Unsurprisingly the company behind the story sunshine.co.uk’s managing director Chris Brown said: “Booking while at work is bound to be popular because the ‘Monday Blues’ kick in and we all need cheering up.
What utter twaddle. Bet the slightly deluded Mr Brown wouldn’t feel so chipper if he found his employees choosing to waste his company time on such things as shopping online or chatting on social networking sites rather than dealing with their customers?
I don’t doubt for a moment it is great PR and business generating moment for his company but I am looking at it from a different viewpoint. We appear to have become a nation of takers and that depresses me greatly. Buying and booking online has provided us with invaluable opportunities to purchase virtually anything any day and at anytime. Our dishwasher packed up over Christmas so we bought one at 11pm on a Sunday evening. What I can’t for the life of me fathom is why anyone would feel the need to do it on company time.
Not so long ago employees did all their personal business in their lunch hour whether it was to do the shopping or book a holiday which in case you forget, you had to physically visit the travel agents and that’s not so long ago. Blimey, before the advent of mobile phones if you needed to telephone someone from work you asked permission to do so. Now it appears to be every employee’s divine right to text and email, as well as book holidays on line whilst sitting at their desks supposedly working. Most don’t even bother ask if it OK to do so.
Our meeting room is available to all employees at lunchtime so they can email, text, telephone and go on line to their hearts content but no way can they book a holiday on line, email a mate or text whilst they are sat at their desk working.
The UK has over 2.5 million people out of work at the moment and I am sure that many would give them bottom dollar to get back into work. So I suggest workers who want their time in the sunshine should work hard and book their sun, sea and sangria out of office hours.
Sylvia Tidy-Harris is the Managing Director of both www.womenspeakers.co.uk & www.thespeakersagency.com
