More than one in three ‘scrooge’ bosses in the UK refuse to contribute to office Christmas parties and over half think they are a chore. The Chartered Management Institute’s annual Christmas Outlook survey said many bosses refuse to pay towards staff celebrations even though 66% hold end-of-year parties.

Employers in the West Midlands are the least generous, with only 48% funding celebrations. Over half (53%) say that workplace parties have a false atmosphere and 13% say they are a waste of time. A significant proportion (43%) would also prefer it if their partner was able to join them at the party.

Fairytale of New York (Kirsty McColl and The Pogues) is one of the favoured festive songs across the UK. Sir Cliff Richard's 'Mistletoe and Wine' comes much lower down the list.

However, there are some signs of festive goodwill. Twelve months ago, many employers blamed the new discrimination legislation and fear of potential tribunals for a lack of Christmas spirit. Yet, asked to consider how many complaints they faced in the wake of workplace parties, 82% could not identify a single incident.

The survey also revealed that 54% give gifts to colleagues and 11% to external business contacts.