Managers say they're expected to work more over Christmas pandemic

• One in four managers say expectations that they will be available to work has jumped since the pandemic
• Nine in 10 say they are less able to relax and recharge as a result
• Managers in the private sector reported significantly higher expectation to work the bank holidays than in the public sector
• Petra Wilton, Policy Director at CMI, said employers need to think about staff well-being at a busy time of the year: “With a handful of bank holidays, the Christmas period is a great chance for staff to switch off and recharge and responsible employers need to recognise this and send a strong message that non-essential work can wait until people are back at their desks after the holidays.”
• London - A quarter of UK managers say they are expected to keep across their work over the Christmas holidays, including on the bank holidays, according to a new survey by the Chartered Management Institute.

The survey of 942 managers working across the UK economy found that 23% had seen an increase in the expectation that they would be available at weekends and bank holidays since the pandemic lockdowns of 2020 and 2021 saw many workers forced to work from home.

Almost five years later, when asked to list which tasks they are now expected to carry out during the holidays, checking and responding to email (74%) and carrying out routine administrative tasks (61%) were the most common expectations of work. Being on call affected just 4%, while dealing with emergencies affected just 2% of managers.

Managers in the private sector were significantly more likely to say that they will be expected to engage with work, compared to their public sector counterparts (42% vs. 33%).

Petra Wilton, Policy Director at the Chartered Management Institute (CMI), said:

The Christmas period gives employers and employees a chance for a real break, to spend time with family and to recharge. Skilled managers and leaders need to ensure that message is getting across to their teams. If they are sending signals that they expect people to be available and checking emails, they’ll ultimately end up with staff who are not fresh, rested and ready to take on the challenges that lie ahead.

There will always be emergencies, but routine admin and responding to emails should not be distracting people when they are away from work. It’s counterproductive and risks driving away talented people who will look elsewhere for a reasonable work/life balance.