CONFIRMING all suspicions, company holiday parties will look wildly different this year due to Covid-19. Two-thirds of Americans either have or are considering opting out of in-person holiday parties (63%), while one-third are contemplating a Zoom holiday instead (36%), according to a nationwide survey of more than 2,000 adults by Harris Poll on behalf of Omaha Steaks.
ANOTHER survey by employee experience platform iSolved found 37% of employees preferred a bonus instead of holiday gifts (6%) than in-person or virtual parties (1%). Another third of employees (35%) were just happy with job security, and 21% would like an annual merit increase.
EVEN on the personal side Americans are making changes to their holiday plans. Sixty-seven percent of Americans plan to minimize their trips to the grocery store this year. Though, 77% of Americans still say having a holiday meal is one of the few things they can count on this year, even if the number of people around the table is smaller than in the past. Gift-giving will change some, as 59% of Gen Z has highend food gifts on their wish list this year.
THE data revealed that 70% of fulltime employees will not travel out of state this holiday, accounting for 38% of staff taking less paid time off this holiday season than before, according to iSolved’s survey. The respondents, however, were clear that job security was not the reason for taking less vacation days. And 56% of full-time employees say employee experience will be more important to them in 2021 than it was this year.
EQUITY compensation isn’t just for Silicon Valley startups anymore — it’s for employers who want to attract and retain the best talent. Seventy-seven percent of employers are currently using digital stock certificates, according to the 2020 State of Equity Plan Management at Private Companies survey conducted by Shareworks — an equity benefit platform by Morgan Stanley at Work. When asked why they were offering employees company equity, 36% of executives said it was mainly to “attract and retain talent.”
