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As it’s the holiday season and people are gearing up to celebrate Christmas and the New Year, employers are busy worrying about what to gift their employees. Gift-giving is a delicate art because you must strike the right balance between professionalism and thoughtfulness.
Though you can always go for predictable gifts like t-shirts with the company logo or printed key chains, pens, and coffee mugs, they are hardly awesome. Since your employees are the biggest asset of your company, gifts you choose for them should include things they will find useful. At the same time, the gifts should make them feel appreciated and recognised.
But there’s a problem: finding cool gifts that will be appreciated by employees and would fit the predetermined budget!
Though the job may feel easy, it’s surprisingly tough in reality. If you are hitting a roadblock when trying to zero in on some amazing holiday gift ideas for employees on a limited budget, we have the right solution.
Five Holiday Gift Ideas to Make a Big Impact
1. Personalised Gifts
Gifting personalised gift baskets full of goodies like gourmet coffee or tea, snacks, chocolates, or other treats are the ideal solution during the festive season. By personalising the gift basket to the specific employee’s preferences, if possible (say, by including the favourite brand of tea or coffee, vegan snacks, etc.), you can make the gift more thoughtful.
You could even gift customised office supplies, such as pens or mugs with the employee’s name engraved on them or journals with appreciation quotes to show you appreciate the contribution these people are making to your company.
2. Experiences
Maya Angelou once said: People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.
You can take inspiration from these words and gift an experience to your employees. For instance, if some of your employee love coffee, you can organise a coffee brewing session for them or send them to a gourmet coffee-making workshop instead of gifting them a pack of coffee beans.
On a similar note, gifting a sports enthusiast a ticket to a sporting event or a music lover a ticket to his/her favourite singer’s concert can ensure your people have a good time and make lifelong memories. In case you don’t know their likes and preferences well, a standard gift like a spa session can make for an amazing holiday gift.
3. Gift Cards
Are there parents or pet owners among your employees? If yes, giving them gift cards for babysitting or pet sitting can help them enjoy a break from their monotonous routine. You could even give them gift cards to their favourite theatre, online retailer, restaurant, or physical store to let them choose their own gifts. Gift cards for spa treatments, fitness memberships, or recreational activities are other holiday gift ideas worth exploring.
Gift cards offer your employees the flexibility and freedom to choose something they like, thus ensuring they will use it. It will also make them remember your gift for a long time to come.
4. Charitable Donations
If you want to show your appreciation for employees and encourage a culture of giving by supporting the causes close to your employees’ hearts, making a donation to an organisation of your employees’ choice and in their name will be an excellent gesture.
You can seek names of charities your employees care about most and donate money to them during the holidays. This will show your employees you support the causes they care about and help you give back to the community, which can boost your personal brand.
5. Subscription Services
If you want to foster healthy habits in your employees, gifting them subscriptions to a fitness class, yoga sessions, a nearby gym, or a mindfulness app can be a great holiday gift. If you have foodies or beverage lovers among your employees, you may consider gifting them a monthly subscription for the delivery of gourmet coffee, tea, snacks, or baking goods.
An audiobook subscription (like Audible) for book lovers, a subscription to paid courses for professional growth, or a subscription to an OTT platform (Netflix, Amazon Prime, HBO Max, or Apple TV+, for instance) are other holiday gift ideas for employees worth considering to add some fun and festive cheer to their holidays.
Final Words
This holiday season, make sure to show your appreciation for your employees by gifting them some thoughtful gifts that they will love to receive and look forward to using. From personalised gifts and tailored experiences to gift cards, donations made to your employees’ chosen charitable organisations, and subscription services, there are various ways to make your gifts count and spread the festive cheer around.
Here’s wishing everyone Happy Holidays from the InHunt World family!
This article was written by Sonali