You might not be as excited that the season of merriment and abundance of food is here if you’re working over Christmas – but there are a few upsides which may make you change your mind.
The commute is a breeze
If there’s one good thing about having to drive to the office near Christmas is that the commute is usually a breeze. The children are not in school, many are on leave or sleeping in and the roads are nice and empty. If that’s not enough, you can drive with the peace of mind that your favourite parking spot will be free.
Free reign of the office
Who doesn’t love an empty office? You’re free to amp up the volume on the Christmas tunes (or not) and sing along to your heart’s content and no one will be there to stop you from dancing on your way to the water cooler. There’s no line at the coffee machine or at the bathroom and no one will call you out if you used the last drop of milk. That’s not the best part, however… The best part is you’re free to set the air-conditioning to the temperature you prefer. Karen from Accounts won’t be changing it to 30°, the moment you get up from your desk. This also means – the distractions are few and far between…
Far less emails and distractions
The phone won’t be ringing off the hook and far less emails are coming in. You can get in the zone and get some work done in peace, distraction-free. Fewer meetings (that could have been an email) is another big plus. You can finally cross off a bunch of things off your list which you would have otherwise had no time to do. Being at the office during this period also means there are fewer emails to catch up when the holidays are over and that means one less thing to dread in January.
Everyone seems chirpier
Somehow, everyone is nicer on the phone or at the office. Perhaps the festive cheer puts people in a warm and friendly mood. Many are either off today or on leave the next day. Every day is basically Friday and everyone’s in a good mood on a Friday! The free-flowing Quality Street around the office is certainly a plus. The office is in full positivity mode. A new year is around the corner and that means new possibilities and a new leaf.
You get sympathy points from colleagues
Many will feel sorry for you if you have to work over the holidays. It will also show you’re dedicated. Many managers may have a tough time finding enough workers to cover Christmas period shifts and you’ll be doing them, and your colleagues, a favour. Everyone appreciates a team player.
You can use your vacation days off-peak
If you’re working over Christmas, it means that you get to use those vacation days when there are far less crowds with no frantic last-minute shoppers around. Perhaps you might be able to take those days off in January – and that’s one way to beat the Christmas blues.
