The real Grinch might not be wearing green – three-quarters of UK workers say stress is wrecking their Christmas break, and it’s costing employers billions
Almost three quarters of UK workers worry work will spoil their Christmas cheer,– more than half said they have previously had their break interrupted by work.
The study of more than 1,000 workers across the UK by healthcare cash plan provider Medicash revealed that more than a quarter of workers are worried about having to work over the holiday season.
In addition, nearly a quarter feared their time off would be consumed by thoughts of work.
People working in the IT and Telecoms sector were most likely to have to work over Christmas followed closely by retail, catering and leisure workers.
Employees in the finance sector were most likely to be distracted from Christmas merriment by thoughts of heavy workloads and looming deadlines (39%).
“Workplace stress is a very real issue affecting over 400,000 people in the UK every year, amounting to 10.4 million lost working days and costing UK businesses an average of £3.7bn each year,” Sue Weir, chief executive of Medicash said. “The results of the study are very troubling, showing that many people not only feel pressured to take on extra work to pay for Christmas, but also feel an inability to relax and switch-off over the holiday period.
“It’s important that employers are aware of this issue and make every effort to avoid making unrealistic demands on their employees.”
