The Psychology of Giving Employee Appreciation Gifts
As the old saying goes, it’s better to give than to receive. For the gift recipients, getting an unexpected gift can truly change their day. It isn’t only about what you gift to them, but why you give it. When it comes to your employees, gift-giving is all about increasing their satisfaction in the workplace. By forging a connection with an employee, you succeed in obtaining their loyalty to you and your company. With recognition being an important factor to 37% of employees, gift-giving is not something you should turn a blind eye to. Learn more about why and how to implement employee appreciation gifts into your business strategy.
Why do we give employee appreciation gifts?
Think about a time when you received an unexpected present from someone in the business world. How did it make you feel? Offer a similar experience to your recently onboarded team members with welcome gifts for new employees. Your goal is to create a meaningful, memorable moment that they will take with them well into the future. Set the tone for what a healthy corporate environment should be like.
Strengthen Employee Relationships
It’s likely that you see or interact with the same workers every day. Although they are a huge part of your business, you may not have developed a personal relationship with each of them. While you don’t have to be best friends with everyone, you should take the time to get to know them. They will recognize the effort that you are putting in. And, later on, when you give out employee appreciation gifts, they come with the notion that you have listened to the recipient and care about their preferences.
Help Others and Harvest Company Culture
Donating to a charity, or else volunteering your time, gives you the knowledge that you are helping out the community. It simultaneously makes you and those you have helped feel good. In a similar way, you may be able to sense that a member of your team needs something. This could be brought up in a direct conversation. Alternately, you may notice that everyone on your staff is facing a similar issue. If you decide that there is something you can do to remediate that issue, you can do so as an employee appreciation gift.
Return a Favor and Enhance Gratitude
When giving a gift, you shouldn’t expect to get one in return. It should simply come from the heart. However, if one of your colleagues gave you a gift in the past, it would be a good idea to reciprocate. Show them you remember their thoughtful gesture and show extra effort with your gift selection. You can personally deliver a customized 3D pop up card with a note of gratitude. Another option would be pairing the 3D pop up card with a personalized employee appreciation gift after a work milestone with achieved. Either of these examples will establish you in a respectful relationship, regardless of the hierarchy of your company roles.
Giving Corporate Gifts to Create Happiness
Not only will gift-giving bring the recipient a moment of happiness, but it will also make you feel happy as the giver. Corporate gifts for employees can improve the workplace for everyone. When your team is happier, they are more engaged with their jobs. When your team feels appreciated, they are more loyal to their jobs. In turn, you may see them providing a better customer experience, which will boost your business’s overall reputation. People want to work at companies where the staff is constantly treated with respect and consideration.
One in three employees has never received a gift from their supervisor. Don’t let this be you!
When is the best time to give employee appreciation gifts?
Gift-giving isn’t something you do once a year and then don’t think about again for another 365 days. You can make your employees feel special with multiple rewards throughout the year. In fact, this is something that you should do. You may not need to give employee appreciation gifts on an extreme frequency, like every week, and knowing when they are going to make the biggest sentimental impact will serve you well as a leader.
Employee Appreciation Day
Businesses across the country celebrate Employee Appreciation Day, which is the first Friday in March. This holiday has become more and more popular for companies of all sizes and from all industries across the world. It’s the perfect time to give thanks and recognize your employees. And that means it’s the perfect time for employee appreciation gifts. Let each member of your staff know how grateful you are to have them as part of your team. Drop them a unique note in a 3D card so that they still feel that you see their individual efforts.
Employee Birthdays
Provide employee appreciation gifts on the most exclusive holiday — birthdays. This is a day that is all about one specific person. Use a 3D pop up card with a gift box design to capture their attention. It’s a delightful way to give them another present in a figurative sense, offering an experience that flat cards don’t produce. If your company sends but client birthday cards, why not do the same to recognize your hardworking colleagues? Send a warm message that you remembered and cared about your worker’s special day. Make sure that you are keeping track of birthdays in your calendar so that you can be on top of them when they come around.
Corporate Holiday Season
Whether your staff celebrates Christmas, Hanukkah, or Kwanzaa, you can give them a personalized gift that expresses holiday cheer. Around this time of year, every business is going to be taking advantage of the colors and symbols of the season. Custom corporate holiday cards are good for adding a festive touch to your own company. Have them ready to go long before the holiday season kicks off so that you aren’t scrambling at the last minute. If you are creating 3D holiday cards, you will want to start your design process as early as July.
Individual Awards
Congratulate your employees with more than just words. When they have a big accomplishment, give them a gift. Doing so will help them to better recognize how proud you are of them as an individual. Positive reinforcement increases their connection to you and the business at large. They will keep doing a good job, and other employees will be encouraged to do the same. By using employee appreciation gifts in this regard, you reduce stress and earn yourself greater satisfaction within the workplace.
What employee appreciation gifts should I give?
Figure out what are going to be the most meaningful gifts for your unique employees. They don’t necessarily have to consist of branded items. Instead, you can look to gifting them an experience or something they can hold onto for a long time. There are plenty of ways to show workers that you value them without having to break the bank. This will make it easier for you to continuously invest in brightening their days.
Local Event Tickets
If you live in Austin, TX, there is always something going on. There are sports competitions, food festivals, and tons of concerts across a range of genres. If your business is based in a similar urban area, this likely continues to be the case. Giving tickets to any local events as an employee appreciation gift will mean that you are also giving back to the community. It’s a win-win situation that makes everyone involved happy. Knowing the preferences of your workers will be helpful because there may be a particular event that they’ve vocalized wanting to go to in the future.
Snack Box
Who doesn’t love receiving delicious treats? Food is a much-appreciated gift, especially when you give someone a good variety. Partner with a local bakery so that you can help employees indulge with freshly-made cakes and cookies. Or get together several bagged items that will be easy for them to eat at their desk. You can even use seasonal goodies around the holidays to make them that much more special. Before putting together a snack box, though, make sure to ask if workers have any allergies.
Tech Accessories
Our world is run on technology, which makes gadgets a great option for employee appreciation gifts. Of course, some tech accessories are more expensive, so you just need to be mindful of your budget when it comes to gift-giving. Above all else, ensure that what you are investing in accessories that your workers will actually regularly use. You may want to consider noise-canceling headphones, a wireless ergonomic mouse, or an HD webcam. Any of these purchases can certainly help make the workplace more comfortable.
Custom 3D Pop Up Cards
Don’t just give out a plain 2D card that says “thanks for all that you do.” This doesn’t reflect or obtain the emotions that you think it does. People are much happier to receive cards that are catered to them and are visually interesting. If yours is particularly meaningful, it will find its way into a memory box or scrapbook, or even on a fireplace mantel, rather than being tossed away. Plus, custom 3D pop up cards can be sent via direct mail on their own or tucked in along with any other employee appreciation gifts.
Since the start of human civilization, and potentially even before it, gift-giving has been practiced. As a society, we have found that it acts as a powerful way to establish and reinforce connections because it illustrates how much we care about another person. Keeping that in mind, know that you don’t have to limit corporate giving to employee appreciation gifts. Extend your emotional reach toward your clients and stakeholders, as well.
