Fa La La La La or Bah Humbug for the Holiday Season in the Workplace

Workers can either be more cheerful or more stressed in the workplace during the holiday season, according to two surveys.

 

In a recent survey of professionals from staffing firm Accountemps, more than half (51%) said they are more cheerful at work during the holidays. When asked to identify what they loved most about holidays in the workplace, respondents to a Randstad US survey cited “holiday spirit in the workplace” (54%) and “happier/more generous co-workers” (41%).

 

Thirty-five percent of respondents said they are more stressed on the job this time of year, according to Accountemps. They cited balancing holiday events and work obligations (32%), taking time off and coming back to heavy workloads (23%), and having fewer people on the job to help (18%) as the most stressful aspects of the holiday season.

 

Respondents to the Randstad survey said holiday parties and questions like, “Should I give my boss a gift?” are stressors this time of year. Ninety percent of employees said they would prefer to get a bonus or extra vacation days than have a holiday party. Sixty-two percent of respondents agreed they feel obligated to attend their employer’s holiday party, and 28% said they feel obligated to buy their boss a holiday gift,

 

As for the gift that would bring the most cheer, professionals surveyed by Accountemps cited higher year-end bonuses (37%), more flexible work schedules (32%) and additional paid vacation time (17%). Similarly, for 70% of workers surveyed by Randstad “time off” topped their list of what they love about the season, while 34% look forward to getting a bonus.