December 08, 2025
27% of U.S. Workers Would Rather Get a Root Canal Than Attend the Office Holiday Party
This December, plenty of workers would rather book a dentist appointment than open an office holiday party invite. Apparently, mandatory cheer doesn’t land the way it used to.
New national research conducted by Censuswide on behalf of social-connection nonprofit Sunny found that 27% of full-time U.S. employees would prefer getting a root canal to attending an office holiday party. The discomfort isn’t limited to December gatherings, either. Thirty-three percent said they would rather go to the dentist for any reason than attend workplace celebrations, while 40% said they would rather endure a dental visit than socialise after hours with their boss.
Betsy Parker, Sunny CEO, said:
“You can’t Zoom your way to an engaged culture. Connection takes design, not just calendar invites.”
The Great Disconnection
Sunny describes the findings as further evidence of “The Great Disconnection,” a phrase used to describe growing social detachment across the workplace. Iain Smith, PhD, Sunny’s Head of Behavioural Science, said: “Our poll findings are fresh evidence of ‘The Great Disconnection’ – the ever-growing signs of workplace disengagement. But unlike the ‘Great Resignation’ during Covid, the Great Disconnection isn’t going anywhere, unless we address it.”
The reluctance wasn’t evenly distributed between genders, the survey revealed. Men were more likely to avoid office parties than women, with 30% choosing dental work over a night of small talk compared to 23% of women. Regional variation also stood out, with workers in the Northeastern U.S. being the most party-resistant, at 36%, while those in the Midwest followed at 29%.
How Teams Actually Bond
The trend sits against a wider backdrop of workplace loneliness. Sunny’s 2024 review of U.S. Census Household Pulse Survey data found that 41% of Americans report feeling lonely. Younger employees feel it most acutely: according to a 2024 Harris Poll conducted for the American Psychological Association, 45% of Gen Z workers regularly feel lonely at work, more than any other age group.
At the same time, social connection remains closely linked to well-being and motivation. A 2024 KPMG study reported that 42% of employees believe workplace friendships directly improve resilience, job satisfaction, and mental health during difficult periods. Relationships matter, yet many employees would rather avoid the settings designed to encourage them.
That things can work when done right, shows TUI’s award-winning internal culture programme ‘Makers of Happy’, which demonstrates how engagement improves when connection is built into everyday work rather than saved for occasional morale moments. After all, the key is consistency, not spectacle.
