Almost everyone likes to receive gifts, irrespective of who the individual is. The delight of giving a gift is greatest when your receiver is happy with it. But knowing and finding the right gift that’s within your budget and will delight the receiver is a task easier said than done. When it’s a corporate gift, the choice may be a little more difficult. Your gift should be able to encourage a more meaningful connection between the employee and management and build morale within the company. However, it doesn’t mean you should focus just on getting expensive gifts. The key is to select the right gift that’s thoughtful and makes your employees understand how the company appreciates their work.

If you’re worried about finding suitable corporate gifts, these top five tips could help:

1. Opt for personalized gifts

Generic gifts often give the impression that not much effort or thought has gone into the process. An effective alternative is to personalize a gift by embossing or engraving the receiver’s name on the item or attaching a small note of appreciation, which will create a big difference. Such personalization will let your employees know that you want to recognize and appreciate what they have been doing for the company. Such a gesture will motivate the receivers to continue with their good work and encourage others to try their best and compete to get their names on the list of contenders for receiving gifts the next time around.

2. Choose something practical

Instead of sticking to the boring routine of gifting pens or diaries, or other flashy gifts that may create instantaneous excitement, you should select something more practical. For instance, gifts like electronic items (pen drive, digital storage device, etc.), specialized kitchen utensils, or even customized experiences from your partner companies would be appreciated and talked about in the long run. Instead of choosing gifts that can be stored in a drawer and forgotten about, you should focus on what your employees will find functional and use that knowledge to guide you in your gift buying process.

3. Invest in long-lasting gifts

Disposable gifts are used quickly and then forgotten about. Such gifts are good when you’re gifting with no obvious intention. But when you want to say thanks, appreciate an employee, or celebrate achieving a significant professional milestone, picking something long-lasting would be better. It doesn’t mean you should get a plaque that sits on the employee’s desk or wall collecting dust. Instead, something like a branded watch, a piece of ornament, or a monthly subscription of gift baskets for a year (that you can pay for once and forget about) would be a prudent choice. Such gifts can be shown around the office and even become a topic of conversation while reminding your employees of your generosity and thoughtfulness. When you invest in long-lasting gifts, you end up making your employees feel wanted and appreciated, which breeds company loyalty and reduces employee turnover.

4. Keep an eye on your budget

Since buying gifts has a financial impact, you should have a budget in place for such items and stick to it. Splurging on luxury items may make your employees feel elated, but if it causes your gifting budget to go haywire, it will put a significant dent in your company’s finances. However, it doesn’t mean you should act miserly. You can still be generous within the limits of a realistic budget by knowing the amount you can spend on gifts. Once you have the budgetary details, you can seek quotations from different suppliers, compare prices, and see if bulk buying can get you some discounts. The key is to chalk out a gift budget, have the details handy, and then try to get the optimum value of every euro spent.

5. Surprise by giving gifts unexpectedly

Most companies give gifts to their employees at fairly predictable times, for example, at Christmas or the New Year. Though employees will surely appreciate the gesture, giving gifts during these times, when your recipients are likely to get several other gifts too, may make your items get buried under the pile of other gifts. Not sure what you should do? The answer is simple – don’t just gift only on special occasions or holidays. Instead, bring a surprise element to your gift-giving process. For instance, you can surprise your employees by giving out gifts on their birthdays, wedding or work anniversaries, completion of a company or project milestone, etc.  

Lastly, you should give attention to the gift’s packaging. How the gift is given is often equally important, if not more than the gift itself. Even an expensive item packed inappropriately could decrease the overall value of your gift and disappoint the recipient. So, select appropriate gifts and get them packed the right way to impress your employees and breed loyalty and gratitude toward the company.

Thank you for reading,

InHunt World

At InHunt World we assist International companies growing abroad.

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