Is your boss a scrooge?

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!