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More companies ending the year without the bonus

If your company is ending the year with a hearty bit of holiday cheer - rather than an actual holiday bonus – you’re definitely not alone.More than 40 percent of companies say they do not offer year-end bonuses, gifts or other perks, according to a new poll released this week by Challenger, Gray and Christmas.That’s a substantial increase from 2007, when just 28 percent of companies said the

If your company is ending the year with a hearty bit of holiday cheer - rather than an actual holiday bonus – you’re definitely not alone.

More than 40 percent of companies say they do not offer year-end bonuses, gifts or other perks, according to a new poll released this week by Challenger, Gray and Christmas.

That’s a substantial increase from 2007, when just 28 percent of companies said they never offer such year-end perks.

Of course, things have changed substantially in those four years. With the nation’s unemployment rate still very high by historical standards, many companies may feel like they don’t need to give their employees extra rewards.

The lingering effects of the recession, which technically ran from December 2007 to June 2009, may also have left some employers without much extra cash left over at the end of year.

Still, more than half of the approximately 100 human resources executives surveyed said they do offer year-end perks. About half of those offering perks said they give nonmonetary gifts, while the rest said they gave some type of cash bonus to at least some employees.

The company said it did not ask whether employers offer bonuses at other times during the year.