CELEBRATING CHRISTMAS IMPROVES WORKPLACE PRODUCTIVITY

– 73% of workers in the construction industry say that Christmas traditions in the workplace boost morale

– Just 39% of construction bosses offer a Christmas party for their staff

IMPLEMENTING Christmas traditions in the workplace can boost productivity levels, new research has found.

A study carried out by Christmas Tree World, the UK’s leading retailer of artificial Christmas trees, has found that 74% of employees are motivated to work harder if their employer embraces the festive period despite only 36% of businesses offering a Christmas party for their staff and almost a quarter of businesses (24%) avoiding Christmas completely.

December is known as the time of the year that staff productivity levels can dip to the lowest point, however an overwhelming majority (78%) of those polled claim to work as hard or harder in December, with 22% of these citing the reason as 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 available, despite only 15% of UK businesses offering this.

However, it’s not just 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, despite only 36% of workplaces investing in this.

39% of workers polled believe Christmas parties enhance productivity levels due to improving teamwork and communication.

Stephen Evans, managing director at Christmas Tree World commented: “It’s shocking to see the high number of businesses which are simply missing a trick in embracing the festive season as this research demonstrates it really does pay dividends in boosting staff morale, happiness and productivity.

“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, though it’s surprising to see how few companies even put up a Christmas tree and decorations in the workplace.

“It’s clear to see from our research that bringing a bit of festivity into the office can go a long way to improving workplace productivity at this time of year.”

Christmas Tree World is one of the UK’s premium artificial Christmas tree etailers, providing unique and realistic decorations to provide a truly magical Christmas for all the family. For more information, please visit www.christmastreeworld.co.uk