Image courtesy of Droid Gingerbread’s photostream
As the holiday season quickly approaches, many have begun preparing for year-end thank you gifts to create holiday cheer around the office. While research shows that providing gifts to your customers can help maintain relationships and build good rapport, let’s not forget about your second pillar of strength: employees.
Every successful business has a team of hard-working employees. Having your employees feel valued helps boost morale and maintain loyalty within the organization. Giving your employees a gift shows your appreciation for their efforts throughout the year.
So where do you start?
- As with all business expenses, stick to a budget. Depending on the size of your office, budgets are usually set between $15 to $50 per employee.
- Pick gifts for your employees that make sense. Making sure your gifts are personal shows that you spent the time to think about what interests them.
- Food trays for all employees to enjoy are also a great option. Just make sure to adhere to any food allergies and lifestyle choices when making your food selections.
- Consider useful, branded items. Your employees are proud of where they work!
- If you aren’t sure what to get, chose a prepaid card. In fact, 57% of employees would prefer a prepaid card.
If your budget is tight and you can’t afford monetary gifts, consider gifting perks and privileges instead. Extra PTO time can go a long way for employees during the hectic holiday season. Just remember that it’s ok to be creative, as long as you maintain work-appropriate guidelines. Employees will appreciate the effort you put into recognizing their hard work.