organised by their partner’s bosses.

The survey also found that a quarter of workers will call in sick after their work party.