58% of Business Owners Struggle to Maintain Staff Productivity in December
- Over 3 in 5 (62%) respondents are having a Christmas party in December this year, spending on average £31 per head for their staff
- Almost half (49%) of respondents are giving their employees extra holiday this Christmas period that’s not part of their contracted holiday entitlement.
- 46% of respondents will be closing their offices between Christmas and New Year.
- 49% of respondents are giving their employees a Christmas bonus this year
- The average pre-tax amount bonus given to employees was £5,265.81.
Money.co.uk business bank accounts experts surveyed 500 small business owners on the festive season and how they thanked their employees for their hard work over the last year.
With December being one of the busiest times for many small businesses, and over half (56%) of respondents saying the holidays and the change in customer habits and supplier trading makes their business better, it’s important to keep staff motivated and productive during December to take full advantage of this.
Sickness is rife, with over half (52%) of respondents saying they struggle to trade in December due to employee sickness, plus 58% of business owners said they had to set tighter deadlines to maintain productivity from their staff.
So how can small business owners keep staff motivated over the festive season?
Christmas Parties
Holding a Christmas party for staff is a great way to boost morale and employee bonding at the end of the year. Over 3 in 5 (62%) respondents are having a Christmas party this year for their employees (a 6% increase from last year) and will be spending on average £31 per head. On average, respondents said they spend £29 on other employee events/parties per head (not during the festive period), implying that keeping morale high at the end of the year when many staff are tired and running on empty is important to employers.
Holiday Allowance
Giving employees extra holiday over Christmas is one of the ways employers can show staff their appreciation. Just under half (49%) of respondents are giving their employees extra holiday this Christmas period that’s not part of their contracted holiday entitlement. Furthermore, 46% of respondents will close their offices between Christmas and New Year.
When it comes to this perk, it seems younger small business owners are more willing to award extra time off to employees, with over 3 in 5 (63%) respondents aged 25-34 giving their employees extra holiday this Christmas period that’s not part of their contracted holiday entitlement, compared to 2 in 5 (40%) respondents aged 45-54.
Christmas Bonuses
Another perk sure to spark motivation and a strong start to the new year is rewarding employees with a Christmas bonus.
Just under half (49%) of respondents are giving their employees a bonus this year, whilst over 2 in 5 (43%) are not.
Again, the age of business owners seems to be a factor in this. Almost 3 in 5 (59%) respondents aged 25-34 said they will be giving their employees a bonus this year, yet under half (47%) of those aged 45-54 said the same.
The average pre-tax amount bonus given to employees was £5,265.81.
The table below shows the percentage of employers giving the following pre-tax bonus amounts:
| Bonus amount | % of respondents |
| Less than £1,000 | 0.81% |
| £1,000 – £2,000 | 8.13% |
| £2,001 – £3,000 | 11.79% |
| £3,001 – £4,000 | 19.92% |
| £4,001 – £5,000 | 30.49% |
| £5,001 – £10,000 | 16.67% |
| £10,001 – £15,000 | 8.13% |
| £15,000 – £20,000 | 2.44% |
| More than £20,000 | 0.00% |
