While most of us will be spending Christmas Day with loved ones, for 4.7 million Brits it will be work as usual according to a study by One4all Gift Cards. The study of 1,382 workers, which coincides with One4all Gift Cards’ #One4allThisXmas competition, has revealed 4.7 million people are likely to be working on Christmas Day.
Those working will, on average, work 7 hours and almost 1 in 5 (18%) will clock in 9 hours. For these workers, the day’s festive joy will be missed. When asked about what they will miss the most: for 46% of respondents it is spending quality time with their family, for 36% it is Christmas dinner with their loved ones and for 27% it is giving presents.
Healthcare sector employees top the list as the most likely to work with 19% of them working on Christmas Day.
The arts and culture sector follows in second place with 11% of employees working on the day. Other industries with significant number of employees working on Christmas Day include HR (9%) and legal (8%).
The research also revealed that 33% of respondents actually enjoy working over the festive period. 77% of them said helping others is what the true spirit of Christmas is all about. With majority of workers from the healthcare industry, their presence is vital for those who find themselves in need of care on Christmas Day.