Half a million small business employees to get extra 2.5 days annual leave at Christmas
Employees at half a million small businesses will get an extra 2.5 days of annual leave at Christmas – equating to 120 million days in total.
To celebrate the end of the year, 44% of small and medium-sized firms will be hosting a festive party, and two in five (41%) will shut down operations entirely between Christmas and New Year.
One in four (25%) will also be able to give out Christmas bonuses to staff members.
However, this comes as nearly half (47%) of SMEs report being worried about their business prospects for next year.
Larger businesses are feeling the pinch too, with nearly two-thirds (59%) predicting a decrease in consumer spending, and 41% worrying about their business prospects as they approach 2023.
And more than two-thirds (68%) of SMEs are concerned about the negative impact that rising energy bills will have on their business.
The survey, of 578 small and medium-sized business leaders, was commissioned by Barclays, as part of its quarterly SME Barometer research.
