Business

The boss canceled the Christmas party and told the workers to stay home


Office Christmas parties are being canceled and employees are asked to work from home while companies scramble to protect employees from the Omicron variant.

Fears flared at a festive event will force workers to self-isolate over Christmas is encouraging companies large and small to cancel, postpone or move events online.

Boris Johnson insisted on Tuesday that there was no need to cancel Christmas parties, nativity plays and other seasonal festivities, although government science advisers issued a note of caution. than. On Monday, Dr Jenny Harries, chief executive of the UK Health Security Service, urged people to “reduce social ties”.

Sajid Javid, the health secretary, said yesterday that people were “absolutely fine” if “continued with whatever we have planned for Christmas”, but encouraged them to take the flow test later . He said, “If I go to a party with 300 or 400 people for Christmas, I will [lateral flow] check before I go. I think it’s just a reasonable precaution.”

Yesterday, Thérèse Coffey, secretary for work and pensions, told Peston on ITV: “I don’t think there should be much snooping under the mistletoe. There is no need to do such things.”

Updated government guidance on the virus does not include advice on kissing or other forms of physical contact. It suggests that people may “choose to limit” their close contact with others.

Staff working for employers including University College London, NHS trusts, toy company Bandai and Age UK were among those who took to social media yesterday to report that parties had been cancelled. cancel. Daniel Rosney, a BBC correspondent, tweeted: “All BBC News Christmas parties now cancelled.”

Under the rules announced last week, anyone confirmed to be infected with the Omicron variant must quarantine for ten days, as well as anyone who came into contact with them.

Large employers are either asking employees to work from home or adopting stricter measures at the office. Investment director Brewin Dolphin told staff in London that they can stay out of the office from December 10 until January 7. Insurer Aviva said it had insisted that employees be thermally tested. temperature at the entrance to the office and check the lateral flow daily before entering.

Google has emailed employees urging them to “remove any planned in-person social gatherings until 2022” and limit them to no more than 15 people. Ronan Harris, chief executive officer of Google UK and Ireland, tells workers that in-person business meetings and events must be approved by the director.

Hospitals are also asking workers not to travel in large groups to limit the “potential threat” to their health and adverse impact on services.

However, the Christmas party was the site of the largest number of casualties by far. DesignMyNight, the company that organized the event, said cancellations had increased by 15 per cent after the prime minister made the first statement about the new strain.

Another event management company says some of its clients are switching from in-person to virtual parties. Lorna Boyer, of the company, said: “We have seen a huge increase in requests for virtual Christmas parties, almost doubling since the announcement was made. The feedback we get is that companies are trying to stay on the safe side and listen to how their employees are feeling. It looks like a 50-50 split between live and virtual Christmas parties. “

Waitrose said revenue from wine tasting and cocktail experiences, in which attendees of virtual events are sent boxes of drinks to mix and consume, jumped 200% this time last year, with demand mainly driven by businesses.

Daisy Hooper, head of policy at the Chartered Institute of Management, said: “The ‘should we or shouldn’t’ discussion around whether to have a Christmas party in the office this year is a tricky one to deal with. decide. Managers’ duty of care is a powerful factor in allowing people to come together in a party given the Covid risks we’re seeing. ”





Source link

news7g

News7g: Update the world's latest breaking news online of the day, breaking news, politics, society today, international mainstream news .Updated news 24/7: Entertainment, Sports...at the World everyday world. Hot news, images, video clips that are updated quickly and reliably

Related Articles

Back to top button