Employees are the life blood of any business. They deserve our thanks for the long hours and hard work they put in so that they can further their careers, provide for their families, and makes some money. Because of this, it is up to their employers to provide with employee appreciation gifts.
But, how does one know what kind of gift to get. Well, that requires a bit of research and thoughtfulness. This article will explain the ins and outs of employee appreciation gifts. Let’s get started!
Why Give an Employee Appreciation Gift?
An employee appreciation gift is an important part of the business experience. They deserve an award for completing tasks or being successful in a large project. By not recognizing and rewarding employees for their work, you lower their moral and they will not feel appreciated. Then, that leads to them leaving your business for the competition. Simply, don’t be a jerk and appreciate them. Otherwise, you don’t have any business running a company.
Gift Ideas
As stated above, a gift for the employee needs to be personable and something that they will actually like. Consider the following options for employees:
Additional Resources
While it does not sound very thoughtful, think about it. Ask your employees what kind of things that they need to make their jobs better or easier at completing tasks. Once they deserve a reward, provide them with better resources or just more so that they have the tools they need to complete their tasks.
By granting additional resources, you are ensuring that your employees can do their job. It makes you look better because of you listening to their needs and providing them with a solution.
Catered Lunches
When the team scores big on a large project, celebrate with a catered lunch. Don’t be stingy and provide just some fast food. Instead, use some of the money that the business has and give them a nice selection that they can all share.
Of course, you don’t want to be exclusive, pay attention to your employee’s dietary needs so that everyone can enjoy something. Plus, having these celebratory lunches is a great way to build up the workplace culture.
One-On-One Time
When you spot a hardworking employee who is eager to rise through the corporate ladder, consider a different appreciation gift for them. Having a personal meeting like over lunch is a great gift that can be quite thoughtful to some people. An employee who wants to get into leadership roles would be delighted to spend personal time with high-level executives. That way, the employee can gain some valuable insight and the senior executives have a potential candidate for their replacement.
More Vacation Time
A great reward idea that many employees would enjoy is gaining some more vacation time. For some, employees have to use up their vacation days because of sickness, accidents, or other unforeseeable life events. By gaining more additional vacation time, they can utilize that time for relaxation or for whatever emergency that springs up.
Bonuses
Perhaps the greatest gift of all would be a bonus. Let’s face it, we all need money to get through life and a lot of the time, additional money can be a big help to an employee. Consider all the reasons why more money can make an employee quite happy:
- Paying off bills (mortgage, gas, car, phone, etc)
- Saving up to move
- Groceries
- Buying something that they desire
- Paying off loans
- Investing
- New things for home
- An outing with friends or family
- and more
Not everyone is fortunate enough to not worry about their financial situation. By adding on a bonus for a job well done, it gives the employees a lot of relief for them.
Providing Snacks and Drinks
After a hard days work, it can be nice to get a little snack and drink for a job well done. Consider what is going on in life to give out an appropriate snack and drink. For one example, if it is chilly out, go buy some hot chocolate for everyone. Or, if its super hot out, provide ice cream or popsicles.
Sometimes, just the little things like that can be such a moral booster for some employees.
Conclusion
Employee appreciation gifts are a must have for every corporation. Treating your employees to a deserved reward is a win-win situation. By listening and providing to their needs, you gain loyalty and retention in return as well as having tasks being completed.
It is the right thing to do. It is ethical and just and by not doing it, you just set yourself up for failure and the reputation of being an uncaring, cruddy boss. Or, you can have employees who have a great workplace culture, enjoy the job and you. Now, which sounds better?
