It’s that time of year again for CareerBuilder’s annual holiday survey that asked workers to share the most unusual gifts they’ve received from a coworker during the holiday season.
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While many gift-bearing workers stick to more traditional holiday offerings, such as ornaments and candy, others get a little more creative with their definition of the word “gift”:
- A box of Hot Pockets®
- A chess piece (just one piece, not a set)
- A fire extinguisher
- A voucher for a free lawn game at the coworker’s own invention
- A turquoise leather vest
- Zombie action figures
- A Ziploc® bag of coffee (enough to make one pot)
- A “gun of the day” calendar
- A bag of chips
- A Christmas ornament with the coworker’s and spouse’s photos on it.
Yet 21 percent of workers say they plan to buy holiday gifts for coworkers (similar to last year’s 22 percent), and nearly the same number (20 percent) plan to buy a gift for the boss.
Of those who plan to buy gifts for their coworkers or bosses, the majority (76 percent) expect to spend $25 or less on each gift; 33 percent will spend $10 or less; and 10 percent will spend $5 or less.
The national survey, conducted online by Harris Poll® from ¬¬August 11 to September 5, 2014, included a representative sample of 3,103 workers and 2,203 hiring managers and human resources professionals across industries and company sizes.