Christmas rewards your employees really want!
Christmas is a crucial time of year for many businesses. While it will be important for employees to stay focused during this period, you must also enable your workforce to take part in festivities to keep engagement levels up.
Our research shows half of employees (50%) do not receive a reward or gift from their employer at Christmas, and 11% said they “sometimes” do. After your workforce has worked for you all year, a small gesture of thanks is not only polite, but will make your workforce feel valued and happy. The last thing you want is employees leaving for the festive break and succumbing to the “new year, new job” scenario. Employees who work for an appreciative employer will return from the Christmas season motivated and ready to go.
Finding ways to say thank you however can be difficult, especially if you have a diverse workforce. Our research shows the most popular rewards employees want from their employer at Christmas are:
1. Voucher
2. Team cash bonus 3. Team night out
4. Verbal thank you
To help make your festive reward decision easier this year, our motivation experts have compiled a list of thank you ideas to make employees leave for the holidays on a high and return in the New Year ready to take on new challenges.
1. Multi-retailer Gift Voucher
Good for | Large workforce | Diverse workforce | All budgets
Over half of employees (52%) said they want a gift voucher to spend on themselvesfrom their employer at Christmas. Single gift vouchers don’t scream “unique” however a multi-retailer gift voucher is more desirable and will be suitable for every employee, no matter how diverse your workforce.
Motivates multi-retailer Lifestyle shopping voucher can be spent with more than 120 of the UK’s most loved retail, cinema, holiday, dining and pub brands. So whether your employees are into M&S, Spotify or National Trust days out, you can be confident your ‘Christmas thank you’ will be enjoyed by all.
2. Let your team choose
Good for | Medium to small workforce | Small teams | All budgets
Another popular gift at Christmas is a team cash bonus. Almost half of employees (42%) said this is what they wanted from their employer. Bonuses in cash form canhowever be difficult to manage. There’s always the question of “how much?”
A way to solve cash bonus requests is by asking your team what they would collectively like to spend a bonus on. For example, an all-expenses paid meal out, a shopping trip, or a browse in the Apple Store to purchase a new gadget. Engage your team in the planning and it’ll make the reward an occasion that will be remembered for months – much more impactful than cash that’s likely to be spent on household bills!
3. Theatre or gig trip
Good for | Businesses of all sizes | Diverse teams | Larger budgets
A third of employees (34%) said they’d like a team night out for their Christmas reward. Why not make the night out something to really remember by treatingemployees to a show or popular gig?
December is a great time of year for incredible shows and concerts. Just some of the events taking place in 2019 are:
– Rod Stewart on Tour
– Pete Tong presents Ibiza Classics
– Tina Turner the Musical
– The Nutcracker at the Royal Albert Hall
And if you really want to go all out, make your employees feel like VIPs for the night with a hospitality package add-on.
4. A simple thanks
Good for | Businesses of all sizes | All teams | Smaller budgets
Finally, last but certainly not least, a quarter of employees (25%) said they’d like a verbal thank you from their manager at Christmas. It proves appreciation doesn’t have to cost the earth. Employees like to feel valued, and a face-to-face thank you is a really important part of making your employees feel appreciated.
Over the festive season talk to every one of your employees, shake hands and say “thank you”. Thank them for their hard work and tell them how much you appreciate their dedication to the company. Your gesture and words will instantly put a smile on your employee’s face and make them feel good that they work for an employer who acknowledges their efforts.
For more information about Christmas reward ideas contact our Reward experts here.