As the High Holidays approach and employers once again face the choice between gift sets, household products, shopping vouchers, and cash bonuses, a new survey suggests that employees have a clear preference: they want the freedom to decide how to use their holiday gift.

A survey conducted by the research department of AllJobs found that 86% of respondents would prefer a gift that allows them to choose how to use it. Among the 476 participants, 45% said they would prefer a prepaid card, voucher, or gift certificate, while 41% chose cash. By comparison, only 11% said they would prefer to receive a physical gift from their employer.

The gifts employees actually received this year only partially reflected those preferences. Some 42% reported receiving a prepaid card, voucher, or gift certificate, while 13% received a physical product. The largest gap was recorded in cash: although 41% preferred it, only 7% said they actually received cash as their holiday gift.

Employees also appear to place significant importance on the holiday gift itself. About three-quarters of respondents said the gift was highly or very highly important to them. Another 10% described its importance as moderate, while only 5% said the holiday gift was not important.

The survey also found significant differences based on workplace size. At the time of the survey, only 31% of employees at companies with fewer than 10 workers had already received their holiday gift. That figure rose to 60% among employees at companies with 201-500 workers and to 77% at companies with more than 500 employees.

The type of gift also varied according to company size. Larger employers were more likely to provide vouchers, gift certificates, and prepaid cards, giving employees greater flexibility in deciding how to use the benefit. The value of the gifts varied as well. Among employees who had already received their gift, 56% estimated its value at 400 shekels or more, with 400-600 shekels being the most common range. Overall, 63% of recipients said they were satisfied with the gift they received.

Compared with the previous year, 38% of respondents who could compare the value of their gifts said it remained similar, while 15% reported an increase and 11% reported a decrease. The largest group therefore reported no change in the value of their holiday gift.

Hila Moskess, vice president of marketing and content at AllJobs, said employees place significant importance on their holiday gifts, with most of those who had already received one also expressing satisfaction. "At the same time, their preference is clear: they want to choose for themselves," she said.

According to Moskess, "Money, a voucher, or a prepaid card allows each employee to use the gift in a way that suits them and their needs. For employers, this is a reminder that the value of a holiday gift is measured not only by its monetary amount, but also by the degree of choice it provides the employee."