Christmas is less than two months away and research has shown that not enough companies are getting in the spirit, missing the chance to boost productivity.
A study carried out by UK retailer Christmas Tree World has found that 74% of employees are motivated to work harder if their employer embraces the festive period.
Only 36% of businesses offer a Christmas party for their staff and almost a quarter (24%) avoid Christmas completely.
December is known as the time of the year that staff productivity levels can dip to the lowest point. However, the majority (78%) of those polled claim to work as hard if not harder through the Christmas month, with 22% of them saying the reason being so they can enjoy time off over the festive break.
The research of 1,000 UK workers also revealed that more than half (60%) of employees are likely to be more productive if Christmas incentives such as bonuses are made available, despite only 15% of UK businesses offering them.
But it isn’t only financial rewards which are proven to drive productivity, with 74% of workers claiming office festivities, such as decorations, Christmas trees and Secret Santa traditions, boost morale and productivity.
More than a third (39%) of workers polled believe Christmas parties enhance productivity levels due to improving teamwork and communication.
“It’s shocking to see the high number of businesses which are simply missing a trick in embracing the festive season as it really does pay dividends in boosting staff morale, happiness and productivity,” said Stephen Evans, MD at Christmas Tree World.
“It’s understandable that some companies are unable to offer financial rewards such as Christmas bonuses, and even A Christmas party, as costs can escalate, but it’s surprising to see how few companies even put up a Christmas tree and decorations in the workplace.”
8 ways to make the office more Christmassy
1. Get a Christmas tree and encourage all staff to add their own personal decoration
2. Create a festive playlist for the office
3. Offer mince pies to staff
4. Hold a Christmas jumper day
5. Add a festive feature to your brand’s logo and staff email signatures
6. Do Secret Santa
7. Have a Christmas party or team meal
8. Create and send a company Christmas card to clients
