Office hookups & holiday parties: what really happens after a few drinks

The office holiday party has a reputation: too much champagne, questionable karaoke, and at least one coworker making a choice they’ll be thinking about on Monday. But how many people actually hook up with colleagues at these events – and do they regret it?

To find out, Flirtini asked users about their experiences with office-party flings, from first kisses to full-on hookups, and whether those moments turned into drama, romance, or… nothing at all.

How many people are really hooking up with coworkers?

It turns out office parties are a lot steamier than most HR manuals would like to imagine. Under half of respondents say they’ve never hooked up with a coworker at a holiday party – which means over 55% have.

Of those who crossed the line, about 30% say it stopped at a kiss, while 25% admit they “went all the way.” So if you’ve ever wondered whether anything actually happens after everyone leaves the dance floor, the answer is yes – quite a lot.

Regrets? For most, not really

Given the risks, you might expect a lot of “what was I thinking?” the morning after. But most people don’t see it that way. Nearly two-thirds say they don’t regret their office-party hookup at all, while about 35% feel at least a little regret.

In other words, for many, that fling is less of a career catastrophe and more of a story they’re willing to stand by.

Did it change things at work?

The big fear with mixing colleagues and chemistry is that it will make Monday unbearably awkward. But most people say that’s not what happens.

• 61% report no change at all in how coworkers treated them afterwards.
• 29% say it actually improved things, making the vibe more relaxed or closer.
• Less than 10% feel it made things worse.

So while an office fling can backfire, the data suggests that in most cases, the workplace survives – and sometimes even gets friendlier.

Skipping the party to avoid trouble

Not everyone is willing to roll the dice. About one in three people (33%) admit they’ve skipped a work party altogether because they were afraid they might misbehave. The other 67% still showed up – apparently confident they could handle the open bar… or at least willing to take their chances.

When a fling turns into something more

Sometimes “just one night” doesn’t stay that way. Nearly 4 in 10 respondents (39%) say a coworker party fling has turned into something more serious at some point in their lives. For the rest, it stayed casual or faded out once the decorations came down.

So while the office-party hookup isn’t guaranteed to lead to romance, it’s not always just a one-off story either.

Who are people hoping to hook up with this year?

Looking ahead to this year’s holiday party, more than half of respondents are open to a little workplace chemistry:

• 27% are secretly hoping for a fling with their boss
• 25% have their eye on a peer
• 4% are thinking about a subordinate
• 44% say they’re not hoping for a colleague fling at all

So even before the first drink is poured, a significant share of people already have someone in mind.

Methodology:

This research was conducted by Flirtini using internal polling. A total of 2,000 daters were surveyed on their experiences with sex and friendship, including fantasies, outcomes, regrets, and shifting boundaries between platonic and physical connection.