Top 7 non-cash gifts employees want for the holidays

Here’s what you can give employees this holiday season to provide a morale boost that won’t require you to cut each of ‘em a big check.

An online survey recently asked 2,574 working adults what their top choices would be for employer-gifted holiday perks.

Here are their top seven non-cash responses:

1. Paid time off (PTO) that doesn’t count against vacation time (32%)
2. Grocery gift cards (23%)
3. The ability to work from home for a year (14%)
4. Company stock or shares (11%)
5. Gym membership (8%)
6. Holiday party with an open bar (4%), and
7. Gold watch or other accessory (2%).

The survey was conducted by Harris Interactive on behalf of Glassdoor.com, a job site.

Topping the list, of course, were cash bonuses (72%) and salary increases (62%), but funds for those may be hard to come by in this economy. The other problem with cash: It tends to be forgotten as soon as it’s been received.

Meanwhile, other perks like PTO to spend time with the family and the ability to telecommute (even if it’s not for the entire year) create memories that stay with employees over the long haul.

Two other cash perks employees are hoping for: A healthcare subsidy (10%) and a commuter subsidy (3%).