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Looking to recognize, inspire, and retain star employees? Stumped on gift ideas for Employee Appreciation Day? A logo pen is all you need! Just kidding. We find a little levity (and coffee) can help when faced with a daunting task. When it comes to your employee recognition program, we know you can’t rely solely on a logo pen, company mug or customized tumbler to cut the mustard. Make the grade. Fill the bill. (Idioms are fun!) Recognition is about more than that.
Your program may be entirely online, peer-based, customer-based, or revenue-driven. It may recognize annually, quarterly, or on the fly. But as part of the thoughtful program you develop to reward people and actions that make your company tick, the mugs, pens, backpacks, and baseball caps (and a lot more below) serve as physical beacons pointing to the employees moving your business in the desired direction. Upward, that is.
When it comes to gift ideas for Employee Appreciation Day (which is March 6th, 2020, btw!), or just promotional gifts to show appreciation to employees all year round, there is no one-size-fits-all. Here are a few tips that will help you find rewards that work for you!
If your office is filled with introverts an action-packed team-building picnic with color-changing tumblers may not be in order. (Well, the tumblers, yes. The picnic, maybe not. We introverts appreciate ice cold beverages as much as the next guy.) When making an employee appreciation gift ideas list, focus on recognition that speaks to the individual employee and reinforces your company vibe and values.
As a promotional marketing company you can count on us to have a few branded products to recommend. But along with custom tumblers consider adding a coffee house gift card (latte on the way to work, anyone?). Bundle Bluetooth headphones with an extra day off to really bring home the “kick back, you deserve it” message. A few more ideas along these lines:
All employees who invest time in support of your corporate goals appreciate a little recognition on their birthdays. What a great opportunity to engage meaningfully with each employee! If you didn’t have time to collect gift ideas for Employee Appreciation Day or it’s just not your style, a birthday gift is always a winner. To make things easy and fun, pick a gift for each year that all employees get. This ties employees together around a mutually meaningful milestone. When looking at gifts to show appreciation to employees on their birthday, think of gifts that have wide-spread use and appeal, such as:
Whether the reward is big or small, recognizing employees is important for morale and team spirit. Make your program fast, frequent, and fun. Get as close to instant gratification as you can. Just like in consumer marketing, where each touch point leads closer to a conversion, in the case of employee recognition, each recognition or special gift leads closer to employee retention, inspiration, and commitment.
Whether it’s a full-on rewards program, gift ideas for Employee Appreciation Day, or on-hand gifts to show appreciation to employees on a spontaneous basis, maintain a budget, big or small, to keep gifts in the hopper and morale strong!
Recognition will change with your employees, your budget, and the surrounding environment. Branded hoodies in the winter may give way to wine tumblers in the summer. A massage chair one quarter may give way to deep dish pizza and ice cream sundaes the next. Keep your employees engaged by refreshing your rewards regularly.
Most importantly, pick products and services that you feel good about distributing, share them generously, and always with a smile!
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