Why Escape Rooms are the Best Choice for Staff Christmas Parties

Has the classic staff Christmas party always been a bit awkward? Often businesses are very generous in splashing out for a fantastic venue, great food and endless amounts of booze but these occasions can sometimes not go as well as they would like because people are guarded around work colleagues and this can lead to an atmosphere not conducive of fun. A recent survey by Perkbox showed that over one in four employees don’t enjoy their office Christmas party. This is why the alternative staff Christmas celebration is gaining popularity at the moment and we think, as we’re sure you’d imaged we would, that escape rooms are the ultimate office Christmas party idea. Here’s why:

Less Predictable More Fun

With meals out and office parties, staff know what to expect and it can lead to the whole thing becoming a little stale especially if the people invited are the ones staff see every day. By having an escape room experience at Christmas, staff can feel excited about doing something different.

Team Bonding

Nothing bonds people like having to work together in a fun but slightly pressured environment to achieve a shared goal. Most escape rooms, but especially ours, require teamwork to solve the puzzles and complete the games. Communication is vital in an escape room and having multiple things to do at once draws everyone into the action. This is why they’re such a good idea for team building and can leave teams feeling closer afterwards.

Involves Everyone

Lots of office parties and meals out seem to revolve around consuming alcohol which can be quite excluding for people who don’t drink. They also force people to socialise in an oddly formal way which can be quite nerve-wracking for shy or anxious people. When you have your staff Christmas do in an escape room, everyone is included because there are lots of different ways of interacting, puzzles which require a wide range of skills so there’s something everyone can do and there’s definitely no awkward silences.

Reduces Awkwardness

Doing an escape room as a business or team doesn’t just avoid lulls in conversation, it also makes people feel more comfortable afterwards if they’re going on to pub or restaurant. Much of the issue with staff socials is that people find they have little in common other than where they work so conversations can be laboured. If they’ve just completed an escape room, either together or with different teams in different rooms, they immediately have something to talk about and our guests find this a great way to break the ice at these types of occasions.

We think the sense of achievement, the need to work as a team, the excitement created and the very inclusive nature of escape rooms make them a great alternative staff Christmas celebration. At Pier Pressure, we have so many rooms available for office Christmas parties with all different themes and fun puzzles to solve. For the real Christmas lovers, we even have a Christmas themed room this year called The Great Elfscape which is super fun. Larger businesses can book out all of our rooms at once and assign different departments to different rooms for some added office rivalry or mix up teams to let staff get to know each other (we also have the facility for managers to watch their teams in action, if desired). Even bigger businesses could play in shifts an hour and a half apart and all meet up afterwards. We have an arrangement with a nearby pub, The Windmill, where people playing our games get discounts on food and drink. If you think an escape room experience would be a good option for your staff Christmas party, please give us a call on 01273 220388 or email info@pierpressure.co.uk for more information.