This year, the holiday shopping season is shorter than most. That means it’s time to start stressing about finding the right holiday gifts for employees.
Your employees have made the nice list and you want to make sure you get them something meaningful in appreciation for their hard work this past year. But…what do you get them? Do you know what they want? What do they like? Depending on the size of your staff, you may or may not know everyone well enough to choose the perfect gift for each person. Still, it’s possible to find the right holiday gifts for your employees without resorting to bland, boring, generic offerings.
Finding the Right Holiday Gifts for Employees
Whether your business celebrates the season with a workday party or goes all-out on an after-hours gathering, you want your staff to leave your Christmas celebration feeling appreciated. Giving appropriate gifts to your entire staff requires a lot of thought and effort, but don’t ask your loyal assistant to take on this task. It means more when you make the effort yourself. Here are some tips to make it easier:
1. Ask Your Employees What They Want
This seems pretty obvious, but simply asking people their preferences can be a huge help in selecting employee gifts. Employee surveys allow your staff to list their preferences. You can create a digital survey that contains open-ended questions or asks your staff to rate specific ideas. The answers you receive from such a survey can help you to choose meaningful gifts. You can even include a personal, encouraging message with each gift. This kind of consideration is guaranteed to make your employees feel appreciated.
2. Make the Gifts Personal
Gifts that go beyond a standard company-branded coffee mug show that you know your employees’ personalities and preferences. You don’t have to reinvent the wheel to make gifts personal. That logo mug could be part of a gift basket that includes favorite teas or snacks. Personal gifts are the result of thoughtfulness and planning. Knowing that you made such an effort will go a long way with your employees, boosting morale and employee engagement.
3. It Doesn’t Have to be a Tangible Item
Maybe your employees are telling you they don’t want a physical gift. Sometimes, a meaningful gift isn’t one that can be tied with pretty bows. For more than a quarter of employees, being allowed to leave work early is a perfect gift. Giving the gift of time is priceless, especially during the holidays when many people just want to spend time with their family and friends. Another option is charitable giving. Many employees support charitable causes, especially when those causes touch their lives personally. Give your employees the option to choose an organization they feel passionate about and make a donation in their name. This shows that you recognize and appreciate the parts of your employees’ lives that make them who they are. Services like CharityChoice allow you to purchase charitable vouchers that your employees can use to donate to a charity of their choosing.
4. Make All Gifts Equal
Equality in gift-giving is important. Just like any other time of the year, the holiday season is not the time to play favorites. Maintaining a positive workplace culture throughout the year includes equity in the holiday gifts you choose for your staff. Be careful, however, in how you define “equity” when it comes to gift-giving. It’s perfectly okay (and often preferable) to not give everyone the exact same gift. What’s important is that your employee gifts are of equal value. If you choose to play favorites during the holiday season, you’ll impose negativity into the workplace, unraveling your workplace culture.
Showing Your Appreciation Through Gifts
Throughout the year, your staff helps to keep your business moving forward. Even though you may recognize them all year long for their efforts, the holidays are an opportunity to boost office morale. Your employees likely do a great job maintaining their efforts despite the busyness of the holiday season. Choosing holiday gifts for your employees is a great way to show your appreciation for their contribution to your company. This appreciation can motivate your staff and help to build employee engagement. Such engagement has been proven to reduce staff turnover and increase productivity. Your investment in holiday gifts for your employees can boost company profitability year-round!