Over half (53 per cent) of small business owners in the UK will be working on Christmas Day 2018, as they feel pressure to outperform competitors and fulfil customer orders.

The survey of 501 small business owners, by marketing company Vistaprint found that 63 per cent of those working on Christmas Day would work over six hours, while 18 per cent would work for at least ten hours on the big day.

That’s the reality of being a small business owner in the UK in 2018 as Yuletide draws in.

Simon Braier, director of customer strategy at Vistaprint said, ‘Small business owners put their hearts and souls into their businesses and naturally at key times of the year this pressure increases.

‘But Christmas is also an important time for family, and we’d like to encourage small business owners whenever possible to take a well-deserved rest during this period.’

One small business owner, Leigh Carrick-Moore, who runs employee benefits company Hello Perks falls among the minority and says she will not be working on Christmas Day.

‘I won’t be working at all over Christmas,’ she says. ‘It’s the one time of the year I can take two weeks off as all my clients are off and the whole industry pretty much closes.’