Headlines

Why Many Dread the Holiday Work Party

Preference to see dentist instead more evidence of “great disconnection,” survey finds

Published

11 months ago

December 5, 2025

Although it’s all smiles on the surface, many workers say they’d rather skip the holiday work party, a new survey finds. Photo: Drazen Zigic/iStock by Getty Images

How much do some workers dislike attending the holiday party thrown by their employer? Consider this: More than one in four (27%) U.S. workers would rather undergo a root canal than attend an at-work holiday gathering, according to a new national poll conducted by Censuswide for Sunny, a nonprofit organization seeking ways to improve social connections in both working and daily lives.

The poll, which Sunny says highlights the growing workplace phenomenon known as “The Great Disconnection,” also found that 33% of the 1,155 full-time employees surveyed would rather visit the dentist for any reason than attend workplace celebrations. Even more bleak, 40% of U.S. employees would also “rather go to the dentist than socialize after hours with my boss.”

“Our poll findings are fresh evidence of ‘The Great Disconnection’ – the ever-growing signs of workplace disengagement,” says Iain Smith, an industrial psychologist who is Sunny’s Head of Behavioral Science. “But unlike the ‘Great Resignation’ during Covid, the feeling of disconnection isn’t going anywhere, unless we address it. Fortunately, it doesn’t take much: You can design connection back into how teams are already working, so they stop running on an empty social battery.”

The survey figures are based on a nationally representative poll of 1155 full-time U.S. employees aged 18-plus, fielded Nov. 12-17. That effort identified several differences between social groups, including:

30% of men would rather get a root canal than go to the office party, compared to just 23% of women.
Northeasterners lead the party-shy, with 36% preferring a dental visit over their office holiday party, compared to just 29% in the Midwest.

More details on the results – and potential solutions – are available in “Energized by Design”, Sunny’s new white paper on social connection at work. The group’s team examined the risks of factors including hybrid working, AI tools and the multi-generational workforce, and opportunities to harness these trends to create connection.