Although it’s not ideal for anyone to be spending the holidays away from their family and working, there are some perks to working in the hospitality industry that can make spending Christmas in the kitchen more bearable.
With the right attitude and preparation, working on Christmas day and during the festive season can actually be enjoyable and beneficial for some.
Tips
People tend to be a lot more generous over the festive season, whether it’s after one too many beverages, or because you’ve provided fantastic service, or they appreciate your dedication over the holidays, people will often tip higher amounts and more frequently.
Although it may not make all the difference to your experience working over the holidays, a little bit of appreciation never goes unnoticed and you could end up with a nice lump sum to save or invest once the festivities are over.
Extra Pay
A lot of establishments will recognise the fact you’re giving up time with your loved ones over the holiday season. For this reason, Christmas day is often paid at an increased rate, either time and a half, double or triple pay.
If you’re lucky, your company will pay you this rate on any other bank holidays over the Christmas period, meaning you can earn a nice pay check for your hours that may just about cover what you may have spent on presents!
Festive Cheer
It’s a lot easier to justify working when everyone’s in the Christmas spirit. Embrace the festivities and remember the work will be over soon, but for the meantime make sure to enjoy the season as much as your guests!
Help put up the decorations, invest in a Santa hat or some reindeer ears to wear if your dress code allows it, and go all out.
Staff Celebrations
Just because you’re working doesn’t mean that you can’t have fun with the guests! Check with your boss about the rules for staying behind after shift to socialise, or propose the idea of Secret Santa or a Christmas party to ensure the festivities are enjoyable for the staff too.
Make sure on Christmas day to pop open the bottle of champagne and congratulate yourself and your colleagues on another Christmas day well done.
Not all establishments are the same, but it is unlikely to ever be working in a hospitality or catering based environment that doesn’t hold some sort of celebration or incentive for staff over Christmas.
When the time comes for this, make sure to enjoy it – you’ve earned it!
