Most bosses at U.S. companies plan to give gifts to employees this holiday season, but fewer than a third of workers intend to reciprocate with gifts of their own, according to a study released on Monday.
The more money employees earn, the less likely they are to buy a gift for the boss, said the survey by CareerBuilder.com and ShopLocal.com that showed 56 percent of bosses and 29 percent of workers will give gifts in the office.
Of the gift-giving bosses, nearly one in 10 will spend more than $50 per staff member, while a third will spend $10 or less, the survey said.
The most popular gift from bosses is cash, with 52 percent planning to hand out gift cards, gift certificates or money. That was followed by candy, holiday ornaments or decorations, books, wine or alcohol, food baskets and gag gifts.
Gift cards, gift certificates and money topped shopping lists by employees, followed by food baskets, wine and alcohol.
Workers earning less than $50,000 were most likely to buy holiday gifts for their bosses, at 34 percent, the survey said, while just 23 percent of workers with incomes over $100,000 will do so.
The survey was conducted Aug. 31 to Sept. 5 online by Harris Interactive among 1,650 workers and 1,150 hiring managers nationwide for CareerBuilder, an online job service owned by Gannett Co. Inc., Tribune Co. and The McClatchy Co., and ShopLocal, an online shopping service and joint venture of Gannett, Tribune and McClatchy.
Asked to name the most unusual holiday gifts they have witnessed at the office, survey respondents listed a gift certificate to a strip club, underwear, used make-up, a bottle of vodka for a recovering alcoholic and a used cookbook stained with food.
Female managers were more likely to give gifts to staff members, at 62 percent, compared with 51 percent of male managers. Female employees also were more likely to give gifts to bosses, at 39 percent, compared with 16 percent of men.