The Stresses of Christmas Past

It must be Christmas - the 'Famous Grouse' ad has just been on TV.  Other people might expectantly await things like the John Lewis Christmas ad every year, but for me, the 'Famous Grouse' remains the iconic seasonal commercial.  Approaching my second non-working Christmas in a row, (last year I was on a 'career break', this year I'm work free and effectively semi-retired), I've been pondering how much more straightforward this time of year is when I don't have to expend so much time arguing with management about such things as taking time off, providing cover and the like.  It always seemed to become an unnecessary ordeal thanks to management's refusal to accept that, for the best part of a fortnight, the UK closes down as people descend into an orgy of over indulgence in food and alcohol.  Not only did this make it unlikely that our services would be required, but also that actually going out on the streets and knocking on doors to do carry out our regular duties would become unacceptably risky - I, for one, had no intention of trying to serve papers on someone likely the worse for wear on New Year's Eve, for instance.  But, for the second year running, these aren't my worries.  This is what it is like having a regular job, where when you are away from work, you are away from work, not having to compromise and be on leave, but still 'on call'.

But all that nonsense simply reflected the great contradiction that lies at the heart of the festive season, as far as employers are concerned, at least.  While the annual arguments over Christmas leave were, for my field of employment, based around certain factors unique to that sector, in the wider world of employment, many others also find themselves faced with potential disputes over the extent of their seasonal leave.  The thing about Christmas is that while much of commerce might love it as an economic opportunity to boost sales and profits, they are also faced with the problem that their employees also want to extended breaks then, meaning potential reductions in productivity, store closures and the like.  They want you to spend your money buying all the stuff they've been hyping and pushing for weeks, but don't to give you any time off to enjoy any of it.  Increasingly, they seem to find it frustrating that the season includes a number of public holidays in close proximity to each other.  Indeed, with post-Xmas sales seemingly becoming ever more important to retailers, many employees don't even get to enjoy at least two of those holidays: Boxing Day and New Year's Day.  This year, all three public holidays fall on weekends, so we get proxy days off instead, giving us a four day, then a three day weekend.  These were always my favourite scenarios in my last job - it meant that I was guaranteed a run of days when I couldn't be called in to provide emergency cover, even if I was on leave, so I could relax, go out and meet friends and even drink during the day.  Absolute bliss.  Thankfully, though, without that bloody job, Christmas is no longer as stressful as it used to be as I now know that I'll be left in peace.