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Relax, it's Christmas!- 04/11/2008
Bosses should avoid a Scrooge response to the credit crunch and engender Christmas goodwill by relaxing their IT and postal policies for staff in the run up to Christmas, says West Midlands law firm FBC Manby Bowdler LLP.
It is estimated that online retail sales this Christmas will increase by 39.9%, with UK consumers spending £7 billion on internet shopping.
Richard Barker, employment solicitor at FBC Manby Bowdler, says: “Christmas is always an expensive time of year, but for many this Christmas money will seem tighter than before as they face the credit crunch and impending recession. As more and more shoppers switch to internet shopping to get the best bargains, employers can expect an increasing number of presents ordered by staff being delivered to their workplace.
“Consider relaxing your IT policy to let staff browse the internet for personal use in their breaks and before and after work. This should help prevent employees wasting company time ordering gifts and engender goodwill.”
Barker continues: “I would also advise employers to allow staff to have gifts delivered to the workplace. The biggest sick day last year occurred in the run up to Christmas, with one in 23 workers in the UK taking 19 December off. If workers are allowed to have a reasonable number of personal deliveries to their workplace this should help prevent them taking unnecessary absences to accept deliveries at home.
“It’s important for bosses not to be seen as Scrooge-like at this time of year. If IT policies and postal guidelines are temporarily altered it will show employees that their work/life balance has been taken into consideration. It can also set clear boundaries to ensure that productivity is not hit harshly during the festive period.”