- Thursday, the 11th December, will be the busiest weeknight of the year for office Christmas parties[2]
- Nearly two in five hybrid workers plan to use fake excuses to dodge work post Christmas party, with Wi-Fi issues (11%) and urgent childcare (11%) being most common[1]
- More than 3.6 million Brits (21% of WFH employees) admit they use the "camera-off" hack when they aren’t feeling their best[3]
- The average worker is planning to clock up over four hours relaxing rather than working the day after their festive party, with scrolling social media, catching up on TV and shopping online the top activities
This Thursday, 11 December, is set to be the busiest weeknight for parties, and many Brits are planning to find creative ways to make working from home easier following a late night, according to new research by comparison and switching service Uswitch[2].
Forget the fake coughs – nearly two in five (38%) are now planning to rely on inventive excuses to dodge work from home, with almost two million hybrid staff blaming sudden Wi-Fi wipeouts (11%) or urgent childcare pick-ups (11%)[1], ditching the classic sick call. In comparison to hybrid workers, only 32% of office or on-site workers have come up with excuses to avoid working[4].
Tech is making the morning after the night before far more manageable, with 3,603,958 hybrid working Brits (21% of WFH employees) admitting they turn their camera off for meetings when they are struggling to focus[3]. Other popular WFH hacks include working later to have a lie-in (19%), mouse jiggling (16%), and asking AI to draft something for them (14%) [3].
Those working from home after their Christmas party do already plan to spend an average of four hours and 40 minutes not working. This downtime includes spending 35 minutes napping, 50 minutes scrolling social media, 42 minutes shopping, and 45 minutes binging TV to tide over the post-celebration slump [5].
Nearly a quarter of workers (23%) admit they work from home more often during the Christmas period due to a busier-than-usual calendar packed with festive fun[6]. For those aged 18-34 this rises to almost a third (30%), highlighting how younger workers are using work-from-home flexibility to manage their social schedule [7].
With Wi-Fi problems tied as a top excuse to take it easy when working from home, it's clear technology is enabling a new kind of post-party recovery.
Max Beckett, broadband expert at Uswitch, says: “Technology has changed how we work and live, and the fact that network issues are used as frequently as calling in sick shows how working from home has changed our behaviour.
“We expect many hybrid or remote workers will be using the freedom of home working to get through the Christmas period. But for anyone looking for downtime, perhaps it’s time to move past the Wi-Fi excuses, as bosses might be clocking on to this one.
“If you do experience genuine connectivity problems this festive season, make sure you know your rights and check with your provider on what compensation you may be due.”
Visit Uswitch.com for advice if your Wi-Fi problems go beyond a helpful excuse to miss 9am calls.
ENDS
Notes to editors
Opinium surveyed a nationally representative sample of 2,000 UK adults between 28th November - 2nd December 2025. Results are weighted to be nationally representative.
1) Participants were asked, ‘Have you ever used any excuses when working from home to avoid a work obligation (e.g. a shift, meeting, deadline, or full workday) when they have not been true? (Opinium data) 62% responded with ‘N/a I have never used an excuse to get out of working from home’, 11% have selected ‘Calling in sick’, another 11% have selected ‘Wi-fi/Tech issues’ and 9% have chosen ‘Picking up kids.’ On a nat rep survey of 2000 people, 70 people selected ‘WiFi /Tech issues’, hence, 70/2000*55,022,53 = 1,925,779 (Shorthand =1.92 Million)
2) Participants were asked, ‘When was, or is your office/work Christmas or End of Year party? If you have multiple parties, please select all that apply.’ (Opinium data), 9% respondents selected ‘12th December’,5% respondents selected ‘19th December’, and 4% respondents selected ‘11th December’. As 4% of the respondents will be having their Christmas party on the 11th December.
3) Participants were asked, ‘What work-from-home hacks, if any, have you used when you are struggling to focus on work?’ (Opinium data) 21% responded ‘Turning your camera off for meetings’, ‘19% responded ‘Working later so you can have a lie-in and log on later’, 16% responded ‘Mouse jiggling’, 14% responded ‘Asking AI to draft something for you’.
On a nat rep survey of 2000 people, 131 people selected ‘Turning your camera off for meetings’, hence, 131/2000* 55,022,253 = 3,603,958 (shorthand = 3.6 million)
4) Participants were asked, ‘Have you ever used the below excuses when you should be working from office/your work location to avoid a work obligation (e.g. a shift, meeting, deadline, or full workday) when they have not been true?’ (Opinium data) 68% responded ‘N/A - I have never used an excuse to get out of working from the office/ work location’, 13% responded ‘Calling in sick’, 7% said ‘Doctor's/dentist appointment’, and 6% responded ‘Transport delays/car breakdown’.
5) Participants were asked, ‘How long, if at all, have you spent, or do you plan to spend, on doing each of the following during work hours the next working day after your work Christmas or End of Year Party in 2025?’ (Opinium Data), On average, participants spent 49.5 minutes ‘Scrolling social media’, 34.7 minutes spent on ‘Taking a nap’, 42.4 minutes spent on ‘Browsing online for gifts’, 45.6 minutes spent on ‘Catching up on TV series’, and 41.5 spent on ‘Working from bed’.
6) Participants were asked, ‘Do you work from home more often during the festive period due to a busier-than-usual calendar?’ (Opinium data) 61% responded ‘No - The amount I work from home does not change’, 11% responded, 'No - I work at my workplace more than usual’, and 23% responded ‘Yes’.
7) Participants were asked, ‘Do you work from home more often during the festive period due to a busier-than-usual calendar?’ (Opinium data) 30% participants in the age group ‘18-34’ responded ‘Yes’, 47% responded ‘No - The amount I work from home doesn’t change’, and 15% responded ‘No – I work at my workplace more than usual’
For more information
Harriet Atkinson | Telecoms PR Manager
harriet.atkinson@rvu.co.uk
Twitter: @UswitchPR
