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Festive Chaos in the Workplace? We’ve Got You Covered

by Natalie Ellis

Let’s be honest – December in the workplace is absolute carnage, isn’t it?

Secret Santa gone wrong. Someone’s ordered three pairs of shoes on company time. Dave from Accounts is three sheets to the wind at 2pm. And don’t even get me started on the passive-aggressive battle royale over who gets Christmas week off.

Sound familiar?

In our latest episode of HR Unboxed, Faye, Chris and I decided to tackle the beautiful mess that is workplace Christmas head-on. We’re calling it the “12 Days of HR Christmas,” and honestly? It’s peak festive chaos.

What We’re Unwrapping

We’ve taken every cringe-worthy, hilarious, and downright awkward seasonal workplace scenario and given it the HR treatment:

  • Out-of-office adventures (yes, we’ve heard some absolute belters)
  • Secret Santa disasters that ended in HR meetings
  • That colleague who’s had one too many at the Christmas party
  • Offensive Christmas jumpers (you know the ones)
  • Mistletoe mishaps that required intervention
  • The Great Christmas Leave Wars
  • Online shopping on company time (we see you)
  • Inappropriate decorations that crossed the line

Why You Need to Listen

Whether you’re a business owner dreading the annual festive free-for-all, a manager trying to keep everyone professional and festive, or an employee just trying to survive December without ending up in a disciplinary – this one’s for you.

We share real stories from the HR trenches, practical advice on dodging holiday disasters, and plenty of laughs along the way. Because let’s face it, if you can’t laugh at workplace Christmas chaos, you’ll cry into your mulled wine instead.

Behind every festive fiasco, there’s an HR professional desperately trying to keep things merry, bright, and – crucially – compliant. This episode is our gift to you.

Ready to Unwrap the Chaos?

Grab a brew (or something stronger – we won’t judge), hit play, and join us for a proper festive chinwag about everything that makes workplace Christmas both wonderful and utterly bonkers.

Trust me, by the end of this episode, you’ll either feel massively relieved that your workplace isn’t that bad, or you’ll be frantically taking notes for January’s HR strategy meeting.

Listen to the 12 Days of HR Christmas now

Merry Christmas, happy holidays, and may your festive season be full of joy, laughter, and minimal tribunal risk.

Natalie 🎅x

P.S. If this episode sounds like your workplace, you might want to give us a call in the new year. Just saying.

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