Nearly half of the 3,300 managers asked said that a financial payment would be more the most welcome benefit at this time of the year, with just 10% preferring a promotion.
One in six would put training and development top of their Christmas list, with 12% wanting more staff and 11% wanting a bigger budget.
Although over half said Christmas parties help employee engagement although 45 described such events as being "fraught with difficulty".
Penny de Valk, the Institute’s CE, said: "Financial security is clearly top of mind for workers this Christmas, with most thinking more about their wallets than their long-term career progression right now. Where possible, organisations looking to thank staff for their hard work can rest assured that some sort of seasonal bonus will be particularly well received this year."
38% said that improving their work-life balance was their major new year’s resolution, with 11% wanting a new job.
