One-half handing out holiday bonuses, 6 in 10 throwing party
The scrooge economy appears to be loosening its grip as companies in the United States plan to offer more perks (bonuses, parties, gifts) than last year, according to a survey by Career Builder.
Bonuses: Forty-six per cent of employers expect to give their employees holiday bonuses this year, up from 40 per cent last year and 33 per cent in 2010. Nearly one in five of them (19 per cent) plan to provide a larger bonus than last year, found the survey of 2,494 human resource professionals and 3,976 workers.
Parties: Six in 10 (60 per cent) employers are throwing a holiday party for their employees this year, up from 58 per cent last year and 53 per cent in 2010. Forty per cent of workers plan to attend.
Gifts: Thirty-six per cent of employers plan to give holiday gifts, up from 30 per cent in 2011 and 2010.
Twenty-three per cent of workers plan to buy holidays gifts for co-workers this year and 22 per cent are buying for their boss. The majority (81 per cent) of workers who plan to buy gifts expect to spend $25 or less for each holiday gift they buy for the office. Thirty-eight per cent plan to spend $10 or less and 10 per cent plan to spend less than $5.
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
