Employees could be missing out on opportunities to strengthen their relationship with their boss, as new research has revealed how many workers don’t present their boss with a token gift at the end of the year.
A study of 1,000 UK workers published in the Most Generous Time of the Year Study by Perkbox revealed that 90 per cent of employees don’t gift their boss a present during the Christmas season. This is in contrast to 70 per cent of generous bosses who purchase a gift for their workforce at Christmas.
Only a small few (11per cent) confessed they do it to benefit themselves at work, make their boss think favourably of them and improve their relationship with their boss, suggesting many could be missing a trick.
More than 1 in 5 (21 per cent) workers said they present a gift to their manager simply just to be nice. Of those who give a token gift to their boss, this is a considerable amount as employees spend £15 on average.
Chieu Cao, CMO & Co-Founder at Perkbox, said,
With Christmas being the season of goodwill, it is a long-served tradition for employers to offer a token gift to their employees to thank them for their efforts throughout the past year. But what is surprising from our research is how many employees don’t return the favour.
However, this can present a challenge as every workplace culture is different, so it can be difficult to determine what gift etiquette is appropriate. In light of this, employees should get a feel for protocol when it comes to gift giving to their boss in their workplace at Christmas. If an employee doesn’t feel comfortable buying a present for their boss by themselves, then why not club together with the rest of the workforce to buy a group present? It simply requires one person to get the gift organised and by purchasing it together you will be able to spend a little more and can choose from a range of options.
Those employees working in hospitality (29 per cent), professional services (18 per cent) and travel (17 per cent) were revealed as generous gift givers.
Healthcare (16 per cent) and sales and marketing (13 per cent) rounded off the list of the top five most generous industries when it comes to giving to their boss at the end of the year.
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Aphrodite is a creative writer and editor specialising in publishing and communications. She is passionate about undertaking projects in diverse sectors. She has written and edited copy for media as varied as social enterprise, art, fashion and education. She is at her most happy owning a project from its very conception, focusing on the client and project research in the first instance, and working closely with CEOs and Directors throughout the consultation process. Much of her work has focused on rebranding; messaging and tone of voice is one of her expertise, as is a distinctively unique writing style in my most of her creative projects. Her work is always driven by the versatility of language to galvanise image and to change perception, as it is by inspiring and being inspired by the wondrous diversity of people with whom paths she crosses cross!
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Aphrodite is also a professional painter.