One of the best ways to cultivate loyalty among your employees is to set up an employee recognition program.
Employees want to celebrate their milestones. Whether that’s hitting a milestone anniversary or a key performance metric, your employees want to be recognized for the good work that they’re doing.
Giving employee recognition gifts does 2 key things for your business: Build strong relationships and Creae a Positive Work Culture.
Build Strong Relationships
Did you know that the cost of hiring a new employee is about $4,000? If you have high employee churn, the cost to hire new employees, especially great ones, is going to add up quickly.
That’s why your relationships with your employees are everything. The stronger the relationship you have with your team members, the more loyal they will be to you and your business.
Create a Positive Work Culture
No one wants to go to work in a toxic environment. Having a dedicated employee recognition gifting program will create a positive work culture where people are excited to come because they know their achievements will be celebrated.
The 7 Key Ingredients to a Great Gift
Before we get into some great employee recognition gifts, we want to show you what makes a great gift.
Practical
If you give your employee a gift that they aren’t going to use, are they really going to feel appreciated? Or are they going to feel like a box that your HR department told you to check off?
A great gift is one that is going to be used at least 3-5 times per week.
Personalized
If you’re giving everyone the same generic Amazon gift card, then your sentiment is going to get lost in a sea of sameness.
A personalized gift will show your employees that you truly value their contribution to the business.
Best in Class
You do not want to compromise on quality in any way. Our test for best-in-class is this: Will your employee’s grandkids be able to use the gift you’ve given them?
Luxury
The best gifts are those that your employee will really want but probably won’t buy for themselves. For instance, I recently received a very expensive lego set as a gift. This is something that I absolutely loved, but would never have spent my own money to buy it.
Handwritten Notes
Add an extra touch of personalization with a handwritten note telling your employee exactly what you mean to them.
Include Inner Circle
Chances are you’ve asked your star employees to work nights and weekends. If you’re taking time away from their family, then a great employee gift will include the inner circle.
Continuity
Try to create a theme or pattern with your gifts. In this way, you can make sure that the customers are looking forward to getting your gift. Multiple gifts can snowball an emotional impact on your employees.
9 Employee Recognition Gifts
Here are 9 great gift ideas to recognize your employees.
Cork Pops
If the employee you’re trying to recognize is a big wine drinker, then you’ll want to consider getting them a cork pop.
With the push of a button, they’ll be able to open a bottle of wine without the fuss of a traditional wine opener.
Imagine how impressed their friends will be when they use their gift in front of them. The $20 cork pop might be your best recruiting tool.
Subscriptions
Your employees worked hard to achieve the goal you’re recognizing them for. Instead of getting them something they can use, give them a virtual experience where they can go and refresh their mind a big.
People will always be able to think back fondly on the experiences they’ve shared with their family and friends. Once again, your employees will sing your praises as they tell their friends and family about the amazing experience that you provided for them.
There are numerous companies that offer virtual experiences that can blow your team’s socks off. Everything from appreciation dinners to zoom trivia and more. Contact us 1 on one for recommendations.
Cutlery
A beautifully designed cutlery set is one of our favorite gifts to give. Your employees will use it every single day when they prepare a meal. And every time they do, they will think about what a wonderful boss you are.
An added benefit is that your employee’s spouse will also use the cutlery set every day and think fondly of you as well.
Then when you ask your employee to work the occasional late-night, their spouse will be much more understanding.
Varidesk
As more and more of your employees will be working from home, furnishing their home office with a Varidesk.
With the push of a button, your employee will have a desk that goes from a sitting position to a standing position in no time.
That way they don’t have to spend all day “sitting” at their desk.
Refresh Glass
Refresh Glass is one-of-a-kind household glassware made from recycled bottles. You can engrave each piece of glass to personalize it with your employee’s last name.
It’s highly personalized, has a killer origin story, can be used daily, and shows that you actually put some thought into your gift.
Aura Frames
How about giving your employees the gift of their most precious memories. An Aura Frame will sync up to a camera and display pictures in real-time. So your employees will get to see a running collage of curated pictures of their kids and grandkids every time they sit down at their desk to work.
Luggage
If you’re like most businesses, your employees will do a lot of traveling. In fact, 12% of all travel is done for business.
One of the best gifts you can give to your employees is a new set of luggage they can take on their work trips AND on vacation too.
The best part about a nice luggage set is that they are the perfect heirloom – meaning your employee’s family will be using it for generations to come.
Glassybaby
If you’re looking to gift your employees something that will be the center of dinner conversation and have them speak fondly of you then look no further than Glassybaby glassware.
Once again, this is one of those gifts that will not only be loved by your employee, it will also be loved by their spouse as well.
Here’s what John Hall, had this to say about GlassBaby
“I was given a Glassybaby votive from the company’s founder after we met at an event and she said she wanted to work with my company. My wife fell in love with the product and constantly mentions it to me. I’m a believer in the “Happy wife, happy life” principle, and when my wife is happy, I have warm feelings about the person who gave her that gift. I’ve worked with the founder on different projects since, and I can’t see myself ever not advocating for Glassybaby.”
LSTN Music Accessories
When your employees are in deep work, chances are they are listening to their favorite playlist.
When they are at the gym, they are probably listening to their workout playlist.
When they are going for a walk or trying to quiet their mind, they probably have a playlist for that too.
How about gifting them a beautiful zebra wood headphone set? Zebra wood not only looks amazing as part of an electronics accessory, but it is a sustainable material that is environmentally friendly.
Now, every time your employee is in deep work, they will think fondly of you fondly as the audio that is being pumped into their ears.
Other than professional consultation, there are a few general guidelines to follow with your corporate gifts for employees:
- Personalize Your Gifts: Opting for the same gift for all your employees may seem more convenient, but it’s a rookie mistake. There’s always the risk of sending the inappropriate gift to a receiver, for example, animal products-based food boards to vegans or wine bottle sets for non-alcoholics. To maximize the impact of your corporate gift (and to save your present from ending up in the trash), try to consider the recipient’s preferences, hobbies, likes, and dislikes. Other than personally curated gifts, customized presents with a handwritten note or even the recipient’s name on them are always a safe bet.
- Don’t Turn Gifts into Company Promos: The goal of a corporate gift is to thank your employees and offer a sincere gesture to show gratitude. riddled all over with the company logo. It’s natural to want to add your company name and logo to corporate gifts for employees. While a small company logo on the gift might seem harmless, it would be better if you stayed away from making your gift a marketing piece.
- Don’t Compromise on Quality: Once you start planning the corporate gifts, the first thing to do is decide on a budget. Whether you have a sizable or restrained budget, there are many great corporate gift options you can opt from without breaking the bank. It’s perfectly fine to have a limited budget, but it’s not OK to compromise on the quality of the gift. Since gifts for employees may directly impact the reputation of your company, make sure not to skimp on quality.
- Don’t Overspend: When it comes to corporate gifts, it’s easy to consider a bigger price tag to make for a better gift. But it’s always wise to consider the return on investment, even for corporate gifts you send your employees. Spend on gifts in proportion to the employee’s contribution, seniority, achievements, and quality of work to avoid it looking like a bribe.
If you’re looking for a gift to send to your employees, then contact us to set up a free consultation. We’ll make sure that your employees feel appreciated, respected, and stay loyal to you for the long term.
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