- Between 50-60% of employers surveyed provide Christmas parties for staff, and a further 25-35% provide gifts
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Do we judge our employers by the size of their Christmas hampers?
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Given the potential expenditure in this area – not to mention employees' expectations about what they receive from their employer – Hudson wondered if Christmas activities had in fact become inextricably linked to employers' overall retention strategies. Specifically we asked:
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1. What Christmas-related initiatives do NZ employers provide for their staff?
2. What motivates employers to provide those benefits?
3. How much are those employers prepared to invest?
4. Does your organisation measure the effectiveness of that expenditure?
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On the whole, employers don't rely on a fancy Christmas hamper or the like to encourage staff to stay.
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Many respondents confirmed that they don't wait until Christmas to embark on initiatives to retain staff. Those employers acknowledge that staff retention must be addressed year-round, and that successfully retaining staff has less to do with Christmas parties and gifts, and more to do with things such as:
- the overall culture and climate of the organisation
- supporting staff with education and training, and
- ensuring staff take leave and have balance.
However, more than half the employers we surveyed say they invest in Christmas initiatives for staff to "increase employee morale", and a significant number of our respondents say they invest in these benefits simply because employees expect to receive them.
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Could it be that employer Christmas generosity does influence employees' perceptions as to whether or not the organisation they work for is in fact an employer of choice?
- Between 55-60% of companies surveyed provide these Christmas-related benefits to increase staff morale. A further 15-30% provide these benefits because they're expected
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Do Christmas benefits make staff happy?
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The short answer is that we don't really know; no one seems to know if Christmas benefits influence what staff think. Many employers make a considerable investment in their staff at this time of year, but curiously most employers do not proactively measure the effectiveness of their investment.
- Approximately 30% spend between $50-$100 per person on Christmas-related initiatives, while a slightly greater proportion – 35% of organisations spend between $100 and $50
- Government organisations tend to spend less,
averaging $50 or less per person
- Most employers – nearly 60% – don't measure the effectiveness of providing these benefits
This effectively leaves the role of Christmas initiatives, and their place in the HR 'arsenal' of staff benefits, in limbo. They're loosely connected to, but not formally part of employers' staff retention strategies.
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Hudson surmises that the link between the two – Christmas benefits and staff
retention strategies – is a mix of cultural and organisational factors.
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Conclusion
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Culturally, we might all think it appropriate that the sentiments of the season
– such as goodwill and valuing others – be reflected in the workplace. Indeed
many employers in our survey commented that the opportunity to say thank you
is what really drives their Christmas initiatives. And for some employers that investment is significant.
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However without any kind of measure, it's not possible to gauge if employees perceive that the picnic or lunch or gift is in fact a "Thank you" from their boss.
Ultimately, this report shows that most Kiwi workers will be treated to a Christmas party or gift from their employer this year. However, there is no guarantee that those benefits will translate into increased loyalty or even boost morale.
www.hudson.com
