Saturday, December 22, 2012

The great Christmas Eve skive! Record numbers head to work on Monday


By Anna Edwards


PUBLISHED: 15:22 EST, 21 December 2012 | UPDATED: 04:59 EST, 22 December 2012


Many workers suffer the Monday blues, a day where they try to shake off the excesses of the weekend and prepare themselves for yet another week of work.


But spare a thought for those trudging into work on Christmas Eve.


They will not only be battling the start of the week, but also having to cope with the excitement of Christmas, the anxiety of last-minute preparations, and the bitter knowledge that many others have got the day off.


Sneaking out to snap up last minute gift: Many workers will be behind their desks on Monday - but how many will actually do any work? (posed by model)

Sneaking out to snap up last minute gifts: Many workers will be behind their desks on Monday - but how many will actually do any work? (posed by model)



As record numbers traipse into work on Christmas Day, many will find themselves behind their desk on Monday, as it is not a bank holiday.


But how productive the average worker will be remains to be seen, as many will - perhaps understandably - be counting down the clock until they can head home for some festive cheer.


A survey by CareerBuilder reported that nearly half of employees spent the two weeks leading up to Christmas scouring the internet for gifts.


A huge 49 per cent planned to spend time doing online shopping while they were in the office this year.


How many will be actually working on Monday?

Workers have admitted to focusing on online shopping rather than working



This festive-based skiving was backed up by another study by Robert Half Technology, found that distracted employees confessed to spending four hours a week surfing for holiday deals online while they should be concentrating on work, My PA Benefit reported.


The last Christmas Eve that fell on a Monday was in 2007.


Then, companies were urged to let their workers have the day off, as opening for business was 'a complete waste of time' as employees were not productive.


While many will secretly be branding their employers a scrooge for making them work on the Monday, past surveys show that the Christmas period is one of the least productive times for business.


The Trade Union Congress revealed almost 172,000 workers were on duty on December 25 in 2010, a figure that has risen 78 per cent in the last eight years.


The numbers of those working over Christmas in 2004 was 96,000 and in 1998 was 72,000.


But since then the numbers have ballooned as health workers, hospitality staff and retail workers are told to come in.


The most recent figures show equal numbers of men and women going to work on Christmas Day.


The whole of December can offer something of a distraction for typically industrious workers.


Productivity levels are dramatically compromised by Christmas party hangovers, according to a survey commissioned by lastminute.com.


After the office-arranged bash, nearly a fifth of workers called in sick or came in late, costing businesses £259 million during the festive period the survey of 1500 people found.







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