Workers share the most unusual gift they received from a co-worker

CHICAGO, December 5, 2013 –Workers have reason for holiday cheer this season as employers continue to give back to their employees with holiday perks (bonuses, parties, gifts). The national survey was conducted online by Harris Interactive© from August 13 to September 6, 2013, and included a representative sample of 3,484 workers and 2,099 hiring managers and human resource professionals across industries and company sizes.

Bonuses: Forty-five percent of employers are planning on giving their employees holiday bonuses this year, in line with 46 percent in 2012. Forty percent plan to provide the same size or larger bonus this year.

Parties: Three in five (59 percent) employers are throwing company holiday parties for their workers in December (the same as 2012) and more than half (54 percent) expect them to be the size of last year’s party or slightly bigger. Two in five workers say they plan to attend their company party this season.

Gifts: Thirty-five percent of employers plan on giving their employees holiday gifts this year, on par with last year (36 percent).

Coworker Gifts

Twenty-two percent of workers plan on exchanging gifts with co-workers this holiday season, while 21 percent are buying a gift for their boss. The majority (78 percent) of workers who plan to buy gifts for their co-workers expect to spend $25 or less on each gift, 36 percent will spend $10 or less, and 10 percent will spend $5 or less.

While most gift exchanges between co-workers contain relatively standard holiday gifts, some gifts stand out as particularly extraordinary. When asked to share the most unusual gifts received from co-workers, workers reported receiving:

50 pounds of fresh Louisiana shrimp
A toothpaste squeezer
A hand-painted porcelain clown with silk clothes on it
A unicorn calendar
A painted concrete chicken
A plaster cast of a co-worker’s hand
Camouflage toilet paper
Homemade laundry detergent
Stamps
A talking fly swatter

Survey Methodology

This survey was conducted online within the U.S. by Harris Interactive© on behalf of CareerBuilder among 3,484 U.S. workers and 2,099 hiring managers and human resource professionals (employed full-time, not self-employed, non-government) between August 13 and September 6, 2013 (percentages for some questions are based on a subset, based on their responses to certain questions). With a pure probability sample of 3,484 and 2,099, one could say with a 95 percent probability that the overall results have a sampling error of +/-1.66 and +/-2.14 percentage points, respectively. Sampling error for data from sub-samples is higher and varies. For full survey methodology, including weighting variables, please contact jennifer.grasz@careerbuilder.com.

About CareerBuilder®

CareerBuilder is the global leader in human capital solutions, helping companies target and attract great talent. Its online career site, CareerBuilder.com®, is the largest in the United States with more than 24 million unique visitors and 1 million jobs. CareerBuilder works with the world’s top employers, providing everything from labor market intelligence to talent management software and other recruitment solutions. Owned by Gannett Co., Inc. (NYSE:GCI), Tribune Company and The McClatchy Company (NYSE:MNI), CareerBuilder and its subsidiaries operate in the United States, Europe, South America, Canada and Asia. For more information, visit www.careerbuilder.com.


Media Contact

Jennifer Grasz

773-527-1164

Jennifer.Grasz@careerbuilder.com

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@HRcom @CareerBuilderPR @CBforemployers #christmasbonus #christmasperks #employeebonus #officegifts #employeeretention #funnygifts #officegifts
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