Is the festive cheer decidedly absent from your workplace? If your boss is the cause, then all is not quite lost. Rally the troops and hatch a plan

Remember that scene in the Christmas Carol when Bob Cratchit asks Scrooge for a pay rise to buy food for his family at Christmas? Scrooge told him to get lost – then dashed back to his house to count his money. Just like Scrooge, there’s a very small minority of bosses all over the country who relish being miserable - particularly at this time of year.

I should know. Three years ago a boss of mine proudly ‘presented’ the workforce with an extra nine pounds in their pay packets – as well as a one-course meal at the local Beefeater. I ordered a green salad, not being a fan of steak and chips.

Having to work on Christmas Eve, we gave the boss several glasses of wine (her favourite) and she was so pliable come five o’clock that we all ended up in the local pub, before hitting a nightclub. She paid for us all to go in, continued on the booze, got flighty with the bouncers and had to be poured into a cab to take her home. It was a memorable evening.

Plan your strategy
Whatever your tactics, confrontation and belligerence just don’t wash when it comes to getting around the boss – any time of year.

• It’s much simpler to try and flatter their ego than to batter it with moans, groans or ultimatums in any situation, whether it be asking for a party or a pay rise.
• Never grovel. Though a bit of subtle manipulation never, ever goes amiss.

If you’re not lucky enough to be in charge, then there are other ways of achieving your master plan.

Louise Merchant, 26, who works for a fashion consultancy, tentatively brought up the subject of an annual party with her thrifty boss. ‘She said there weren’t going to be any celebrations this year as profits weren’t too good. Everyone was miffed because we’d just landed a big client.’

So, what do you do if your employer doesn’t like shelling out for celebrations? Louise says, ‘Making her feel guilty worked. We loudly started arranging our own plans. Then we did a collection for drinks and invited her. In the end she gave us some cash and came along. She had a great time too.’

It seems that gentle manipulation may be the way ahead if you want to live it up with your colleagues during the festive season. But if your boss really is adamant, you could be facing a pretty bleak time as far as work celebrations are concerned – unless you have your own Plan B...

Contingency plans
Sue Mason, 31, a TV production company executive remembers Christmas in the workplace last year: ‘My boss told us not to put up a tree or have a party, so all the staff started mumbling “Bah, Humbug” whenever he was around.’

Generally, most employers enjoy any excuse to revel in a bit of end-of-year frivolity, but, if like Sue, you’re unlucky enough to be stuck with a boss who’d make Scrooge look like Santa, how do you try to get them into the swing of things?

Sue says, ‘Everyone was in the Christmas mood anyway, so we just had some laughs in the office. In the end we arranged our own party in a local pub, which was brilliant. We invited the boss, but he declined.’

Handing out funds for decorations and parties isn’t a stipulation of law and if an employer refuses to have a sense of occasion or to treat their staff to end-of-year extras he or she are quite within their rights.

There’s little you can do if your boss is a cheerless soul. As long as you and your peers have the right idea, that’s all that matters. Get your colleagues together, come up with a plan, pool some cash and throw that bash. Forget about that thrifty boss and have fun. Don’t let anyone’s miserable ways dampen your spirits. Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!