Some 69% of employee respondents say that receiving some form of reward at Christmas makes them feel more positively towards their employer, according to research by Edenred.
Its Big red report, which is based on responses from 1,000 employees and 200 employers, also found that 55% of employer respondents give staff some form of reward at Christmas, although 65% of employee respondents did not receive any form of reward from their employer last year.
The research also found:
- 71% of employee respondents want to receive gift cards, vouchers or cash from their employer, and just 5% want to receive food or wine.
- Only 10% want a Christmas party as a form of reward.
- 30% of employee respondents consider the Christmas reward they receive to be predictable.
- 32% of employer respondents start planning Christmas reward for their staff at the last minute, whereas 25% plan it before September and 39% do so in November.
- 40% of employer respondents believe that poor communication undermines the impact of their end-of-year reward and a just over a third (33%) think that ensuring managers are more consistent in giving personal recognition could improve its impact.
Andy Philpott, sales and marketing director at Edenred, said: “By taking a little more time to consider the kind of reward each employee would most value delivered through as a personal thank you, employers could increase the motivation impact and performance ROI from their end-of-year reward.
“Talking to employees about what they want, taking time to plan end of year reward and putting the act of recognition at the heart of the process should be three priorities for any organisation which wants to ensure their Christmas reward leaves their employees feeling appreciated through this end of year gesture of thanks.”
