More than half (55%) of respondents do not receive a reward or gift from their employer at Christmas, according to research by Red Letter Days for Business.
Its survey of 2,004 UK employees found that 40% of highly engaged respondents receive a gift to mark the festive season, dropping to 8% of those with very low engagement levels.
The research also found:
- Around a third (32%) of respondents receive a reward at Christmas, and 13% are sometimes given a gift.
- 88% of respondents earning more than £100,000 a year receive a Christmas gift from their employer, compared to 26% of those on a salary of less than £40,000 a year.
- One in five respondents at large organisations receive a reward at Christmas, whereas more than a third (38%) of respondents working for organisations with fewer than 250 staff are given a gift.
- Almost a quarter (24%) of part-time employees receive a treat from their employer at Christmas, compared to 34% of full-time workers.
- 60% of respondents prefer their reward to come in the form of an individual cash bonus, followed by vouchers (30%) and a meal or night out funded by their employer (18%).
- Half (50%) of respondents say that their manager personally hands over their Christmas gift to them, while 15% say the reward is distributed with their payslip with no prior warning, and 9% of respondents say Christmas rewards are announced in a mass internal email.
Bill Alexander, chief executive officer at Red Letter Days for Business, said: “It’s vital employers say thank you at the end of the year.
“[They] want staff to leave for the festive break on a positive and motivated note.
“Gaining drive and momentum in January is hard for any business after a break of festivities, but end the year with staff on an upbeat note and they’ll be more likely to return ready to achieve great things.”
