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Original poster

Does your (office job) let you finish early on Xmas Eve and NYE?

115 replies

InMincePieRehabBackSoon · 23/12/2021 07:44

I've always worked in office environments and never finished later than 12pm in the past on Xmas Eve - it's always been a bit of a jolly, and then management tells everyone to go home just before lunch.

I've just found out my current place "might" let us go at 4pm, which is 45 minutes early Shock this seemed really stingy to me so I'm wondering if it's unusual or I've just been lucky at all my previous jobs.

What does your workplace do?

OP posts:
Frazzled2207 · 23/12/2021 08:08

My last work and email used to go round about 2pm saying merry Christmas off you go.
We’re then closed between xmas and ny.

New workplace no idea!

My husband works for an American company (in the uk) and doesn’t expext to get off much before 6 as usual 😡

BiddyPop · 23/12/2021 08:09

Building closes at 12:30 on a normal Christmas Eve (pre COVID). Either you took a full days leave or you turned up for at least 5 minutes and were seen...but generally it was a social morning with very little work done. (5 minutes maybe is slightly under exaggerating - but you didn't need to be there from 9-12:30).

NYE the building closes at 5. Although if there are very few in, and no serious deadlines to be met, the service officers try to persuade peo0e to leave earlier, maybe about 2 (so it was at least the afternoon). But if there was anyone working on something that needed to get done, everyone else tended to leave shortly after 4 and use their flexi.

FawnFrenchieMum · 23/12/2021 08:12

On Christmas Eve, old company let people go on a rolling basis from 1pm. Anyone who worked past 1pm got double time in time back (so if you worked until 3pm, you got four hours to take at another time). New company is closing at 1pm.

New Years Eve - old company, nothing official but if you had annual leave left, they would give you the option of taking it in the afternoon, new company are closing at 3pm.

ZombeaArthur · 23/12/2021 08:13

At my last office it was a bit hit or miss as to whether we could leave early. We’d usually get an email from management to tell us that we had to stay as no other departments were finishing early, alongside emails from all of those other departments warning people not to contact them as they were leaving early Hmm We’d then get an email shortly before most of us were due to leave incoming us that we could now go but the whole thing was written to make us feel very guilty for shirking our duties, even though there was really very little to do on Christmas Eve.

One year they let us go shortly after lunch time which was great, however the following year some people really took advantage and came in spectacularly late and only worked for a couple of hours. The next year we were told (after we arrived to work) that we could leave after we’d worked a certain number of hours. The latecomers ended up leaving at their usual time! They were really unimpressed Grin

middleager · 23/12/2021 08:14

DH's place is the same. Last year, on NYE he was still working at 5.30pm.

Camomila · 23/12/2021 08:15

I think we are closing at 4pm Christmas Eve (usually finish at 5.30) but haven't had the official email yet. I don't mind too much either way as I am wfh that day.

EBearhug · 23/12/2021 08:17

Should be able to leave after lunch, unless any prio 1 calls come in, and we have a change freeze and I'm not on call, so fingers crossed.

NMC2022 · 23/12/2021 08:22

We finish at 6pm on the 23rd, closed Christmas Eve

TroysMammy · 23/12/2021 08:23

If my PCR test comes back negative I'll be in work tomorrow until 6.30pm, my normal finishing time. A few years ago one member of staff would be off on Christmas Eve and the other covering and vice versa New Year's Eve. However as my working days are Thursday and Friday for the last 2 years this "tradition" hasn't happened.

In the future when it comes around that my colleague's working days are Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve I have a good memory and the "tradition" won't be happening .

itwasntaparty · 23/12/2021 08:23

Usually pretend to work until midday on the 24th then office closed until the first working day in the new year

RememberThePenguins · 23/12/2021 08:24

Local Authority key worker here.

Finish at 5pm tomorrow.

No payrise this year either.

Did get a thank you email though from senior management. Hmm

GnomeOrMistAndIceGuy · 23/12/2021 08:24

My partner works in an electronics factory. There is fuck all for them to do this week but they will make them sit there on Christmas Eve until the very last second. Very annoying as we have to travel and the later we set off, the worse the traffic.

iglpgl · 23/12/2021 08:26

Yes on Christmas Eve (normally around lunchtime, though I normally just take leave), but this year we've been given a day's extra annual leave so today is the last working day. We close between Christmas and New Year, and the next working day is 3rd Jan (Scotland so 2nd Jan is a bank holiday).

workworkworkugh · 23/12/2021 08:26

Finished at lunch time on the 22nd and went out for drinks and don't go back until the 10th.
It's normal for my workplace to finish 2-3 days before Xmas and I am so grateful for that!

SleepingStandingUp · 23/12/2021 08:28

In my last job, if you booked CE off you booked a full day. If you worked it w never worked past 1 but it was a "gift" hence the annual leave thing. It was never "guaranteed" but they'd have had a riot on their hands if they didn't give it us 😂. Closed til Jan as part of the leave package (thanks ex council overly generous contracts!)

MsEmmeline · 23/12/2021 08:28

My workplace used to, but we got a new boss, and I don't think he got the memo 😄🤔.

GnomeDePlume · 23/12/2021 08:28

I had an employer where close time was at the discretion of whichever director was left in charge of the office on the day. The directors with families they wanted to go home to would close the office as early as possible. The uptight one (there is always one) would generously allow people to leave a few minutes early and would then be surprised nobody was that grateful!

Icenii · 23/12/2021 08:29

Been given Christmas Eve off completely because of the dreadful year. Did that last year too!

tigger1001 · 23/12/2021 08:32

Generally we finish around 1 on
Christmas Eve, work dependant. But if booking a day annual leave you book the full day.

We are then off until after new year.

gogohm · 23/12/2021 08:33

Not officially, an hour or two early but drinks before that

SundayTeatime · 23/12/2021 08:36

No. Office job, private sector, shift work. We work our normal hours. The work can’t be postponed.

MrsLargeEmbodied · 23/12/2021 08:37

nope

AnnieJ1985 · 23/12/2021 08:37

We get an extra half day AL for Christmas Eve, most of us take the full day. Then closed until New Year, but we have to use 3 days AL for that. We will probably be told to head off anytime from 2ish today. It is pretty relaxed, once your work is done, head off

GnomeDePlume · 23/12/2021 08:38

I had an employer which had its Christmas party on the last working day before Christmas even if that day was Christmas Eve. Full Christmas lunch, free bar, it was the riot you would expect. Some colleagues admitted to being too hung over to eat their own family Christmas meal the next day.

I think they eventually stopped this!

oftenbaffled · 23/12/2021 08:38

Entire Christmas period off
Don’t need to take as annual leave
Paid

Bloody awesome

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