Will you be at work on Christmas Eve?

Employers have denied “Scrooge-like” attitudes to Christmas after research suggested one in four staff would be expected to work on Christmas Eve.

With Christmas Eve falling on a Monday this year, thousands of workers are likely to take the day off. But research from office rental firm Regus (reported by the BBC at Employers accused of ‘playing Scrooge’) found that many people will still be expected to work a normal day.

Read the BBC report here

Many businesses observe an unofficial half day on Christmas Eve to enable workers to get back home in good time for the festivities.

I think the prize for good sense goes to Mike Emmott, from the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development. He has been quoted as saying:

“I don’t think it is much to do with Scrooge. Many employers have made what I regard as quite a sensible judgement that it is going to be difficult to get a lot of people in unless it is evident there is something to do.”

But he added an important factor, so readily overlooked:

“Most employers, if anything, are slightly too indulgent about Christmas. There are quite a lot of people in customer facing jobs who are just going to have to be in.”

Merry Christmas to all those people who make it possible for the rest of us to kick back and relax.

The BBC asked the head of employers’ body the CBI, Richard Lambert, whether he would be in the office on Christmas Eve. He replied “certainly not”.