Have you already clocked out for the holidays? If you are from Mississippi, chances are today (December 13) is the day that you have decided slow down and pump the breaks on work and place your focus on enjoying the holidays with friends and family.

If you are from Louisiana, you already started taking a mental holiday on Monday (December 12) and if you are in Alabama, your holiday may start on December 14.

That is, according to a survey of 3,000 workers by photo book company, Mixbook, who wanted to find out how productive employees are as the festive season approaches.

After all, towards the end of the year, budgets have been spent, targets hit (or missed), and the festive season is marked by Christmas parties, eggnog and celebrations. 

So at what stage do employees mentally check out, clock off, and perhaps just go through the motions at work?

Are they committed all the way through the 24th? Not according to Mixbook’s anonymous survey — employees in The Magnolia State mark Tuesday, December 13th as the average date their productivity at work starts to slow. It appears the excitement of festive get-togethers with friends and family, and the preoccupation with all the associated tasks, such as Christmas shopping, totally take over their minds.

Broken down by state, it is Idahoans who start winding down earliest – on December 7th. However, if you’re an employer in New Hampshire, you can be proud that your workforce will keep their minds on the job all the way to Wednesday, December 21st.

Interactive Advent Calender (showing results by location)

Other findings include that over half – 55% – say that strained relationships with co-workers throughout the year actually improve during the festive period (although that could be due to the eggnog). The exact time that workers’ productivity drops for the day is 12.58pm over the festive period – just the right time to go for a long lunch!

And when it comes to a Holiday Happy Hour, 2:42 p.m. is the precise time that workers consider it acceptable to begin drinking their first hot buttered rum over the holidays. Nearly 1 in 5 (18%) also admit that they bend the rules at times during the festive period and drink before lunchtime.

“After how hard people have worked, it’s understandable that some would want to unwind a few days before the holidays officially start. The holidays are a time to celebrate together with friends and family, reflect on the past year, and mentally reset before jumping into the new year,” says Leslie Albertson, Director of Marketing at Mixbook.