Less than Half of Employees Expect Christmas Bonus

What are the habits of employers regarding the payment of Christmas bonuses was discovered by the portal MojPosao in a survey conducted during November 2012 on more than 500 respondents.

As in the previous year, respondents are pessimistic when it comes to the payment of Christmas bonuses – less than half of the respondents (41 percent) expect a Christmas bonus. Last year, 47 percent expected it. Among the respondents who expect a Christmas bonus, a large majority of them (91 percent), as in the previous year, expect money in the average amount of 1,374 kuna, which is 49 kuna less than last year.

A voucher is expected by 34 percent of respondents, with an average amount of 1,047 kuna. Last year, 30 percent of respondents expected a voucher, but at a significantly lower average amount of 705 kuna. A gift package is hoped for by 19 percent of respondents, which is a significant increase compared to last year when 4 percent of respondents expected a gift package.

Christmas bonuses are most expected by employees of private companies in foreign ownership (65 percent) and state-owned companies (56 percent). The least hopeful for a Christmas bonus are employees in domestic institutions – only 12 percent of them.

Considering the size of the company, the Christmas bonus is most expected by employees of large companies or institutions (with more than 200 employees), 57 percent of them. The least expect it are employees in small companies – 35 percent of them. Just under half (44 percent) of employees in medium-sized companies expect a Christmas bonus.

Depending on their place of residence, Dalmatian respondents are again more optimistic than the rest of Croatian citizens – as many as 71 percent believe that they will receive a Christmas bonus. A large number of respondents from central (67%) and eastern (62 percent) Croatia also believe that their employer will ‘reward’ them. The least hopeful for a Christmas bonus are respondents from Istria and Kvarner (48 percent) and Zagreb and its surroundings (47 percent).

The most common reason for not receiving a Christmas bonus is the economic crisis, according to 51 percent of respondents. The second reason is that they have never received a Christmas bonus (29 percent), while one-fifth of respondents (20 percent) cite other reasons such as the poor financial condition of the company they work for, which is not related to the economic crisis. In 2011, 53 percent of employees received a Christmas bonus, the most from Dalmatia.

Only half of the participants in the survey received a Christmas bonus last year (53 percent), which is 4 percent more compared to the results of the survey from 2010. The Christmas bonus was a pleasant surprise for only 6 percent of respondents who did not expect it but received it.

In the past year, employers most often rewarded their employees with money (78 percent), with an average of 1,467 kuna, which is 185 kuna less than in 2010. Just under a third of respondents (28 percent) received a voucher for purchases with an average value of 934 kuna. Instead of money, 13 percent of respondents received a gift package that most often contained food products.

The Christmas bonus was most received by respondents employed in institutions (73 percent), followed by employees in state-owned companies (69 percent). The least received the Christmas bonus were employees in foreign institutions (50 percent) and employees in private companies in domestic ownership (55 percent).

Considering the size of the company, the Christmas bonus was most received by respondents employed in medium-sized (69 percent) and large companies (61 percent), and regarding the region, respondents from Dalmatia (71 percent) and central Croatia (67 percent).

Year after year, more and more respondents believe that the Christmas bonus is more a matter of the employer’s decision than a worker’s right. Likely influenced by the economic crisis, more and more respondents realize that they cannot count on the Christmas bonus as a secure source of income.

This year, 67 percent of respondents understand that it is a decision of the employer, while one-third of respondents (34 percent) believe that the Christmas bonus is a worker’s right and resent the employer if it is not paid.

That the Christmas bonus is a worker’s right is mostly believed by employees in institutions (44 percent) and employees in large and medium-sized companies or institutions (37 percent). Depending on the region, residents of Dalmatia believe that the Christmas bonus is a worker’s right more than other citizens of Croatia – as many as 41% believe they have a ‘right’ to a Christmas bonus.

If they could choose the type of Christmas bonus, a large majority (84 percent) would choose money. Gratitude and respect from superiors would satisfy only 6 percent of respondents, while 3% would still choose a gift package. A voucher for purchasing products from another company would be chosen by 4% of respondents, while 1 percent would choose a voucher for purchasing products from their own company. Rewarding in the form of Christmas bonuses is not supported by 1 percent of respondents.

When asked what they would use the received money for, the majority of respondents (39 percent) say they would use the money to cover basic living expenses. Just over one-fifth of respondents (23 percent) would use it to buy Christmas gifts, and 17 percent for buying a gift for themselves. As many as 15 percent of respondents would use the received Christmas bonus to pay off debts, while 6 percent of respondents cite something else.

According to respondents, an adequate Christmas bonus should amount to 1,740 kuna, which is even 27 percent more than the average Christmas bonus expected this year. It is noticeable that respondents’ expectations have begun to decline with the arrival of the economic crisis, as the amount of an adequate Christmas bonus this year is 7 percent lower than it was last year.