Companies that are planning end-of-year parties or banquets to promote team-building and give their employees a pat on the back for all their hard work in 2011 may want to think outside the box this year and eschew the binge-drinking events that are so common at this time of year. Seven out of 10 respondents, or 69.9 percent, are fed up with the practive and would prefer an alternative way of ringing out the working year, according to a recent straw poll of 1,035 office workers by recruitment portal Job Korea. Some 21.5 percent replied that they have no choice but to participate in drinking sessions during the Christmas season, due to pressure from their bosses, while a mere 8.6 percent said they looked forward to such office parties. In response to multiple-choice questions about which gatherings they dislike the most, 60.9% percent cited formal arrangements where the office hierarchy makes it all but impossible to relax. This was followed by endless rounds of drinking (55.6 percent), routine events organized by the company without consulting staff (26.3 percent). As alternatives, 58.9 percent of respondents suggested going to a concert or engaging in some fun social activity with their colleagues. Some 40 percent wre in favor of holding award ceremonies to fete hard-working employees, 30.8 percent wanted to take part in volunteering activities to help those in need, and 18.2 percent said they would appreciate a more educational program or activity where they can learn something new.