Washington, Dec 10 : Canceling holiday parties and getting cash bonuses instead is at the top of workers' wish lists in the US, a new survey has found.

According to the online survey conducted of 2,574 American adults by Harris Interactive on behalf of the business website Glassdoor, 72 percent said a cash bonus was among their top choices for employer-gifted holiday perks.

62 percent of the participants wanted a salary raise, 32 percent paid time off and 23 percent grocery gift cards.

A holiday party, even one with an open bar, did not turn out to be a very popular perk in the survey, with only 4 percent of respondents listing it among their top choices.

Perks that proved more popular than holiday parties included the ability to work from home for a year (14 percent), company stock or shares (11 percent), a health care subsidy (10 percent) and a gym membership (8 percent).

Glassdoor's career and workplace expert Rusty Rueff, who previously ran global HR departments at Electronic Arts and PepsiCo, said the desire for monetary rewards above all else reflects the hard economic times faced by workers today, and employers should take note.

"It may not be sexy, but even a nominal amount, a gas or gift card, or an extra day off that an employee can use at their discretion to compensate for the extra hours they have been putting in will likely go much farther in boosting morale than a holiday party," Live Science quoted Rueff as saying.

"Now is the time to listen closely to what employees need and respond accordingly," he added. (ANI)