Why are employees still working on Christmas Day?

Why are employees still working on Christmas Day?

A survey by People Management among 1,500 HR professionals has concluded that 66% frequently work during their time off, with the ‘always on’ culture even leading to people working on Christmas Day.

On average, staff on annual leave end up working two and a half hours each day (according to Forbes research). Around a quarter take their work laptop and phone on holiday. One in five said they have worked while on holiday, whether they were in the UK or overseas; with 11% admitting to working on Christmas Day when they were meant to be on holiday.

A working state-of-mind

A digital culture and its blurring of boundaries of time and place, means checking devices and messaging (including those from work) are part of everyday life.

But the rise of hybrid work as the norm has had an effect. In the study, 28% of hybrid and remote workers felt they were expected to do more work while on holiday compared to office workers. And this was backed up by another finding that 64% of hybrid and remote workers worked outside of their expected hours, compared to 44% of office-based workers. 

The biggest reason was said to be because of a sense of responsibility to always reply, not to leave messages unanswered. 18% said it led to feelings of stress, that they were “missing something”.

Sharing the switch-off

EAPA UK chair, Karl Bennett said: “Except for essential workers and people who choose to work, Christmas should be sacrosanct as a holiday; a centuries old time for celebration and rest — a modern form of hibernation. “HR need to be keep aware of how digital devices have changed routines and also attitudes and feelings of responsibility and guilt. There need to be clear policies that set clear boundaries around a what is expected; managers need to set examples. They both need to think about why employees might feel they need to work in the first place.”