Three in four small businesses set to clock on this Christmas

Small business owners are lying to loved ones to get work done during the holidays

According to new research small business owners are lying to their friends and family members during the festive break so they can keep on top of their workload. The most popular excuse given by 69 per cent of small business owners is ‘going for a walk’ to hide the fact they are catching up on work. This is followed by ‘I’m going to do some exercise’ (25 per cent) and even ‘I’m going to the toilet’ (24 per cent) in order to dupe people into thinking they aren’t working. 

The new findings from cloud accounting software company Xero reveal that only 21 per cent of small business owners will ‘switch off’ over the festive break. Seven in ten (69 per cent) small business owners admit that they do not have time to do some admin tasks during office hours, resulting in them having to work through them during holidays. In fact, small business owners expect to work an average of 20.8 hours between Christmas Eve and New Year’s Day on admin tasks such as expenses, chasing payments and paying invoices.

Top five excuses small business owners give their family and friends when working over the holidays:

1. I’m going for a walk (62 per cent)
2. I’m going to do some exercise (25 per cent)
3. I’m going to the toilet (24 per cent)
4. I’m taking a call from a friend (10 per cent)
5. I’m popping to the shop (8 per cent)