by Gwyneth Rees, Telegraph
As Gen Z wokery and office activism rises, so does the fear of causing offence with baubles and tinsel
In offices up and down the country, this should have been the season of goodwill and cheer – a chance to air a gaudy Christmas jumper and overindulge in a company-funded prosecco.
Yet, if recent headlines are anything to go by, the spirit is more Bah Humbug than Deck the Halls in a host of British workplaces. Just recently, high street bank HSBC was criticised for banning staff from wearing Christmas jumpers in customer-facing roles whilst at DIY retailer Screwfix, there was recently “confusion” among staff over whether baubles and tinsel could be hung in areas of the store visible to customers.
[…] The DVLA went one step further: it actually cancelled its traditional free Christmas dinner, which drew criticism from demoralised employees.
In recent years, staff at the organisation, based in Swansea, were given vouchers for a free lunch: but this year, it said in an email: “A voucher solely for Christmas is not permitted, as this does not align with the principles of fairness and consistency. Vouchers previously issued for team Christmas lunches… are no longer available for this reason.”