According to the “WorkSphere” survey from national staffing company Spherion conducted online in November 2015 by Harris Poll among over 1,000 adults employed full or part time, employees plan to give less and spend less on workplace gifts this year.
Fewer workers this year than last plan to give gifts to nearly everyone in their workplace, with only 31 percent planning to give gifts to their co-workers at their level (down from 38 percent in 2014), 28 percent planning to give gifts to their boss (down from 34 percent in 2014), and 19 percent planning to give gifts to other colleagues (down from 24 percent in 2014).
The number of workers planning to give gifts to their direct bosses remain steady at 17 percent, down only slightly from 18 percent last year. Further, those who do still plan to give gifts in the workplace will likely spend less in 2015 than they did in 2014.
American workers anticipate spending an average of $17 less on gifts for their immediate colleagues this year than last. Direct reports, bosses and other office mates also should expect to receive less, with the amount workers plan to spend on these groups decreasing by an average of $10-$14 this season.
“While many offices and their workers want to acknowledge the holiday season within the workplace, many are struggling to find the right balance in making sure all employees feel comfortable and can enjoy celebrating,” said Sandy Mazur, Division President, Spherion.
“As the holiday season draws closer, it’s important for companies and their workers to be transparent and set ground rules for gift giving, decor and events that match their office culture, while also promoting the fun and camaraderie that this time of year is all about.”
Overall, about half of companies are planning to celebrate the holiday season as an office (51 percent), with 58 percent of workers noting their company typically acknowledges specific holidays during the period between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day.
However, this practice seems to go against the opinions of a significant number of American workers. Forty-four percent think their company should host a general end-of-year celebration, not specific to religious or cultural beliefs, while 19 percent of companies already have plans to host a non-denominational “holiday party” this year.
See: Are You Spending the Holidays at Home or at Work?
The survey found several other interesting trends surrounding how companies and their employees are planning to approach the holiday season:
The Office as a Home for the Holidays?
Companies who host a seasonal celebration are almost as likely to bill it as a “Christmas” party (22 percent) as they are a “holiday” party (19 percent, respectively).
Similarly, an even number of companies display holiday-specific decorations for different holidays (16 percent) as they do for just one specific holiday (15 percent). One-in-five also do not typically acknowledge specific holidays at all during the holiday season.
‘Tis the Season of Appreciation
Unwrapping Workplace Gift-Giving Challenges
The pressure of having to buy something for everyone is a detractor again this year for those who do not plan to buy gifts, with 41 percent of workers saying it’s just too much. Nearly one in five workers who won’t buy gifts are concerned with perceptions of trying to gain favouritism.
As the structure of the traditional workplace shifts, 18 percent of workers say one reason their company isn’t planning to celebrate the upcoming holiday season is because employees are too spread out and there is no central location for everyone to celebrate.
Also read: Majority of Companies to Spread Holiday Cheer with Year-End Bonuses
Image credit: businessroom.com
