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Businesses brace for Christmas sickie season

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20th Dec 2010
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The effects of Christmas party hangovers - and seasonal colds and flu - could cost the UK economy £620m this festive season.

Hotel chain Travelodge undertook a survey of 6,000 UK workers and found two-thirds will be attending two work events over the week ahead. And after a particularly stressful year, more than a quarter intend to drink more than usual.

Productivity is expected to halve as a result. With the added complications of snow and ice disruption, rapidly spreading cold and flu germs and the alignment of the working week, Christmas 2010 looks like being even worse for output than the hotel survey suggests.
While many employees nursing hangovers will into space for an average of three hours and five minutes after their annual Christmas party, around 46% are expected to take a nap at work after a big night out.

One in five staff will take a day's holiday after their Christmas bash this year, but the tempation remains for employees to pull a "sickie" to nurse their hangovers. A quarter of respondents confessed to calling in sick due to hangovers in the past, even though 10% admitted their bosses probably thought they weren't really ill.

Only one in 10 respondents said that they were honest and told their manager the reason for their proposed absence, but colleagues tended not to be sympathetic with the hangover excuse. Three out of 10 said they got annoyed when a team member took time off work following a night out.
Leigh McCarron, Travelodge's sleep director, said: "The office Christmas party is a longstanding British institution. After what has been a stressful year for many, it's understandable. Workers want to let their hair down this festive season."

With the effects of recession, 38% of UK businesses are still paying for Christmas dos, down from 45% last year. But three out of 10 survey respondents said they were paying for parties themselves this year, up from 25% in 2009.

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By cymraeg_draig
20th Dec 2010 15:53

Insignificant

Compared to the effects of the snow, combined with inefficient councils & governments who seem to have no idea how to cope, the cost of Christma sickies will be a tiny drop in the ocean.

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