More than a third (38%) of respondents would feel valued by their organisation if they received their chosen Christmas perk, according to research by Sodexo Benefits and Rewards Services.
Its survey of 1,000 employees also found that 34% of respondents find balancing work with family activities and Christmas shopping over the festive period stressful.
The research also found:
- 43% of respondents believe free and negligible-cost rewards are most important at Christmas, more so than bonuses (23%).
- 19% of respondents feel that extra holiday would be most important over the Christmas period, and 16% would prefer to have flexible working or early finishes.
- 23% of respondents feel more stressed in the run up to Christmas.
- 29% of respondents find that having less time to get work done before taking time off is a cause of workplace stress around the holiday period.
Iain Thomson (pictured), director of incentive and recognition at Sodexo Benefits and Rewards Services, said: “This is a key point in the year when people want to focus on friends and family, with work naturally taking a back seat. Instead of risking lower productivity levels and absenteeism, businesses should look at these simple, affordable options of rewarding their staff.
“For those [organisations] in industries where more holiday or reduced working time isn’t possible, implementing personalised non-financial rewards and encouraging a relaxed working environment should be considered. Not only will motivation remain consistent or increase, employees will feel valued and listened to.”
