Peoples Republic of South Devon

Twelve tips for Christmas

December 21st, 2007

Nevermind goodwill, this is the season of lists of every description, and this one is from the TUC South West for you to mull over over your mulled wine.

Nigel Costley, Regional Secretary of the South West TUC, (who, incidentally is offering up this year’s PRSD Christmas message), told us  that: “The run-up to the holiday period can be a stressful time for many workers as they rush to meet Christmas deadlines and consumer expectations.”

The South West TUC’s Twelve Tips are:
1 Ask your Scrooge boss to count Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year’s Day as bank holidays, rather than as part of your holiday entitlement. Employers may include bank holidays and public holidays in the minimum entitlement, currently 4.8 weeks and due to rise to 5.6 weeks on April 1 2009, but many add statutory holidays to the minimum.
2 Don’t let Christmas pressure of work grind you down. Make sure you get your correct breaks. Workers who work for six hours or more per day the right to take a break of at least twenty minutes. These rest breaks must be taken during the six hour period, not at the end of it
3 Dodge Christmas Bungs. Be open and transparent about any gifts you receive from your suppliers
4 Don’t drink at work - it might be illegal, it might be dangerous (if you drive or operate machinery) and you run the risk of embarrassing yourself at the Christmas party.
5 Ah, the Christmas party. Remember office equipment isn’t designed for playing with, so resist the temptation to re-enact the French Revolution with the guillotine and the OK Corral with a staple gun and, if you don’t want to spend hours in casualty having shards of glass removed from your bottom, don’t play around with the photocopier. It won’t take your weight!
6 If you’ve got your eye on a colleague, check your company’s policy on workplace relationships before setting out for the Christmas party - some companies seek to ban these relationships
7 Ask your boss to ensure all staff can get home after the party, whether it’s organising lifts or booking taxis.
8 If you work in a pub or club, noise levels can damage your hearing, so make sure your boss keeps the noise down to less than 95db (If you can’t hold a conversation with someone standing 2m away, the noise is loud enough to damage your hearing.) Also, there’s a matter of taste and decency to be considered; listening to Slade’s Merry Christmas Everybody for six hours a day is enough to drive anyone round the bend!
9 Remind your boss to keep the heating on over Christmas. Not only might they be breaking the law if the temperature drops below 16 degrees C, but they could be affecting their productivity and their safety .
10 Check your company’s internet policy before buying your Christmas presents in cyberspace. Most employers will allow some time for personal use - they have to inform you if they are to monitor your internet use - but it’s better to be certain before you embark on an on-line spending spree.
11 Check your boss has carried out a risk assessment before reducing staffing levels during Christmas downtime. Many employers will try to save money by employing fewer staff when the machines are rolling but they need to ensure minimum levels are maintained for safety. Your union will be able to help.
12 Maintaining the work/life balance gets even tougher at Christmas. Good flexible work schemes help staff cope and make sure the work gets done. Ask your boss for time off to see your kid’s nativity play. Although they’re not obliged to agree, if you ask nicely, they might relent, deciding showing a big of Christmas cheer will improve morale and productivity.
Tune in on Christmas Day for the short message from Nigel Costly.

Entry Filed under: Society