What Employees Really Want This Holiday Season

The holidays put your culture in the spotlight.

If employees already feel stretched, unseen, or underpaid, year-end perks risk feeling cosmetic. When they feel respected and emotionally connected, even small gestures land as thoughtful and sincere..

At the same time, financial pressure is high. A recent survey of 2,000 Americans found that 69 percent say the holidays are the most financially stressful time of the year, and 54 percent are already dreading the season because of money concerns.

So what do employees actually want from employers this holiday season, beyond sweaters and sugar cookies? And what separates a “nice gesture” from a culture-building move in a Most Loved Workplace®?

Let’s walk through it in a clear, practical way.

Quick answer: What employees really want this holiday season

Across surveys, forums, and real company examples, five themes show up again and again:

Fair and meaningful financial appreciation. Many employees are still feeling the pressure of higher living costs. When organisations have strong results yet only offer symbolic gifts, trust erodes.

Time and flexibility to rest and be with the people who matter. In a survey of seasonal workers, 54 percent said pay and 53 percent said flexible hours are the top priorities when choosing holiday work.

Real recognition from leaders. Multiple studies show that 69 to 84 percent of employees say recognition directly affects their motivation and engagement.

Less stress, not more. A Randstad survey found 90 percent of employees would rather receive a bonus or extra vacation than attend the company holiday party. Another survey showed 60 percent would choose a bonus over a party.

Fairness, inclusion, and belonging. In a global 2025 survey, 83 percent of workers said work-life balance and job security are top priorities, and 55 percent said they would quit if they didn’t feel a sense of belonging.

The rest of this guide breaks these down and shows how your choices can support a Most Loved Workplace® culture.

Money matters: financial appreciation that actually helps

For many employees, the holiday season is expensive and stressful. Travel, family commitments, and higher everyday costs all hit at once. At the same time, a lot of workers are questioning whether their pay is fair.

Recent surveys show:

1. Only about 54 percent of employees say they are paid fairly.
   
2. In another report, 68 percent of workers said they believe they are underpaid compared with the market.
3. When pay is perceived as fair, 82 percent of employees feel more engaged and fulfilled, and 81 percent say they are more productive and loyal.

That context matters. It’s not that employees dislike gifts or events. It’s that financial gestures speak directly to a very real pressure.

If you have a budget:

1. Bonuses or profit sharing are still one of the clearest ways to show appreciation. Even small amounts, framed transparently, can build trust: “Here’s what we can do this year, and here’s why.”
2. Targeted support can help where people feel the pinch most — for example, one-time payments, grocery or fuel stipends, or savings on everyday purchases. In one survey, 46 percent of employees preferred savings on daily expenses over a standard holiday party.

If budgets are tight:

1. Extra paid time off or a company-wide early close day still has real financial and emotional value.
2. Flexible gift cards or stipends that employees can use on what matters to them usually feel better than a single branded item.

What frustrates people is when the company spends heavily on a big event while pay has been frozen, raises were minimal, or there were recent cuts. 

A 2024 analysis noted that 69 percent of employees would prefer a bonus instead of a holiday party, especially in organisations that have been cutting costs.

In a Most Loved Workplace®, financial recognition is part of emotional connectedness. It says, “We understand your reality, and we are sharing value back with you in a way that helps.”

Time, rest, and flexibility: the most underrated gift

Ask employees what they are short of in December and the answer is usually not mugs. It is time.

Survey data highlights the value of flexible time bonuses, such as late start mornings, early close Fridays, or a floating paid day to use during the season. 

Simple moves that resonate:

1. Protecting already scheduled PTO instead of cancelling it to cover of end-of-year demand.
2. Setting clear expectations for email and response times over the holidays so people can truly unplug.
3. Offering shift swaps and flexible scheduling where operations allow, especially for frontline teams.

For seasonal workers, flexibility is almost as important as pay. One survey found that 53 percent cite flexible hours as a top priority when choosing holiday roles.

From a Most Loved Workplace perspective, time policies are one of the clearest proofs of respect. When leaders give people room to rest and be with family, employees feel that the organisation sees them as humans, not just capacity.

Real recognition: gratitude that feels personal

Humans remember specific praise.

Holiday messages are often broad and generic: “Thank you all for your hard work this year.” There’s nothing wrong with that, but it usually doesn’t change how anyone feels.

What people remember instead:

1. Managers writing short, personalised notes that name one or two concrete contributions from each person. A simple, heartfelt card from a manager can mean more than an event.
2. Leaders using all-hands meetings to spotlight teams that solved difficult problems, served customers in tough conditions, or supported peers.
3. Peer recognition rituals where employees can call out coworkers who made their year easier. Tools that support peer-to-peer recognition, even non-monetary, create a sense of shared gratitude.

At the far end of the spectrum, some companies run high-visibility recognition programs. A recent example is cybersecurity firm ThreatLocker, which each year gives luxury cars or fully paid trips to its most collaborative employees, selected through peer and manager votes. None of the recipients has left the company so far.

You do not need a Porsche in the parking lot to build an emotional connection. The common thread is clarity and sincerity. People want to know what they did that mattered and that leaders truly noticed.

Less stress, not more: rethinking holidays at work

Holiday parties are one of the most debated traditions in employee surveys. Some people like them. Many are neutral. A significant number would prefer something else.

The data is blunt:

1. A Randstad study found 90 percent of workers would rather receive a bonus or extra time off than attend a company-sponsored holiday party.
2. A separate survey found 60 percent of employees would choose a bonus over a party, and 67 percent would choose a bonus over extra time off.

Another piece of research reported that more than half of employees would gladly give up the holiday party in exchange for ongoing rewards, recognition, and savings throughout the year.

On top of that, many employees describe parties as stressful — especially if they are after hours, far from home, or strongly alcohol focused.

You don’t have to cancel celebrations entirely. Instead, you can redesign them to lower stress:

1. Make attendance genuinely optional, with no penalty, formal or informal.
2. Hold events during working hours where possible, so no one has to choose between the event and family or second jobs.
3. Keep the format simple: light food, space to talk, a short thank you from leaders, a few shout-outs.
4. Offer plenty of non alcoholic options, and avoid centering the event on drinking.

For remote teams, a 30-minute virtual gathering with a clear theme (“highlights of the year” or “gratitude round”) plus a small treat or stipend usually feels more respectful than a long, scripted event.

The core idea: a Most Loved Workplace® reduces friction during an already heavy month. People should leave their holiday activities feeling lighter, not more overloaded.

Fairness, inclusion, and belonging during the holidays

The holidays are not the same for everyone. Some employees celebrate religious holidays in December. Others do not celebrate at all, or have their major celebrations at other times of year. Caregivers and shift workers carry very different pressures than corporate staff.

Surveys show that most employees notice how inclusive their employer is when planning holiday activities. One poll found that 77 percent felt their company was sensitive to diversity and inclusion in holiday planning, which means a quarter did not. 

Belonging and fairness show up sharply during the holidays:

1. Schedules. Who is always working the unpopular shifts? Are workloads shared fairly, and is extra work recognised in a meaningful way?
2. Language and assumptions. Do messages assume everyone celebrates the same things, has the same family setup, or feels the same way about this time of year?
3. Inclusion in decisions. Have you asked for input from employees with different backgrounds, caregiving duties, and work patterns (frontline, hybrid, remote)?

Inclusive choices can be simple:

1. Use language like “year-end celebration” rather than centering one tradition.
2. Rotate which holidays or observances get extra attention throughout the year, so December is not the only focus.
3. Pay attention to who has to cover customer work during peak days and how you recognise that sacrifice.

The “B” in DEIB is belonging. At Most Loved Workplace®, we see that belonging is often decided by small, practical choices around who is asked, who is accommodated, and who is seen. 

When holiday decisions line up with your diversity and equity commitments, employees feel that belonging more strongly. When they clash, the disconnect is magnified.

Meaning and purpose: giving back in ways people actually welcome

Many organisations like to support charities or run volunteering initiatives around the holidays. Done well, this can strengthen both purpose and connection.

Studies on corporate volunteering and giving show that:

1. Employees who participate in structured volunteer programs often report higher satisfaction and engagement than those who do not.
2. When employees can choose causes they care about and participation is genuinely optional, these programs tend to have the strongest positive impact.

Good practice here includes:

1. Offering paid volunteer time off during the season and letting employees select from a list of partners or nominate their own.
2. Matching donations up to a reasonable amount, with employees choosing the charities.
3. Keeping internal drives simple and respectful, without competition or guilt.

The key is alignment. External generosity should sit alongside internal fairness. People feel proud of their organisation’s impact when they also feel well-treated themselves.

What employees do not want this holiday season

Sometimes it helps to be explicit about what to avoid. Most employees do not want:

1. A small branded item presented as if it were equivalent to financial recognition. Many surveys show employees prefer bonuses, savings, or practical support over standard gifts or parties.
2. Mandatory or strongly pressured parties, especially outside working hours.
3. Last-minute schedule changes that cancel PTO or overload certain teams so others can be off.
4. Cheerful holiday messaging that ignores ongoing issues they’ve raised about workload, pay, or behaviour.

When in doubt, test your plans with a small, diverse group of employees and ask, “How would this feel to you?” Their answers will tell you a lot.

How to find out what your employees really want

Every workforce is different. The most reliable way to understand your employees’ holiday priorities is to ask them directly.

You can:

1. Run a short holiday pulse survey asking questions like:

“Which of these options would be most meaningful to you this year?”

“What is one thing we could change about our holiday approach?”

2. Use listening sessions with different groups: frontline, remote, hybrid, parents, caregivers, early career, and long-tenured team members.
3. Provide an anonymous suggestion channel for people who might not want to speak up publicly.

At Most Loved Workplace®, organisations use tools like the Love of Workplace Index™ and MLW’s analytics to understand emotional connectedness in real time. 

These tools combine quantitative scores with machine learning analysis of open comments to surface themes, emotions, and suggestions that might otherwise be missed.

Whatever method you use, close the loop: share what you heard, explain what you can change now, and be honest about what you cannot change yet, and why. That transparency is itself a trust builder.

Turning holiday actions into a Most Loved Workplace advantage

Holiday decisions can seem tactical, but they send strong signals about what you value.

When you:

1. Align financial gestures with real employee needs.
2. Protect time and offer flexibility.
3. Recognise people in specific, human ways.
4. Design inclusive, low-stress celebrations and giving programs.
5. Listen to feedback and explain your choices.

…you are not just “doing something festive.” You are showing employees that you mean what you say about respect, care, and belonging.

Those are the same ingredients we measure and celebrate in Most Loved Workplaces®.

Use this season as a proving ground. If you can listen well, act thoughtfully, and communicate clearly during a busy, emotional time of year, you build habits that strengthen your culture all year long.

FAQs: What employees want from employers during the holidays

What do employees really want from their employer during the holidays?

Most employees want a mix of fair financial appreciation, extra time or flexibility, genuine recognition, and low stress, inclusive celebrations. Parties and gifts are welcome when they are a bonus, not a substitute for those basics.

Is a holiday bonus better than a party or a gift?

Surveys from Randstad and others show that around 90 percent of workers prefer a bonus or extra time off instead of a holiday party. If you have to choose, employees usually see direct financial support and rest as higher value.

How can we support remote employees during the holiday season?

Offer the same financial and time benefits, make any virtual events optional, and avoid centering all recognition on in-person gatherings. Simple gestures like sending a personalised card, a flexible time bonus, or a choose your own gift credit can help remote staff feel equally included. 

Do employees actually like holiday parties?

Some do, many do not. Data shows that many feel obliged to attend and would rather see the budget used for bonuses or extra time off. The safest approach is to keep events simple, in working hours where possible, and fully optional.

What is a good low-budget way to show appreciation?

If budgets are tight, focus on time and recognition. Protect PTO, give a short early finish day, and encourage managers to send specific, personal notes of thanks. Pair that with clear communication about why you chose this approach. Sincerity matters more than price.

How does this connect to becoming a Most Loved Workplace®?

Holiday actions test the strength of your culture. When your choices around pay, time, recognition, and inclusion match what employees say they need, you build the emotional connectedness that sits at the core of the Most Loved Workplace® model and the Love of Workplace Index®.