A very merry Christmas. Weeks of staff sickies ahead
For some estate and lettings agents, Christmas is just a bit too merry and new research shows that the next few weeks, as we count down until Christmas Day, will be full of employees calling in with the infamous _dodgy tummy_.
To give you an illustration of what lies ahead, tech start-up company The Attest spoke to 1,000 workers to gauge their attitude to sickies, and found that the six weeks before Christmas will see workers call in sick more frequently than at any other point during the year. The research also questioned people about the most popular sickie scenario. This turns out to be contacting the office at 6.38am on a Tuesday morning with _stomach problems_ (funny enough, Tuesday mornings are the most likely time an estate agents office will divert their calls to a call answering service such as Moneypenny ).
A higher consumption of alcohol and late nights are attributed to the trend, with hangovers one of the top reasons for not showing up for work. It_s also thought more frequent partying than usual leaves people run down and more susceptible to colds and exhaustion, leaving them choosing the duvet over professional duties.
As well as sickies through self-induced stupors, it_s worth remembering some staff will be genuinely ill with flu or other seasonal illnesses, while others may call in _sick_ so they can go midweek Christmas shopping or see their children in a nativity play.
The festive season can put enormous strain on resources, especially for letting agents and property managers who may have granted genuine annual leave for some staff in December. Add in a few _sickies_ and you_ve got a really under-resourced department just as winter really bites _ with boilers breaking down, pipes frozen solid to busting point and fence panels flying around back gardens.
Now is the time to pre-empt the panic by looking after staff. Keep a supply of cold remedies in the kitchen, stock up on soft tissues, create a rota of _late starts_ so everyone gets a lie in once a week and perhaps grant each team member a _duvet day_ in December so they have a _bonus_ scheduled day off to do as they please. Or if all else fails, consider outsourcing administration and property management duties. A third-party provider will have strength in numbers so they_re never affected by sick leave and will provide a professional round-the-clock service to help you cope in the run up to Christmas (and at all times during the year).
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