Contractors in IT working in 'the grinch sector'

Contractors in technology appear to be working in the 'grinch' sector – or at least the sector with its fair share of Scrooge-like line managers.

In fact, rather than a bonus or monetary recognition at Christmas time, which is what techies say they would like the most, the boss or line-manager’s ‘go-to’ gift is an expense-able meal.

And that’s out of the three-quarters of tech overseers who actually bother -- almost a quarter give nothing to say thanks to their IT workers at the end of the year, neither grub nor gifts.

“It’s a pity,” according to Perkbox, which polled 1,000 techies.“[Firms are] clearly missing an opportunity to engage their staff when they fail to reward and recognise them at Christmas.”

The co-founder of the online platform, Chieu Cao, is unsurprised to see “a disconnect” between what techies want and what their employers are willing to give.

The festive ‘meal’ tops the chart -- 38% of techies were taken out for a bite (out of the 77% of bosses who make some seasonal gesture), but 35% said they would have preferred money.

Also out of those with giving IT bosses, 29% got a bottle of booze of some sort but similarly, 21% said they would have preferred a pay rise instead. Cao described the popularity of wanting to receive cash at Christmas as ‘unsurprising.’

“There are so many easy ways for employers to show their appreciation, and at a relatively small cost to the business,” he said.

“The positive impact of rewarding and recognising at Christmas would be increased productivity, and improved employee motivation and satisfaction.”