About the same number of employers are giving year-end bonuses this year as last year, a survey shows.
In the poll of some 100 human resources professionals, 63 percent said their companies were giving year-end bonuses this year, Chicago outplacement firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas Inc. said.
That is about the same level as a year ago, when 64 percent were expecting bonuses to be awarded, Challenger Gray said.
However, as a testament to just how precarious the recovery is for many companies, 16 percent of survey respondents said their companies were planning to give smaller bonuses this year. Only four percent said the same in 2009.Â
Nearly one in three (30 percent) said bonuses will be about the same as last year, while only eight percent said bonuses will increase. Nine percent said their companies were reinstating bonuses after one or more years of not awarding any.
Even as some companies slowly begin to feel the effects of the recovery, others are still struggling. Twelve percent of respondents said their companies gave out year-end bonuses last year, but are not planning to do so this year. That is a slight improvement from 2009, when 16 percent of companies canceled year-end bonuses.
John Challenger said some companies may choose to be creative when it comes to year-end rewards, mixing cash and gifts.
