Most people we spoke to said that getting drunk at the Christmas party is acceptable. For many, it feels like the one night of the year when people can relax and let loose around their colleagues. However almost everyone added a quiet caveat. There are consequences, and you still have to see your colleagues the next day.

Older but wiser voices tended to land in that middle ground. Enjoy a drink, but remember that this is still a work event. One older gentleman felt that getting drunk is not acceptable at all, but admitted that people will do it regardless. The ideal and the reality do not always match, and that tension was clear in his answer.

Younger respondents leaned further into letting go. “Start as you mean to go on”, one person put it. Two young women shared that they feel you need a drink to “calm down”, because it is awkward seeing colleagues in a social setting. For them, alcohol takes the edge off and makes it easier to talk and join in. Our final respondent offered a simple scale: blackout drunk is clearly not acceptable, but being socially drunk where you still have control is fine.

Underneath the jokes and one liners, these conversations say a lot about workplace culture. From signs of social anxiety to differences in views across generations, the Christmas party is a mirror for how comfortable people feel around colleagues and how clear the boundaries of professionalism are.

If short conversations like these can reveal so much about what people really think, imagine what they could uncover inside your own organisation.

Video makes it possible to see and hear how colleagues feel about workplace culture in a way that numbers alone cannot show. Short, honest vox pops capture real voices on topics that sit close to day to day experience whether that is behaviour at social events, hybrid working, values, or change.

At Vox Pops International, we specialise in capturing real voices and real stories. We have worked with teams at Coventry Building Society, Sky, innocent drinks, Vodafone and many others on projects where we filmed with colleagues to understand their thoughts and opinions on culture and working life.

If you would like to explore how vox pops could help you get to know your teams better and see the impact of your work culture in real life, we would love to chat.