Office Christmas parties are meant to be a celebration of the festive season and a chance for bosses to say thanks to their staff for a job well done.
Instead, the combination of lots of free alcohol, mistletoe, and colleagues dressed their best, generally means at least one person behaves disgracefully (throwing up where they shouldn’t).
And another two end up taking their in-office flirtation to a different level.
Worried it’s going to be your partner who cheats?
Read on for the signs that suggest your other half could be vulnerable to temptation.
Relationship expert Tracey Cox reveals the certain signs that predict whether your partner is gearing up to cheat at their Christmas party
Research suggests there are certain signs that predict if a partner’s gearing up to be unfaithful.
These apply to both men and women, by the way.
I’ve written it for women but if you’re a man and worried your girlfriend or wife may be about to cheat, the same rules apply.
One word so you don’t all turn into paranoid wrecks after reading this: answering ‘yes’ to only one or two on the list, does not mean your partner’s about to cheat.
These behaviours in isolation mean nothing.
They also don’t mean anything if there’s a logical, justifiable explanation for your partner’s behaviour.
If he’s paying you no attention Tracey says take it as a warning sign
(Of course he’s going to be checking his phone constantly if his mum’s sick or about to be notified about a promotion.)
So put your ‘sensible head’ on before you read then here goes: the 10 signs your partner may be vulnerable to temptation at his Christmas do.
He has a ‘work wife’ you haven’t met
This the biggest red flag of all.
If he’s very close to another colleague who is female, the Christmas party could offer an opportunity for either of them to turn their relationship from platonic to romantic.
The rating shifts from risky to dangerous if you’ve asked several times to meet her but he’s always got an excuse why you can’t.
He either doesn’t want you to see how attractive she is or doesn’t want you to meet for fear of you seeing how close they’ve become.
If either of them secretly lust after the other, throwing alcohol and a night out together into the mix does make the party a recipe for disaster.
You’re going through a rough patch
Cheating can happen when everything’s rosy in your relationship but if you’re not getting on well, he’ll feel more likely to think ‘Why shouldn’t I? It’s not like she’ll care!’ if an opportunity arises.
This is especially true if he feels wrongly accused of something.
He’s stopped noticing you
You could shave your head and walk into the room naked, leading a unicorn, and he’d barely look up from the telly?
If he’s paying zero attention, his commitment to the relationship is low.
The higher the engagement with you, the less likely it is he’ll risk losing the relationship by cheating.
If your partner fails to come home after a Christmas party or is shifty about the location of the event he could have been up to no good
His colleagues are known for partying hard and many have been unfaithful to their partners
He’s more likely to have shared this information with you if he doesn’t intend to cheat, knowing it’s going to make you nervous if he goes out with workmates.
But research has proven that people are much more likely to cheat on their partner if they’re surrounded by people who see nothing wrong with it than those who would judge them harshly.
If you meet him at work, his colleagues seem embarrassed and find it hard to meet your eye
How his colleagues treat you is an indication of how your partner talks about you at work – and what he gets up to.
If they avoid catching your eye or try not to interact with you – whereas before they were cheery and welcoming – it could mean he’s bad-mouthing you or flirting and/or had a fling with a colleague.
His cheating or high potential of cheating has made them embarrassed.
He accuses you of having a jealousy problem if you express concerns over possible future infidelity
The best form of defence is attack, and turning it around to be your problem is a classic cheater’s ploy.
A committed boyfriend or husband would rush to reassure you, not attack you for feeling vulnerable.
(This is, of course, assuming you don’t have any jealousy issues: most people know if they do. If you’re not sure, ask a trusted friend.)
He’s taking a lot of trouble over his appearance
Suddenly joining a gym or paying more attention to his appearance and clothes without any apparent reason are definite ‘sit up and take notice’ signs.
If he’s motivated to look his best, it can mean a flirtation has already started – or he’s preparing to act on it at the party.
It could also mean he soon intends to be single and wants to look good on dating apps!
He avoids telling you where the Christmas party is being held
No prizes for guessing why this is dodgy: he’s worried you might turn up and catch him red-handed.
Not returning your texts on the night despite you agreeing he would check in
Also highly suspect is texting to say his phone battery is ‘about to die’ when it never usually runs out: the perfect excuse for being unreachable for the rest of the evening.
Ditto being ‘out of service’.
If he genuinely is in an out of service area, he’ll come back out to tell you if he knows you’ll be worried or paranoid (and calls won’t go through).
Calling late to say he’s going to ‘crash on a friend’s sofa’
If this is usual form for him and he often stays at other people’s places when he’s hit it hard, it’s nothing to worry about.
But if this is unusual behaviour, it could definitely mean he’s off to spend the night somewhere he shouldn’t.
THE SIGNS HE DID CHEAT
He didn’t come home at all
If he’s never done this before and didn’t phone home, it’s almost guaranteed something has happened.
He slept on the sofa and never does usually – even after a big night out with the boys.
It could be because he doesn’t want you to smell another woman’s scent on him.
You heard him have a shower before coming to bed for the same reason: he’s washing off traces of her or signs he’s just had sex.
He put his clothes straight in the washing machine
Even if she didn’t wear perfume, we all have an individual scent. If it’s not something you’re used to smelling, you’re likely to pick it up if another female’s been up close and personal.
Your instincts tell you something happened
If you’re not the jealous type and every fibre of your being screams that something’s not right, trust your instincts.
Research proves women’s instincts, particularly, are good: most women who don’t have jealousy issues and are convinced their partner has cheated turn out to be right.
Refusing to meet your eye, looking guilty, behaving strangely – your gut picks up on subtle clues you’re not even conscious of receiving.
He avoids talking about the party
If he’s cheated or lied, he’ll either volunteer as little information as possible for fear of dropping himself in it or do the opposite and give way too much information.
If it’s the latter, it could be he’s rehearsed his ‘story’ of where he was or why he was late.
He seems distracted
He could be thinking about what he’s done and deciding whether to confess, or start a new relationship with the person he cheated with.
Constantly checking his phone and social media
Pictures posted by work colleagues with him tagged could drop him in it and he’s eager to see and delete them before you do.
It could also be that he’s worried the person he cheated with might contact him and you’ll see the message or that they’re now texting (or sexting).
His privacy is suddenly very important
If he’d never usually worry about you looking over his shoulder while he’s texting or flinch if you picked up his phone, it’s another highly suspect factor if he’s suddenly doing it now.
Ditto disappearing into the bathroom with his phone and staying in there for ages.
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