Kissing under mistletoe at Christmas office parties highlighted by union chief

Office parties at Christmas can be a fun way of unwinding at the year's end, but can also lead to embarrassment, a poll published Friday by Britain's Trades Union Congress (TUC) has revealed.

The poll shows one in eight (13 percent) people admit to kissing a colleague at a Christmas party, and a quarter of the office partygoers agreed they had drunk too much alcohol.

One in 14 (7 percent) said they had embarrassed themselves in front of their colleagues or their boss and a similar number confessed to vomiting or being sick at their office bash.

The TUC has published its top tips for a fuss-free office party, including one warning partygoers to think twice about posting embarrassing pictures of their boss or colleagues on social media sites.

The union organisation urged bosses to stay clear of talking about staff performance or serious human resource issues at parties. Staff, meanwhile, are urged to resist the temptation to complain about colleagues or ask the boss for a pay rise.

TUC general secretary Frances O'Grady said: "The annual Christmas party is a great way to unwind and celebrate a hard year's work. But workers and bosses should remember that they are still in a work setting. Nobody wants to offend another member of staff or make a fool of themselves in front of colleagues. Or worse do something that might get them sacked just before Christmas."

TUS is a federation of trade unions in England and Wales. Endit