You Won’t Believe How These 5 Genius Tips Revolutionize Employee Gifting!

Since the pandemic, companies have had to significantly change their employee engagement manuals to support changing business environments. As many companies were forced to shift to remote or hybrid workforces, employees took the opportunity to rethink their company positioning, overall job satisfaction, and personal needs.

According to the ADP Research Institute, the Covid-19 pandemic prompted the realization of the total package of what workers want, from aligning with company values ​​to achieving work-life balance, job satisfaction and security to better pay and advancement in the race.

Business leaders are now finding that they can engage employees to increase loyalty and retention by having a thoughtful and well-planned corporate gifting strategy. In 2021, the importance of corporate gifts It started to catch on as 39% of companies worked to increase their corporate gift budgets, and the corporate gift market is expected to reach $312 billion in the next two years.

This article serves as a how-to guide offering beneficial advice for business leaders and professionals looking to improve the efficiency of their employee gift programs. Personalization and careful selection of employee gifts are essential in the modern business world, particularly when it comes to boosting employee morale and engagement in the post-pandemic era. Here we provide some specific strategies and tools to streamline your company’s gifting process and enable the creation of a seamless and meaningful employee experience.

1. Make a good first impression

When it comes to making your employees feel valued and motivated in their roles, it’s important to start the onboarding process on day one. The key is to make new team members feel at home and comfortable in the workplace while demonstrating the shared values ​​they resonate with to move in the right direction.

To achieve high standards of excellence as a business leader, it is essential to foster an intentional and innovative attitude. work culture that supports continuous improvement and employee engagement. Starting or ending the onboarding process with a practical gift to new hires will not only engage them in their first few weeks on the job, but also support them in their role along the way.

To create a more meaningful onboarding experience, some companies choose to send out new hire packages or promotional packages that add a personalized touch. In a recent Forbes article, the CEO and co-founder of Coolperx highlights the importance of incorporating gifts that are well aligned with the culture and vision of the company. With this, less is more when it comes to quality gifts. Even with a modest budget, a small, high-quality token will make a new employee feel like they made the right decision in accepting the position at your company.

2. Build strong working relationships

Having a good working relationship between managers and employees ensures that operations run smoothly with greater collaboration and less conflict in the workplace. Furthermore, it provides an opportunity for employers and leaders to get to know each employee. Over time, managers will have a better interpersonal understanding of each employee as an individual. This will make it easy to create or select personalized gifts throughout the year.

According KPI Institute, more than 50% of corporate gifts have included making gifts more memorable and personalized to suit the recipient. This doesn’t just include managers taking the time to create and hand out handwritten cards to each employee on holidays or recognition days. It also means selecting personalized employee gifts from unique and trusted vendors.

One company making strides in helping businesses connect with their employees is Spoonful of Comfort, a custom gifts brand that focuses on nurturing relationships. Founder Marti Wymer and her team have created a successful loyalty service that has shipped millions of exclusive comfort food packages that can include personalized notes and items for corporate occasions. Not only this, but their corporate gift section allows businesses to set up a free corporate account on their website for wholesale orders. They can also use this for “catered” work-from-home meals, and more, for a streamlined overall ordering and receiving process.

3. Try automatic employee gifts

It doesn’t have to be as impersonal as it sounds. While gifts are automated, your gift selections will not be. And he shows that he is interested in the long term with his employees and appreciates them on this journey together.

The future of employee gifts shows us that the premium corporate gift market it is growing significantly, and experts expect a CAGR of 3.01% over the next five years. Automatic employee gifts have increasingly become a popular trend among employers and companies. This is mainly due to its ability to reduce departmental workload and conserve human capital for other projects.

while the phrase automated gift delivery It may not sound ideal, companies like Ongoody and Blueboard are proving that investing in corporate gifts and employee rewards can effectively improve employee retention rates. Since you’ve already built a strong working relationship with your employees, getting to know their preferences and personality, you’ve already been equipped with the building blocks to easily find gifts they’ll love.

With saving time In mind, this knowledge will help you decide which online gifting platform is the best fit for your business. Plus, you no longer have to worry about last-minute gifts for birthdays and anniversaries. With the help of a scheduling platform, like Smart Campaign, you can schedule dates to send gift cards or gifts with a thoughtful and personal message.

4. Establish a recognition program

We’ve already talked about building relationships with each company employee and how getting to know them can help you find the right personalized gifts. He ITA Group has taken this idea a step further by encouraging companies to reinvigorate the employee recognition experience by creating a personalization strategy roadmap and mapping employee personas to understand motivators and pain points.

Companies that spend the time and energy to develop a strong employee recognition program will reap the rewards of a more unified company culture where employees feel motivated and have a sense of purpose. Studies They have also shown that implementing employee recognition programs has the ability to reduce workforce burnout and improve turnover rates by more than 50 percent. experts from Forbes Also keep in mind how important employee recognition is in today’s job market, because it instills critical leadership skills that result in higher productivity and morale.

Items to consider including:

But what makes a recognition program positive and attractive? First, consider why you are developing the recognition program and what you intend to achieve. Just like a marketing plan, you need to think about your SMART goals and objectives. Additionally, you’ll want to consider what kind of employee behavior you envision in order to achieve the company’s mission.

Next, use different methods to collect feedback on the current recognition program. This could be as simple as sending out a survey to employees, executive teams, or human resources. This would help identify what will define a happy and productive workforce. Alternatively, discuss the thoughts during individual or departmental meetings. While employees can provide a greater understanding of their personal needs and expectations, Human Resources will determine the key performance indicators (KPIs) for the program. Executives can then ensure that the program aligns with the company’s values, budget, and program parameters.

According to the Society for Human Resource Management, employers must include an annual evaluation process to make updates as needed and keep employees interested in the program. As a result, this will keep them motivated to go further in their work. If your employee recognition program is falling flatperiodic reviews and program evaluations will provide insight into the cause.

5. Create a pop-up store

Along with developing an employee recognition program, consider hosting in-house or online pop-up stores. Or consider other employee incentive events. industry insights Suggest that having multiple recognition and reward elements in your program encourages different levels of work ethic and loyalty. They can also be easily adapted to suit company goals and employee needs, as they inevitably change over time.

This is a great way to also support community businesses that can provide high-quality, local giveaways that fit your strategy and budget. Private online pop-up stores like Neighborly Gifts are one example of curating locally curated products and services for your employees to choose from. Alternatively, partner with local businesses and restaurants to celebrate in person pop up shops or other incentive events throughout the year.

These events can also be great opportunities to give regular recognition to your employees and entire teams. You can achieve this with fun announcements and monthly newsletters. But pop-up stores also give you the opportunity to give employees and teams coupons that provide special discounts and free items on valuable rewards. As a result, these short-term physical stores will not only increase employee engagement and satisfaction, you will also be able to build brand and product awareness for the company.

concluding thoughts

Giving employees gifts isn’t simply about showing appreciation across the board. It’s about creating personal and lasting connections with the people who help run your business. Simplifying the art of employee gifting at your company boils down to being prepared. And it all comes down to knowing your employees from the very beginning of the company-employee relationship. By being consistent and considerate in the way you make employees feel appreciated, your company will reap the benefits of a loyal and productive workforce for the long term.

Featured Image Credit: RDNE Stock Project; pixels; Thank you.

The charge The Art of Employee Gifting: 5 Ways to Streamline the Process first appeared in Calendar.