| Workers 'too excited' 
by Christmas to concentrate on the job 
.jpg) WELL over ½ of employed Brits (61%) 
admit to being distracted at work by Christmas as early as November, according 
to new research by HR analytics company Peakon.
 A survey of more than 2000 people reveals that, for those of us who can hold our 
attention until December, we can't wait much longer; with 18% of people saying 
they start to get distracted by festivities on the 1st of the month.  As Christmas creeps ever closer, employees admit to a whole raft of distractions 
from their everyday work duties.  42% of people confess to doing Christmas 
shopping online, 35% say they're planning Christmas day and 30% are planning 
their Christmas break instead.  16% confess to indulging in the odd Christmas tipple on the job; with men twice 
as likely to take advantage of a festive drink than women (22% and 11% 
respectively).  17% of those surveyed leave work earlier than usual, and 12% take 
longer lunches. A small percentage 4 confess to calling in sick.
 When asked why they'd slacked off, 21% respondents said they were simply 
'too excited' to focus. 32% said they had too much to plan ahead of Christmas 
day, 21% admitted to feeling 'burnt out' and 19% said workplace 
festivities such as Secret Santa or the office party were to blame.
 32% said it 
was simply the case that business has slowed down and there's less work to do at 
this time of year. To gauge when the disruption to businesses would become palpable, Peakon 
conducted a follow up study of 3,000 UK workers and found that 57% admitted to 
their productivity noticeably declining ahead of the final week before Christmas, 
starting, on 18 Monday 2017. 
.jpg) Dan Rogers, co-founder of Peakon, which helps businesses to measure employee 
engagement and retention, says:- "I think it's fair to say that the great 
Christmas 'click-off' is well and truly a thing, with a silent agreement in most 
workplaces that productivity takes a hit at this time of year. As a business, 
the worst thing you can do is bury your head in the sand; it pays to try to 
understand what is going on. 
Acknowledge that this dip is inevitable and plan around it. Think of it as good 
time to regroup as a team, gather feedback on the progress you have made during 
the year, and plan how you will continue in January. Most businesses, with the 
exception of retail, experience a slow down around this time of year anyway, so 
trust your team and let them relax a little. Many employees are unlikely to have 
taken a break since summer, and will be more prone to burnout. If you look after 
the well-being of your team, you'll ultimately get the best out of them."
 Some employers are tackling this head on. Online marketing agency Distilled has 
offered employees Christmas shopping hours, whereby workers can take Friday 
afternoon off if they make up the time during the week.
Distilled's CEO, Will Critchlow, says:- "A bit of distraction is 
inevitable at this time of year. We're all human. So at Distilled, we don't try 
to fight it too much; with flexibility for shopping, the odd long lunch, and 
generally trusting the team to plan their time. We might take a bit of a hit at 
this time of the year, but we trust our team and we know it balances out over 
time."
 
 For more detailed results, data visualisations and top tips for employers visit:-
Peakon.Com.
 |  | Liverpool 2018 – 10 Years in the Making FINAL plans are being put in place for 
Liverpool to stage an ambitious and forward looking culture programme to mark 
the 9th Anniversary of its reign as European Capital of Culture. 
Details of Liverpool 2018, the year long celebration of the City's thriving 
creative scene; will be announced in January. This will be when the City gears 
up to once again step into the international spotlight and showcase its 
extraordinary culture offer, while looking forward to the next decade of 
cultural innovation. 
 ► A number of major projects within the programme have already been announced 
including:-
 ► China's 1st Emperor and the Terracotta Warriors; coming to the UK for the 1st time in a generation.
 ► The Three Festivals Tall Ships Regatta linking Liverpool, Dublin and Bordeaux 
on 25 May to 28 May 2018.
 ► The finale of the Clipper Around the World Yacht Race which is set to race 
back onto the Mersey in late July 2018.
 ► The Clothes Show which returns to the City for a 2nd year, from 19 October to 21 
October 2018.
 ► Tate Liverpool's 30th Anniversary programme including an Egon Schiele 
retrospective .
 ► Liverpool Biennial's 10th edition presenting leading visual artists from 
across the world takes place over 15 weeks.
 ► Rewire - A major new art and technology commission led by FACT with Invisible 
Flock, working with artists from across the globe and communities in Toxteth and 
Dingle.
 
 Alongside this, Liverpool 2018 will also showcase premieres across the worlds of 
entertainment and sport, new major public artworks, some extraordinary 1 off 
music moments and four artistic seasons each bursting with new commissions 
exploring:-
 
 ► China Dream – showcasing the best of modern Chinese culture.
 ► The Future World of Work - what does this mean for society.
 ► The Art of Football - the global relationship with the beautiful game.
 ► Nineteen Eighteen (working title) - the centenary of the end of the 1st World War.
 
 The City's unrivalled festival offer; from Africa Oye and Liverpool 
International Music Festival right through to Milapfest; will mark the year 
with some of their most ambitious line ups ever, while brand new music events; 
including a piano festival like no other; will reinforce Liverpool's position 
as a UNESCO City of Music.
 
 To add to that, the team behind Liverpool 2018 can reveal plans for Easter Fire; a collaboration with renowned live event creators Walk the Plank. Easter Fire 
at St George's Hall will take place during the Easter holidays, creating a world 
of fire, entertainment and gastronomy. Famous for their spectacular live 
performances, Walk the Plank are promising to create a unique experience in one 
of the hidden gems of the City. Tickets for the event and further details will 
be available from Friday 8 December.
 
 Mayor Joe Anderson, said:- "European Capital of Culture was an 
extraordinary year for this City, but it was never just about 2008; it was 
about the legacy that followed.
Culture has been the backbone of Liverpool's renaissance over the past decade, 
and Liverpool 2018 is a chance for us to recognise the growth in confidence, 
ambition, creativity and cultural engagement which is seen in every corner of 
Liverpool; putting us quite rightly as a cultural exemplar on a national and 
international stage. Liverpool 2018 is an opportunity for us to once again roll 
out the red carpet for people to come and visit for the 1st time, or to 
rediscover what we believe is the most exciting destination in the UK. Some of 
the projects which we will be announcing in the New Year really do raise the bar 
and it will be an incredible time for residents and visitors who will 
undoubtedly travel from across the world to experience how Liverpool puts on a 
show."
 
 Mayor of Liverpool City Region, Steve Rotheram, said:- "The City Region 
Combined Authority is delighted to be supporting Liverpool 2018 with ₤5 million 
from our Single Investment Fund. It will kick start a new cultural journey for 
the whole of the City Region and it is my ambition that all areas feel the same 
benefits as Liverpool has done in the last decade. This region is blessed with a 
huge depth of talent and it is our job to provide the platforms to showcase that 
creativity and encourage participation. I was Lord Mayor in 2008 and saw 1st 
hand the impact celebrating culture had on people and communities. I very much 
look forward to another outstanding year of culture that will hopefully enrich 
and improve the lives of all who live and visit here."
 
 Claire McColgan, Liverpool's Director of Culture, said:- 'Liverpool has 
been defined by culture for centuries, from our incredible architecture and 
galleries to major live events which turn City into a playground. It is the most 
powerful way to tell our story across Europe and the world, and is central to 
the image of modern Liverpool. The last decade has seen such incredible growth 
in our cultural scene, it is right that we use this anniversary to celebrate the 
extraordinary organisations which make this City the most exciting in the UK, 
but also it is crucial that we use it as a chance to look forward to the next 
ten years and challenge ourselves to imagine what we might look like and can 
achieve by 2028."
 
 John Wassell from Walk the Plank said:- "We worked on the opening event of 
European Capital of Culture and have watched on admiringly as Liverpool's 
cultural sector has grown from strength to strength ever since. Walk the Plank 
perform all over the world, and Liverpool's name is synonymous with ambitious 
cultural events wherever we go, so it's exciting to return a decade since we 
were last here and to bring something never seen before as part of this truly 
bumper year!"
 
 The official launch of the 1st ½ of the programme will be made on 11 
January 2018, 10 years to the day since the 'People's Opening' which 
launched European Capital of Culture in 2008.
The GREAT Britain campaign is an official partner of the Liverpool 2018 
programme and will use its impressive reach across the tourism, culture, 
investment, export, trade and education sectors to promote Liverpool's programme 
and position it as a must visit destination.
For more information on already released projects and to help plan your visit to 
Liverpool go to:- 
VisitLiverpool.Com/2018.
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