British workers say “give me the gossip but hands off my mug”

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Gossip and the occasional treat are the most commonly shared items across British workplaces, but
more personal items such as coffee mugs are off limits, according to a new survey of the nation’s
sharing habits at work. And while the end of year festive season is traditionally seen as a time for
goodwill, many British workers say it has no effect on their willingness to share.

The survey was conducted by YouGov on behalf of Vodafone to support Vodafone Data Sharer,
which enables businesses to save money by sharing their mobile internet allowance across
employees and devices. Over 1,000 workers were questioned in the survey and almost half (46%)
said the things they most share with colleagues was treats such as sweets. Gossip is a close
second with 45% saying they like to engage in a quick chat. Workers in Scotland and the East of
England are the top gossipers with 61% and 52% of workers surveyed, respectively, saying they like
to share a good gossip.

Food is the most contentious item, with 31% saying their lunch would be one of the top three things
they would least like to share, closely followed by an equal aversion to sharing a favourite coffee
mug (30%). People in Scotland (41%) said they have the biggest gripe when it comes to other
people borrowing their mug.

Christmas is traditionally seen as a time for sharing, but across Britain’s workplace the Christmas
spirit has yet to take hold, according to the survey. Of the 1,153 workers polled, 75% said they
wouldn’t be more likely to share just because it was Christmas. Workers in LondoN, perhaps
surprisingly, were most likely to share more things over the festive period (23%), compared with any
other region. In Scotland, for example, 82% of workers said Christmas did not make them more
likely to do it.

Chocolates (62%) were the most likely item distributed by those workers who would be more likely 
to share things over Christmas, followed by mince pies on 39%. Less than one-fifth (17%) of 
Christmas sharers, however, would split a bottle of champagne at their work Christmas party. 
 
Relationship psychologist and self-help author Corinne Sweet, best known for her work on Big 
Brother comments: “During tough economic times people are a bit more wary about sharing things 
of monetary value (food, wine), or sharing due to health implications (like mugs, earphones, even 
kisses), as they need to stay healthy to keep working. The economic gloom and doom has 
dampened our generosity somewhat as a nation. However, increased prudence has also meant we are aware of sharing things which are precious, and stretch resources more thoughtfully today.” 
 
Peter Boucher, Enterprise Marketing Director at Vodafone UK adds: “We know from working with British businesses every day that people are actually becoming increasingly open to sharing in the 
workplace, demonstrated by their willingness to adopt new working styles, including sharing a desk. 
 
Using tools like Vodafone Data Sharer, workers can collaborate even more and businesses can make the most of their resources by pooling data allowances amongst employees and devices. But 
Britain’s workers shouldn’t be worried: introducing more flexible ways of working through tools such as Vodafone Data Sharer shouldn’t mean they have to share personal things like their mug if they 
don’t want to!” 
 

 

 

  

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