EXCLUSIVE: A fifth (20%) of employees are set to receive a Christmas gift from their employer that they have no real use for, according to research on behalf of rewards organisation Hawk Incentives.
The survey of 500 employees, conducted online by Sapio Research in September 2018, found that the proportion of employees who feel they are likely to receive useless Christmas gifts from their organisation rises to 26% among the millennial workforce.
According to the research, 59% of HR professionals believe little gifts for Christmas are an important element of an employee recognition strategy, but 36% said they are already aware that a large part of the workforce will not use the presents they are planning to give them this year.
Heather Rogers (pictured), senior sales and marketing director at Hawk Incentives, said: “Providing a thoughtful Christmas gift is a great way of boosting motivation and saying thank you to your employees for all of their hard work throughout the year. However, it’s clear that unless the gift is something they will use it’s easy to miss the mark completely.”
On the other hand, more than half (53%) of those surveyed revealed that they will not receive a present or recognition at work during the festive season, and a third (33%) stated that they find it hard to be motivated in the months leading up to Christmas.
More than half (54%) said the most useful present their employer could give them would be support in the preparation of their family celebrations at home; for example, in the form of vouchers for Christmas shopping. Nearly half (45%) said the best gift from their organisation would be a treat they would not usually buy for themselves, such as a spa trip or a night at the theatre.
Rogers said: "It's so important to get it right when it comes to rewarding your staff, so that they feel appreciated, valued and motivated for a great new year."
