The most dreaded event in my social year is the office Christmas party. I loathe the fake camaraderie, excessive alcohol consumption and hideous vulgarity. Far from making me bond with my colleagues, it makes me dislike my boss and feel alienated by the drunken behaviour of my underlings. Last year I vowed: never again. But the recession has now put all our jobs at risk (and has also cut the party budget, which means this year's plonk will be filthier than ever). My question is this: if one is interested in holding on to a job, does one have to turn up?
Senior manager, male, 42
LUCY'S ANSWER
You ask if turning up to the Christmas party helps one hold on to a job. No, of course it doesn't. Even in the most paranoid times at the most dysfunctional company no one decides who to keep and who to dump on that basis.