CareerBuilder Releases the Most Unusual Holiday Gifts Exchanged at the Workplace

- More employers planning to give parties, gifts and bonuses this year

- 96 percent of workers would choose a bonus over a holiday party

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Dec 10, 2014, 05:00 ET

CHICAGO, Dec. 10, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- There's no party like a workplace holiday party, because workplace holiday parties…get awkward. CareerBuilder's annual holiday survey asked workers to share the most unusual gifts they've received from a co-worker during the holiday season.

While many gift-bearing workers stick to more traditional holiday offerings, such as ornaments, candy and gift baskets, others get a little more creative with their definition of the word "gift:"

A box of Hot Pockets®.
A chess piece (just one piece, not a set).
A fire extinguisher.
A voucher for a free lawn game of the co-worker's own invention.
A turquoise leather vest.
Zombie action figures.
A Ziploc® bag with coffee (enough to make one pot).
A 'gun of the day' calendar.
A bag of chips.
A Christmas ornament with the co-worker's and spouse's photos on it.

The national survey, conducted online by Harris Poll from August 11 to September 5, 2014, included a representative sample of 3,103 workers and 2,203 hiring managers and human resource professionals across industries and company sizes.

Twenty-one percent of workers say they plan to buy holiday gifts for co-workers (similar to last year, 22 percent), and nearly the same number (20 percent) plan to buy a gift for the boss. Of those who plan to buy gifts for their co-workers or bosses, the majority (76 percent) expect to spend $25 or less on each gift, 33 percent will spend $10 or less, and 10 percent will spend $5 or less.

More Employers Getting Into the Holiday Spirit
Employers aren't the only ones in the giving spirit this year. According to the survey, more employers plan to offer holiday perks in the form of parties, bonuses and gifts this year than in years' past.

Parties: Sixty-three percent of employers say they plan to throw company holiday parties this year, up from 59 percent in 2013 and 60 percent in 2012. Though 2 in 5 workers say they plan to attend the office holiday party, the overwhelming majority (96 percent) say they would prefer a holiday bonus over a company bash (4 percent).

Bonuses: Some employees, however, may get their bonus wish after all. Nearly half of employers (47 percent) plan to give employees a holiday bonus this year, up from 45 percent in 2013. More than 1 in 10 employers say they will give a larger bonus than last year (11 percent).

Gifts: Employers' seasonal goodwill doesn't stop at parties and bonuses, either. Forty percent of employers (40 percent) will give employees gifts this year (up from 35 percent in 2013), and 42 percent will give charitable donations.

Survey Methodology
This survey was conducted online within the U.S. by Harris Poll on behalf of CareerBuilder among 2,203 hiring managers and human resource professionals, and 3,103 U.S. workers (employed full-time, not self-employed, non-government) between August 11 and September 5, 2014 (percentages for some questions are based on a subset, based on their responses to certain questions). With pure probability samples of 2,203 and 3,103, one could say with a 95 percent probability that the overall results have sampling errors of +/- 2.09 and +/-1.76 percentage points, respectively. Sampling error for data from sub-samples is higher and varies.

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
Mary Lorenz
773-527-3613
[email protected]
http://www.twitter.com/CareerBuilderPR

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SOURCE CareerBuilder