Companies are planning to open their wallets more this year, but it’s the gifts from co-workers you might have to look out for.
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The scrooge economy appears to be loosening its grip. According to a recent survey, this year many more companies plan to offer holiday perks (bonuses, parties, gifts) than last year.
According to a US-based survey by Career Builder*, some 46% of employers expect to give their employees holiday bonuses this year, up from 40% last year and 33% in 2010. Nearly one in five (19%) plan to provide a larger bonus than last year.
In terms of the proverbial party offering, six in 10 (60%) employers are throwing a holiday party for their employees this year, up from 58% last year and 53% in 2010. However, just 40% of workers will attend.
The issue of gifts is consistently a sticky one, and this year 36% of employers plan to give holiday gifts, up from 30% in 2011 and 2010 respectively.
Almost a quarter (23%) of workers plan to buy holidays gifts for co-workers this year and 22% will even buy one for the boss. The majority (81%) of workers who plan to buy gifts expect to spend $25 or less for each holiday gift they buy for the office and almost half will spend even less.
When asked to share the most memorable gifts received from co-workers, workers reported:
- CD of the co-worker’s recorded songs
- Dolphin oven mitt
- 4 rolls of toilet paper
- A harpoon
- Can of wasp spray
- Jar of sand
- Homemade pickles
- Conch shell
- Lava lamp filled with fake fish
- Expired body lotion
- Book about kittens
*2,494 HR professionals and 3,976 workers were surveyed.
