Are your employees happy to be at work—or do they watch the clock and wait for the day to be over? While it’s true that everyone has good and bad days at work, as a manager or business owner, it’s up to you to cultivate your company’s culture. However, only three in ten U.S. employees feel praised or acknowledged for their contributions.
So, how can you create a positive work environment for your employees? One effective way is through useful gifts for your employees.
Appreciation Builds a Positive Workplace
Recognizing your staff by prioritizing useful gifts for employees is a powerful way to grow a positive workplace culture. Research shows that when team members feel valued, they’re 3.6 times more likely to be actively involved and motivated at work. Plus, employees who are motivated to perform and be their best create a ripple effect of positivity that can benefit the entire organization.
Gifting Can Improve Workplace Relationships
Gifts are a great way to give your employees the recognition they need and deserve. Imagine if each of your employees received small gifts throughout the year to thank them for their hard work and dedication. On one hand, it might sound like a lot of work. However, the extra effort reaps these amazing benefits:
1. Enhance Performance
Receiving a thoughtful gift as a token of appreciation can have an incredibly positive impact on employees. It shows that their hard work is noticed and valued, and they become motivated to continue performing at their very best.
Plus, when one employee receives a gift, it can inspire others to work harder and strive for recognition as well. (Who doesn’t love a little friendly competition?)
2. Improve Employee Retention
In today’s competitive job market, retaining top talent is essential for the success of any organization. Recognizing and rewarding employees through gifts can make them feel valued and appreciated, increasing their loyalty towards the company.
3. Boost Team Morale
When your teammate hypes you up on a Friday afternoon and tells you how great of a job you did that week, it feels pretty darn good. Imagine that same feeling multiplied when your entire team is individually recognized for their hard work and dedication with thoughtful gifts.
There’s just something special about receiving a tangible token of appreciation that can lift spirits and boost morale within the team.
4. Encourage Innovation and Creativity
To gain appreciation for their hard work, employees will be encouraged to think outside of the box and come up with new ideas and solutions. Recognition through gifts or rewards is a great motivator to continue pushing boundaries and thinking creatively.
When Is the Right Time to Send Gifts?
Despite popular belief, employee gifting should be more than just a Christmas bonus. Your employees have an entire life outside work, including anniversaries, family occasions, and personal milestones. These are all great opportunities to show your appreciation through thoughtful gifts.
How to Choose the Right Gift for Your Employee
When it comes to gifting, it’s essential to remember that this is a gift for an actual person with likes, hobbies, and interests. Avoid generic gifts or something that looks like an afterthought. And this might be controversial, but avoid sending only company swag as a “gift.” Instead, take the time to select a gift that shows you appreciate your employee as an individual.
The key is to choose genuinely useful gifts for employees. At Lemonade Stand, we’ve made it a point to get creative and intentional with our employee gifts. Here are a few examples of useful gifts our Director of Happiness has sent to Lemonade Stand employees:
- A month subscription to HelloFresh for new parents.
- A gas gift card for someone going on a trip.
- Personalized golf balls for a team member who loves golf.
- A Build-A-Bear for an employee’s child’s birthday.
- $1000 gift card to IKEA to help a team member who lost personal belongings and furniture in flooding.
Send Useful Gifts for Employees Using Build Then Bless
What if we told you that we developed the perfect culture operating system to keep track of your employee gifts?
Build Then Bless empowers employees to showcase their hobbies and interests on their profiles, giving the culture team valuable insights when choosing personalized gifts. The platform also tracks the last time an employee was recognized or received a gift, ensuring fair and consistent appreciation across the team.
Additionally, employees can nominate coworkers for gifts, making it easy to celebrate and acknowledge contributions when they’re deserved.
Learn More About Build Then Bless Today!
Not only does Build Then Bless take the guesswork out of useful gifts for employees, but it also promotes a culture of thoughtfulness and care. Ready to see how Build Then Bless can enhance your company’s employee appreciation efforts? Check out our website for more information!
