As much as you may appreciate your employees, corporate holiday gifting can be tough. Employee gifts can help convey your appreciation and even help boost retention, but it all depends on finding the perfect gift that can have broad appeal, even in a culturally diverse company.
If you’ve been tasked with purchasing employee holiday gifts for your company, here are some tips that will help answer your biggest questions around holiday gifting to ensure success.
Is This Something Most Companies Do?
The trend for employee gift-giving is on the rise, and many employees expect some kind of holiday gift from their employers. In 2018, an ASI Corporate Gift Giving Study showed that 42 percent of employers plan to give a gift to workers, up 2 percent from the previous year.
But maybe the most important consideration in whether to give employee holiday gifts is the impact it will have on your employees’ motivation. In a survey by Murphy Research, 86 percent of employees surveyed said a holiday gift from their employer “makes them feel valued,” which is more than any other reward type, and 70 percent of employees said receiving a holiday gift “makes them work harder.” If these are outcomes your business would like to see, then the investment in holiday gifting is very worthwhile.
How Much Should You Spend?
There’s no definitive answer here. The size of your company, how well your business did this year, and the role of an employee in the company can all play into this decision. What we can tell you, though, is that 10 percent of companies spent more on holiday gifting in 2018 than they did the year before.
Improve Employee Wellness With Wearables
White Paper
Get your free guide to using wearables to help keep your employees healthy, present and productive. Download Now
You may decide to spend at different levels for different employees or you may decide to be equitable to all. Whatever your approach, finding a gift that hits the sweet spot — nice enough to make the employee feel valued, but not so expensive that it breaks the bank — is ideal.
Are There Any Gifts You Should Stay Away From Giving?
Gifting to employees is a little different than gifting to family and friends. Stay away from anything that could be seen as too personal and stick with general interests. Avoid religious or culturally specific gifts as these could quickly cause offense and be seen as insensitive. And proceed with caution when it comes to gifting food baskets and other edible items as employees may have medical, religious or lifestyle reasons they can’t eat certain foods.
What Makes the Best Corporate Gift?
To reflect true appreciation, you want to give a gift that feels like you put some thought into it and can provide value to your employee for both business and pleasure. That may seem like a tough line to tow, but one gift that hits the mark? Smartwatches.
Giving any kind of jewelry or watch feels much more personal than a company sweatshirt or a gift card to a chain restaurant. It also hits that sweet spot of feeling exclusive and appreciative without being too expensive. But more importantly, it’s a gift your employees will appreciate both at work and at home.
The Samsung Galaxy Watch Active, for instance, helps employees improve their productivity at work by allowing them to quickly see SMS messages and emails by glancing at their wrist, or to add meetings to their calendar through speaking into their smartwatches. At the same time, it can be used by employees in their personal life to track fitness goals, manage their health, or view personal text messages or emails when their hands are tied up putting the groceries away or cooking dinner.
Whatever gift you decide to give, make sure you spend the time to find a gift that is thoughtful and truly shows your employees you value the hard work they’ve invested in your company all year long.
Interested in learning more about purchasing Samsung Galaxy smartwatches for your holiday gifting program? Connect with a consultant today.
