Office Christmas party season is well and truly underway and, with drinks flowing and the excitement of the festive period encouraging many people to let loose, employees across the country may be inclined to take part in more than just a boogie and a Bailey’s. According to research, 20% of employees in the UK have had sex at an office Christmas party, with 1 in 10 admitting to catching an STI*. To ensure that employees avoid starting the New Year with a sting, a popular sexual wellness brand sent out Christmas care packages full of festive goodies, including their very own condoms.
According to the research, conducted by male condom brand MyBliss, men are 30% more likely than women to have had a sexual encounter at the office Christmas party and are 40% more likely to have caught an STI from a colleague.
While plenty of people are ready to get down and dirty with a colleague this festive season, the threat of contracting an STI doesn’t seem to be enough to encourage them to use protection; of the 2,000 respondents surveyed, just 14% of men and 6% of women intended to carry a condom this Christmas*.
The survey also revealed that 18–24-year-olds are nearly six times more likely to have caught an STI from a colleague than 45-54-year-olds*, while respondents across the board did not understand the size of the risk posed by some STIs. HIV and syphilis are the conditions people were most fearful of, while more common infections, such as genital warts and chlamydia (which can affect fertility if left untreated) were those people worried about the least.
Hoping to help prevent people from waking up with anything more than a hangover this festive season, MyBliss sent its Christmas elves to businesses around Birmingham and Manchester to share some early Christmas gifts – just in time for office party season. The Christmas party prep boxes were full of festive goodies, such as party poppers, confetti and, of course, their very own range of male condoms.
Discussing the idea behind the gift drop, Mo said:
“I started MyBliss with the aim build a brand that challenges the stigma around condom use and the idea that contraception is a woman’s problem, as I really struggled with my experience on hormonal contraception. What’s more, hormonal contraception will not protect you from an STD and, let’s be honest, no one wants to book a Christmas trip to the sexual health clinic if they can avoid it.
“I’m sure lots of people have heard a story of scandal at the office Christmas party (or maybe they have their own), but we were pretty shocked to hear that respondents were scared of catching an STD but not planning to do the one thing that would protect them from one – carry a condom!
“We decided to take matters into our own hands and send out some early Christmas presents; Hopefully they are a reminder to not only use protection, but that it is nothing to be ashamed of or secretive about. Fingers crossed it will empower people to let their hair down after a long year of hard work, without taking any risks.”
Wanting to ensure that condom users have a happy, health sex life, MyBliss’ male condoms are free from harmful ingredients such as spermicides and fragrances, making them kind to women’s bodies.
