Holiday Gift Giving Spirit Alive And Well In American Workplace, According To Accounting Principals Survey

JACKSONVILLE, Fla., Dec. 17, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Seventy-seven percent of employees give holiday gifts at work because they enjoy doing so, according to the latest survey in Accounting Principals' Workonomix series. And their good intentions don't stop there. Instead of using the holidays to get in the good graces of upper-management, most American workers (71 percent) toss seniority aside and spend their time and money gifting to fellow colleagues or support staff, such as administrative assistants (45 percent) or service staff (38 percent). Only 35 percent buy gifts for senior management/leadership.

However, the phone survey of 503 gift-giving Americans found that there appears to be definite limits when it comes to how much Americans are spending on their co-workers. Americans are likely to spend more on their managers and less for gifts to colleagues of the same or lower levels. Employees will typically spend between $15 and $30 on managers (28 percent) but less than $15 on direct reports (25 percent), colleagues of the same seniority level (36 percent), administrative support (21 percent) and service staff (19 percent).

"It's encouraging to see that there is still a giving spirit in the American workplace during the holiday season," said Jodi Chavez, senior vice president, Accounting Principals. "Yet there is certain informal protocol that employees seem to follow as it pertains to recipients and cost - a reminder that this office tradition of holiday gifting could be yet another thing affected by the recovering economy."

Indeed, perhaps due to the ailing economy – or, thinking optimistically, a sense of the holiday spirit - most workers (73 percent) do not even find it rude if their gifts are not reciprocated by a colleague.  However, employees do not extend that same leeway to their employer. In fact, the survey shows that a full 78 percent of respondents expect a gift during the holiday season from their employer, whether in the form of a Christmas party or holiday outing (42 percent), a gift card (35 percent), bonus (33 percent), or a free lunch (21 percent).

Other findings include:

• Show me the money – or give me the cupcake! The survey found that the two gifts Americans most want from their coworkers are gift cards or cash (77 percent) and baked goods (41 percent).
• Re-gifting enters the workplace. According to the survey, 38 percent of American employees have re-gifted something from a family member or friend to a colleague. Even worse, 42 percent have given a family member or friend a gift they received from a colleague. Luckily, only 17 percent have actually given a gift to a colleague that they received from another colleague. 
• Don't overspend on gifts. When spending limits are set in place for gift giving, two in five of Americans spend exactly the allotted amount (42 percent) or less than the limit (6 percent).
• Gender differences prevail in gift giving and receiving preferences. According the survey, men are more likely to favor tech gadgets as gifts (39 percent), while women are more likely to favor homemade gifts (37 percent) and baked goods (46 percent).

"Though it appears that the economy is having an effect on office gift-giving, it is comforting to see that American workers are still committed to giving whatever they can afford," said Chavez. "Keeping this type of tradition alive contributes to positive office morale—something that every employer has on their wish list."

About Accounting Principals
Accounting Principals is a leader in the recruitment and placement of accounting and finance professionals, offering a complete range of workforce solutions in accounting, finance, mortgage and banking. Our nationwide branch network consists of experienced professionals that average five years of real-world accounting experience plus more than five years of finance and accounting recruitment experience. In addition to providing clients with a combination of temporary staffing, temp-to-hire and direct placement services, Accounting Principals also helps clients overcome their challenges through an in-depth understanding of their business needs. For more information, please visit www.accountingprincipals.com.

About the Survey
The telephone survey was conducted by Braun Research on behalf of Accounting Principals among a nationally representative sample of 503 employed Americans that exchange gifts during the holidays within the last year, aged 18 and older. The survey was fielded between November 9 and November 13, 2012. Results have a margin of error of +/- 4.4% percent at the 95 percent confidence level.

SOURCE Accounting Principals