........ On the run up to Christmas.
In our office productivity is well down. Luckily we are not bound by deadlines as such. Staff are doing enough to stay off the managers radar but enthusiasm levels are low. Is this the case in all work places in the UK? Do we all go gaga for Christmas and switch off at work a week before?
Most of the staff are escaping to the shops on extended "lunch breaks" and in fairness nothing gets said, it is more or less accepted. Perhaps our work place is fairly relaxed!
Not here, although people are generally a bit more chatty and excitable. I have christmas ear marked to catch up on all the crap I haven't done while all the docs are away so I'm frantically trying to clear my recent backlog so I can get to the real backlog next week :c)
Lucky you. We have to work as hard as ever no slacking and definately no extended lunches. They are generous with christmas goodies though, always wine and chocolates for the staff and something for our kids.
I work in a small office, and boss has flown off to Singapore. I will be sitting upstairs on my own for next 3 days so lots of kindle reading and looking on internet! Colleagues downstairs are very chatty! We finish on Friday and office is closed till 2nd Jan.
My workload generally goes through the roof in the last 10 days before Christmas with everyone wanting stuff before Christmas. My productivity has to increase by about 200% to get all the work out, and the shopping done, and the cleaning, and the cooking. I get to Christmas Day and am too bloody shattered to do anything.
I realise that for many people the build up to xmas can be stressful (however some put this pressure on themselves) and you can just see on peoples faces that they wish they could be somewhere else preparing for xmas. In my eyes a bit of forward planning and not getting so wound tight about "one day" means I am fairly happy plodding on as normal!
no relaxation in my work either - unfortunately court timetables don't take account of christmas anymore! having said that, all the mega urgent court stuff has been finished (well, dictated on) today and so for the next 3 days i can just concentrate on file work. no extended lunches for us though..... as for stress - no stress more than any other week of the year!
Certainly not, the NHS doesn't let up at any time of the year, we are still working full days right up until Christmas Eve. We have too much to do, and too little time to do it in, to start slacking before the holiday period.