Something for the weekend: In the run up to Christmas, do you find that your attention starts to drift away during your working hours and you find yourself surfing the web looking for the best online deals? Turns out you’re not the only one.
Office equipment supplier Officeology.com’s poll of 1,000 UK staff with part and full-time jobs, which asked how often people online shop or browse during work hours in the run up to Christmas, found that 77% admitted to doing this during their working day and almost one in four shop online at least once a week. Hey, shopping’s good for our wellbeing, right?
While more than one in 10 admit to browsing a retailer’s website on the sly every day during these times, 90% those in higher managerial roles and directors of companies with more than 50 employees are more likely to spend their working day online shopping. In fact, one in four in this role admit to doing this every day in the weeks before Christmas, which is more than any other profession. Seems like managers shop until they drop for Christmas presents.
Regarding the regions where employees spend the most time spending online during work hours, 90% of Scots do this during their shift, which is more than any other region. Londoners rank a close second at being spend happy, with 89% admitting to setting time aside to do it at work. What else would you expect from residents of the shopping capital of the UK?
In addition, the poll asked what Secret Santa gift staff actually want to receive this year, discovering that two in five hope to receive alcohol under the office tree, with food gifts ranking as a close second contender. Sounds like employees want to eat, drink and be merry this Christmas.
Conversely, more than a quarter (27%) said bath related gifts are the second worst Secret Santa gift to receive and surprisingly, 22% of football fanatics don't want their team's logo on any kind of merchandise. Perhaps these findings could be helpful for employers looking to reward their employees this Christmas?
Adam Butler, founder of Officeology, explained that he rewards his staff with the gift of longer lunch breaks during December.
"We often head out for dinner as a team to embrace the Christmas spirit. We've also heard of clients that give their staff a whole week off to take a winter break, celebrate Christmas or go meet friends and family. Of course, this is not possible in every industry, but if you can, why not do it?" he said.
Here at Employee Benefits, we are big fans of rewarding those who are deserving no matter the time of year and are all for boosting employee wellbeing where possible. Happy Christmas, you filthy online shoppers!
