Business owners should not worry too much about the dangers posed by the Christmas party because the majority of staff would rather not be there anyway, according to research unveiled by Croner.

The survey found that two-thirds (63%) of workers would prefer not to go to the party. Of these, 43% said work parties were tolerable but they would rather be somewhere else while 20% said they were awful and would do anything possible to get out of going.

The main reason for this is people's reluctance to let their hair down with workmates, with 41% of those that think Christmas parties are awful saying they preferred not to socialise with colleagues outside of work.

Respondents also cited that they are reluctant to get involved in office gossip (11%), that it costs too much (12%) and that they have had bad experiences at Christmas work parties in the past (12%).

"Employers have been stressing out over the last few years about the dangers of holding a Christmas party, but what the survey has highlighted is the fact that few employees these days enjoy them," said Jo Pitts, employment adviser at Croner.

Croner suggests companies should consider alternative ways of rewarding staff such as departmental parties or offering set amounts to employees to enable them to have lunch in a more informal environment such as a local restaurant.

"We would suggest that employers, where possible, liaise with their employees to find out what their preference would be and then look at what options are available which meet the needs and resources of the business," said Pitts.

"There is, of course, still a risk involved with these types of events but common sense should prevail and if guidelines are pointed out well in advance your Christmas celebration should be happy and trouble-free."