Importance of Corporate Gifting & Employee Appreciation

Employees’ Appreciation:  

To understand why employees’ appreciation is important, you should first understand what the term implies. 

Employee appreciation is the simple act of acknowledging the contributions of your employees toward your business. Every year, the first Friday of March is observed as ‘Employee Appreciation Day’ across the world. But employees’ appreciation should not be restricted to a single day, rather it should be a yearlong practice for companies. 

In a world with daily emerging jobs, and new employment opportunities, it is becoming difficult for companies to retain an employee. As it is said “A happy employee is a productive employee”, it is an utmost important task for a company to keep employees happy and satisfied. If a company cannot retain its employees, its maximum time goes wasted in the recruitment and hiring process.

 

What do employees expect?

Far from their family, employees spend major time of the day in the office, so they want a home-like environment in the office. The more comfortable they feel, the more efficiently they work. Remember, a loyal employee is an asset to the company. Employees further expect job security so they don’t have to switch jobs to earn a living. A healthy environment at the workplace plays an important role in that. 

 

Why should you appreciate employees more often?

Sometimes it’s not only the money for which a person works, sometimes people work for recognition, appreciation, and social status.

People come from different backgrounds having different mindsets. Some want money, some want fame while some might want mental, and personal growth. A good employer understands the needs and wants of workers and treats them accordingly. Sometimes an employee may want a job profile/title promotion; on the other hand, one who is facing a financial crisis might expect a monetary raise from the company. 

Appreciation builds a strong connection between an employer and an employee. There should be a perfect balance between financial as well as mental growth of the staff. Appreciation creates healthy competition in the organization and brings the best out of the employees. 

 

Importance of corporate gifting: 

Words work the best! But not all the time, it is a company’s responsibility to award honest employees with cash or in-kind now and then. Appreciation and gifting are both equally important for a good business. A smart employer knows how to make a good balance between both. 

 

Why should gifting be a ritual in your company?

Some words like FREE, GIFT, BONUS, etc. have a very high psychological impact on the human mind. One would never say no to a freebie even if one doesn’t need it. If you give them gifts, and awards they feel motivated and will put in their blood, sweat, and tears to the company.

 

 

A case study for a better understanding of employee recognition’s relevance 

Great Place to Work-Certified™ company O.C. Tanner studied about the employee engagement at workplace and company manager’s role in its promotion. 

An employee survey included the question, "What is the most important thing that your manager or company currently does that would cause you to produce great work?" 

Respondents were allowed to answer in their own words, resulting in a variety of responses. “More personal recognition would encourage them to produce better work more often”, implied the majority of answers. 

Personal recognition was the most common factor among all the factors including freedom at work and inspiration. The study showed that affirmation, feedback, and reward are most effective for motivating employees to do their best work.

 

Benefits of employee recognition 

Employee appreciation is a fundamental human need. When employees feel recognized for their individual contributions, they will be able to connect to work, team, and organization as a whole.

Here are a few other benefits of employee recognition and corporate gifting:

• Increased productivity and output

• Decreased employee turnover i.e., employees will be less likely to quit the job to grab another one.

• Greater employee satisfaction and contentment in the workplace

• Improved team culture, since workers in big organizations hardly get in touch with their co-workers in different departments, while through this process, they get to know each other.

• Higher loyalty and satisfaction scores from customers. Clients not only know a company by its employer, but they also build a personal connection with employees over time. A company with grassroots employees earns comparatively greater trust from clients, and customers.

• Increased retention of quality employees

• Decreased stress and absenteeism 

 

Have a look at some more case studies:

• A Chennai-based company named Ideas2IT gifted 100 Maruti Suzuki cars to 100 employees to thank and motivate its hard working employees. The company gave cars to employees who were a part of the firm for more than 10 years. It not only boosted the confidence among employees but also encouraged their working spirit.

• In another similar instance, as a 'thank you' gesture for working through the Coronavirus pandemic, a British recruitment agency Yolk Recruitment offered its staff a holiday. The recruitment company based in Cardiff took everyone i.e., its 55 staff members and “not just the top billers”, to Tenerife, Spain. 

• Another Chennai-based software-as-a-service company Kissflow Inc set the example by gifting five employees BMW 530d cars worth over Rs 1 crore each for their loyalty to the company.

 

Gift ideas for employees

Here are some cool gift ideas for your dedicated staff: 

1) Laptop/Tablet: Laptops, tablets, or other similar electronic gadgets are the best options if you are an IT firm, accounting agency, e-portal, or website development company. 

2) Customized merchandise: Customized clothes that complement your profession. Some quirky graphic tee if you are a creative ad agency or something similar. Dull color with minimal design shirt if you are a service providing company like a hospital, school, etc. 

3) Electric Gadgets: If you keep your employees occupied in frequent meetings, and work calls then you definitely owe them electronic gadgets like air pods, Bluetooth, or headphones depending on what they lack.  

4) Fashion products: If good looks are what your work demands, then you should undoubtedly go for makeup kits, bags, jewelry, or something that suits best to your profession. 

5) Novelty items: Photo printed mugs, keychains, and backpacks with your company’s logo on them. It will serve two purposes; making employees happy and company marketing at the same.

6) Chocolates/ sweets: Who doesn’t like chocolates, right? Chocolates and celebration packs are never a bad option to elevate employees’ mood and zeal to work. In some cases, chocolates can be replaced with sweets or dry fruits.  

7) Fun Desk Items: If you’re looking to create a sense of fun and whimsy in your office, a fun desk item is a perfect place to start. Mug warmers and coffee cups, board games for the common area, mind games such as word scramble or Rubik’s cube, and even wellness items like salt lamps or stress balls should serve the purpose. 

8) Gift of wellness: It can include a free healthy food subscription, an onsite gym or membership to a local gym, employee health and fitness mobile application. 

9) Office Essentials: Employees spend a considerable amount of time in their offices. So, giving them the best quality office essentials is an excellent idea. A basket containing digital organizer, engraved metal pen, notebook, journal, pen drive, visiting card holder, memory card etc. would be a great choice of gift. 

10) Table essentials: Give writing journals, custom stainless steel water bottles, photo frames, portable phone chargers, Bluetooth speakers, laptop bags, file carriers, etc. 

11) Books: If your company has bibliophile employees, no gift will please them as much as books do. Sponsor them with books of their choice or provide them free membership of a local library or virtual library like kindle. 

12) OTT platforms subscription: This might sound weird but works the best. With the rising craze of web series and OTT shows, an annual or monthly subscription to platforms like Netflix might do wonders. 

 

Pro-tip: Present to employees should suit your profession, it should ideally complement your brand and company’s title.  

 

Here are some other ways to keep your staff’s morale high: 

• Free lunches: No lunch is free in this world, but those who work hard, deserve the one. Work cannot be done on an empty stomach. You cannot focus on work if your tummy is growling. So, at times offering lunch, and snacks or throwing a small party do no harm.

• Free trips: Never forget, your hard-earned money is because of your hard-working employees. Your employee is not going anywhere if you keep treating him/her with a yearly trip.

• Health Cover: Mediclaim, insurance of workers and their kin. If you can’t give them monetary benefits, give them something equally important i.e., health. After all, “Health is wealth”.

• Giving vouchers and coupons are also a good option to award your faithful staff. Going to concerts or movies with workers helps in building a better relationship with them.

• Job security: If an employee has the security of the job, he puts his full focus on performance instead of focusing on how to survive in the job. A company with less employee turnover rate has workers with high self-esteem, who perform to their maximum potential. 

• Award ceremonies: Organize timely ceremonies to felicitate deserving employees and give them recognition, it motivates them to give their level best. 

Now you know why corporate gifting is so important, so get started on and give your dedicated staff a token of love. ‘Creative Dukaan’ has the best gift collection for clients and employees at affordable prices.