Due to increasing concerns and awareness regarding inappropriate behavior in the workplace, office dynamics are more complicated than ever before. Say the wrong thing and you can not only be fired, but sued, and perhaps jailed.
From the employer’s standpoint, there is also the looming matter of discrimination. You gave this great gift to one set of employees but didn’t make it available to another. Instead of creating an incentive for everyone, you have created a crisis of morale.
That said, you can’t just stop giving gifts. You just have to become better at working within the changing system. There is still an important role for workplace gifts to play. We still need signing incentives, sales spiffs, and special awards for big accomplishments.
Unfortunately, many business owners are just not good at gift-giving, whether from the top down or from one coworker to another. There is a certain awkwardness that is difficult to overcome. The best way to overcome it is through practice. Here are a few tips that will make you a much better office gift-giver:
Holiday Meals
We don’t all like eating the same things. But we all like to eat. Sure, we have to eat. But we also enjoy it, sometimes a bit too much for our own good.
Once you learn a little about what a person likes and their dietary restrictions, gift-giving gets a whole lot easier. That is certainly the philosophy of the people behind Perfect Feast Corporate Gifts. And they are not the only people who have made a business of providing food items as gifts.
A holiday turkey is inexpensive enough to give as a corporate gift to everyone in the office. They will appreciate it because they were all going to buy one anyway. It would likely be a welcome addition to any holiday meal they were already planning. Gifts that save a person time and money are always appreciated.
Home Automation and Home Assistants
The lady in a can phenomenon is sweeping the nation. All of the big companies are racing to create those personal assistant speakers that you plant around the house and ask to set timers.
Everyone can already do this with their smartphone. But for some reason, they love the experience of using the Google Home or Amazon Echo.
The good news is that these devices are cheap (probably part of the appeal). And it doesn’t matter if someone already has one. If they have more than one room in the house, they are probably going to need another.
Smart home devices are another great gift idea because there is no such thing as enough of these gadgets. Once you get a smart bulb, you will need another. And of course, every plug will eventually need to be a smart plug.
The only thing to consider is the platform. Some devices work well with all of the platforms. But if a person has Apple products, make sure the gift is HomeKit compatible. If they are in an Android ecosystem, get devices that work with that system.
Tickets to a Sports Event
Everyone loves to go to a ball game, even the people who don’t like sports. There is something special about going to a live event. The games come alive in a way that doesn’t happen on TV.
When you give tickets for two to a sporting event, you are not only making the employee feel special, you are doing it in a tangible way that they can show their significant other. Not only do you think they are a pretty big deal, so does their partner.
You can get the same bang for the buck with gift certificates to a nice restaurant. It does the same trick of giving your valued employee a chance to show how well her work is appreciated. It is more likely that an employee will be happy with her job when the whole family is happy with her job.
Office gift-giving is an important part of office life that doesn’t have to be awkward. Whether it’s for someone’s birthday or to brighten up a sick employee, giving gifts is sure to encourage employee engagement. Give the gift of a holiday meal, because everyone likes to eat. Give home automation and assistants because everyone is dying to try them out. Finally, give the kind of gift that a person can share. Because appreciation is better when shared.
