Employee Appreciation – 6 Things To Keep In Mind When Selecting Gifts For Your Staff

Photo: RODNAE Productions/Pexels

Everyone wants to feel valued for their contribution. A staff member who feels appreciated is more likely to be satisfied with their role, be productive at work, and feel engaged with their colleagues and the company. Employee recognition covers a broad spectrum of things, from a quick word of appreciation in the hallway to receiving promotional corporate gifts or getting a pay rise for consistently smashing targets and KPIs. The following six tips will help you select the ideal gifts for your employees: 

Have a Consistent Strategy

Whichever method you choose to demonstrate your appreciation, it is essential to be consistent. Try to avoid going out there with a half-baked plan that you implement for a few weeks before getting distracted and letting the idea get swept away like last night’s trash. Instead, cement employee recognition into your regular to-do list.

Consider Sustainability

There is a strong movement towards minimalism and reducing the strain on our planet’s resources. Keep this in mind when you are selecting gifts. Rather than giving them a balloon that will deflate and end up in landfill, you could purchase something edible like their favorite cookies. 

Another option is to be intentional with your purchasing decisions by buying locally, choosing renewable materials, and considering product lifecycle sustainability. Is the gift recyclable? Compostable? Does it come with excess packaging?

Make it Meaningful

It is excellent to reward people for hitting their targets and selling lots of products. However, it’s also important to keep in mind that every team has unsung heroes who are always willing to train the newbie, stay late to help get a project over the finish line, or volunteer at a fundraising BBQ. 

Your employee appreciation program should ideally cover different types of contributions and achievements so that an intern, an assistant, or a sales director can all be recognized based on their efforts.

Recognition Matters

It is always lovely to publicly acknowledge someone’s hard work. You could announce significant achievements in your team meeting each week. Or how about including them in the monthly team newsletter? Add it to the website, your email signatures, or the signboard out the front of the office or shop front. Alternatively, you could go with the tried and tested method of popping a photo of your “employee of the month” in the company’s reception area or near the front counter.

Gifts Don’t Need to Be Physical

Remember, you don’t need to buy physical gifts. You could choose to order everyone’s favorite take-out for lunch, shout the team to a round of drinks to celebrate a win, or organize a team-building day out doing something fun. Think outside the square with ideas such as riding segways, a day out sailing, an escape room challenge, or a paint and sip class.

Get Them Involved

If you are struggling to come up with ideas, why not ask your team who should be recognized and how they should be rewarded? They could nominate a staff member each week or month that has gone above and beyond to help another team member, exceed a customer’s expectations, or live the company values. People will appreciate being involved, and the very act of asking for their opinion will make them feel heard and special.

Remember, your staff members make your business what it is today, and you couldn’t operate without them. A thoughtful word, gesture, or gift goes a long way toward boosting team morale and keeping your employees motivated and engaged.