Half of employees will work during the holidays

NEARLY half of allemployees will work during the Christmas break this year, even though 40% of people believe very little will be achieved.

A survey by office solutions specialist Regus has also found that two thirds of workers supposedly on holiday will check work emails regularly on their mobile devices this Christmas.

Olivier de Lavallette, Regus regional vice president for Ireland, said: “The holiday season is a special time for people to devote to their families and friends without neglecting their work duties.

“However, our research suggests many people are not taking full advantage of the break and, if they are also travelling into the office to work, are unnecessarily squandering precious time with their loved ones.

“With the holiday season approaching, businesses are ever more focused on how to achieve or improve the work/life balance they offer so that workers can spend time with their loved ones. Particularly workers making the effort to travel in to work with limited transport options and in some cases adverse weather conditions could benefit from using a work location closer to home, reducing time wasted in commuting and maximising the time they can spend with their families during the break.”

The survey also noted that, even though 25% of Irish business people will go to the office during the festive season, their levels of productivity are set to be low, providing little value to their employers and wasting employees’ home and family time.