Christmas is a delightful time of year for those who
celebrate the occasion, and for those who don’t the annual time off can still
be highly important in terms of taking time to unwind avoiding the dreaded
burn-out. However it does seem that employees are ahead of their employers when
it comes to when this break begins, as new research conducted by HR analytics firm Peakon has revealed that among
those whose offices remain open, 57% of the UK workforce admit to officially
clocking off as of today (Monday 18th December).
The survey of over 2,000 UK employees shows that as we
approach the Christmas break, employees are becoming increasingly distracted by
things outside of their everyday work duties. For example 42% of respondents
confess to clocking off to shop online for Christmas presents. Meanwhile 35% say
they’re planning Christmas day, and 30% are planning their Christmas break.
Additionally 17% of respondents admit to leaving work earlier than usual, 12%
take elongated lunch breaks, and 4% go so far as to call off sick.
As for why these individuals begin to skirt or evade their
duties, 21% insist they are simply too excited to properly focus on their work,
while 21% say they feel ‘burnt-out’ and well in need of a break. 32% meanwhile
gave the rather reasonable justification that business had slowed down and
there was simply less work to be done at this time of year.
Peakon’s co-founder, Dan Rogers, commented, “I think it’s
fair to say that the great Christmas ‘click-off’ is well and truly a thing,
with a silent agreement in most workplaces that productivity takes a hit at
this time of year. As a business, the worst thing you can do is bury your head
in the sand; it pays to try to understand what is going on.
“Acknowledge that this dip is inevitable and plan around it.
Think of it as good time to regroup as a team, gather feedback on the progress
you have made during the year, and plan how you will continue in January. Most
businesses, with the exception of retail, experience a slow down around this
time of year anyway, so trust your team and let them relax a little. Many
employees are unlikely to have taken a break since summer, and will be more
prone to burnout. If you look after the wellbeing of your team, you’ll
ultimately get the best out of them.”
Sam Bonson
Sam
is an aspiring novelist with a passion for fantasy and crime thrillers. He is currently
working as a content writer, journalist & editor as he continues to expand
his horizons.
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