New study finds majority of employers are failing to invest in Christmas recognition. A significant majority of employers are missing out on the opportunity to reward and recognise their employees’ work at Christmas, according to new research from Edenred.

The survey contained in a new report “Saying Thank You at Christmas 2013” looked at UK employees’ experience and expectations around Christmas reward. It found that: Only 30 percent of employees received a Christmas reward in 2012.bOf those who did receive a reward only a third (35 percent) got a thank you from their manager. 35 percent of employees have never had a reward at Christmas. 65 percent of employees don’t expect to receive a Christmas reward from their employer. The research also found that employees under the age of 35 were most likely to expect a reward (41 percent) while middle-aged employees were less likely to expect to receive something (26 percent). Colin Hodgson, Sales Director for Incentives and Motivation at Edenred UK said: “This research highlights three areas of opportunity for employers to build better relationships with employees through end of year reward.

The first is the number of organisations who would benefit from the introduction of a formal end of year reward scheme which recognises and thanks employees for their hard work and contribution to the business. Gifts, particularly when not expected, provide a powerful way of saying ‘thank-you’ as an organisation. The second opportunity is to ensure that when the investment is made, it has the best possible impact on the employee and their perceptions of the business. Our research showed a prevalence of ‘invisible reward’ where cash is paid with wages without a personal note of thanks from the business or from line managers.

What organisations should really be doing is ensuring recognition comes with a “thanks” from a manager and where possible avoids cash which is forgotten once it hits a bank account. The impact of reward is reinforced when a voucher or prepaid card is used in store; when a hamper is opened and shared. The last area to think about is the importance of personalisation. It is clear that different demographics have different expectations and needs when it comes to reward. So rather than an arbitrary one-size-fits-all approach, organisations need to think about how they can personalise any reward they give. Providing employees with a choice without incurring additional administration for the business is important.”