Business expert tells executives to go with the flow after Christmas party

August 6, 2009

Many company chiefs may be wondering how to approach the Christmas period this year in terms of parties and holidays. Business expert, John Timpson, says ‘go with the flow.’

Last Christmas many firms had their Christmas office parties on 21 and 22 December, which fell perfectly towards the end of the working week before Christmas when most people were still at the office.

Timpson, who writes a business ‘agony uncle’ column in the Daily Telegraph, advises company bosses to take a break over Christmas. He says, “once you have put in a brief appearance at the Christmas party you might just as well go with the flow and join everyone else on vacation.”

Back in the 1960s, almost everyone had Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year’s Day off work, but most people were back to work in between. These days, many workers take a full fortnight off work, using just a few days’ holiday to do so.

For those who can’t help but keep an eye on their email during the festive season, they are likely to find that their clients and suppliers are all on holiday too!

Therefore, the advice to business owners is to accept that people are in ‘holiday mode’ after their Christmas party and to try to relax and enjoy the festivities without worrying about work.