A holiday bonus tops employees' wish lists this year, with 41 percent ranking a bonus as the number one item they would most like from their companies during the holidays, according to the 2018 Holidays at Work Survey commissioned by Spherion Staffing Services. Meanwhile, 46 percent say their company does not give holiday bonuses or any other monetary gifts during the holidays, and for those that do get a bonus at the holidays, the majority receive less than $500.

Just over half of employees surveyed (52 percent) describe the holidays at their workplaces as "business as usual," while 36 percent say their companies are "generous" around the holidays and 13 percent say their companies are "stingy" during the holidays.

One thing companies are doing well this holiday season is giving back to the community. Forty-six percent of employees surveyed say their company will participate in charitable activities/give back to the community this holiday season. The number one activity will be food/clothing/toy/other drives (51 percent) followed by company volunteer events (18 percent) and adopting a needy family or child (15 percent).

"Employers are listening more to employees' desires to work for a company that advocates for causes they care about," said Spherion Division President Sandy Mazur. "We also saw this reflected in our 2018 Emerging Workforce^® Study, which showed that 46 percent of companies surveyed offered paid time off this year for community service versus 26 percent who did so in 2015. Our Emerging Workforce Study also showed that 63 percent of employees surveyed only want to work for companies that contribute to communities they care about and help better the world. This is one example of a new range of factors that impact recruiting and retention."

What perks are companies offering this year? Employees cited the following:

• Holiday party (36 percent)

• Extra time off (28 percent)

• Holiday bonus (26 percent)

• Office closure between Christmas and New Years' Day (22 percent)

• Company-paid holiday meal (18 percent)

• Employee gift exchange (18 percent)

Twenty percent of employees said they didn't want anything extra from their companies for the holidays and that they "love their company and job." The survey was conducted by Research Now SSI in November 2018 of more than 1,000 consumers.