60% of SME owners to work over the festive period

We are a matter of weeks away from Christmas 2017, and last week saw the annual “Black Friday” event closely followed by Cyber Monday earlier this week. With the rising costs of hiring staff, small business owners are forfeiting their own festive break to keep their business ticking over.

In the next few weeks, as many of us will settle down to turkey and mince pies, it was reported that almost a fifth of SME owners stated they were unable to take time off as they did not have the resources or sufficient staff in place to cover this period.

In a survey commissioned by the business for sale marketplace, Bizdaq, it stated that almost half a million small business owners will have the unenviable task of working every day over the festive period with no time off. Of the small business owners that will be working over the festive period, nearly 35% stated they felt they had no option to work as they simply couldn’t afford to take the time off.

The festive period isn’t the only time that small business owners encounter issues in taking holiday leave. It was reported in 2016, that just over a third of small business owners had only taken the measly sum of 10 or fewer days. This was significantly smaller than the national average of 17 which is still well over two weeks.

The overriding conclusion to this report is the sheer dedication and passion that small business owners possess to steer their company through the festive period. To see that almost 3 in 5 owners won’t get a break in the next month reflects their desire and hunger. Are you a small business owner? How is the festive period impacting you, as usual we’d love to know your thoughts on the matter. Get in touch on 0208 669 2103 or comment below.

We’d also like to take this opportunity to wish all our customers a Very Happy Christmas and prosperous 2018.