Gifting employees and clients during the holidays is a nice gesture, but it can add stress to management during an already busy time of year. The key is to land on a gift or two, with the same monetary value, that can be presented to everyone without seeming insincere or impersonal. Try one of these ideas, slightly altering each corporate holiday gift to fit the recipient.
1. Office Décor
Help employees (and clients) dress up their work space with cool accessories that fit their aesthetic. Items like potted plants, photo frames and keyboard skins are easy to mix and match for a cost-effective gift with a touch of personalization. As the new year approaches, a high-quality calendar or planner, perhaps monogrammed, is also thoughtful.
2. Travel Accessories
If a large portion of your clients and employees travel often, whether for work or pleasure, consider gifting them with travel accessories. Personalized luggage tags, leak-proof water bottles, toiletry pouches, travel journals or clip-on phone camera lenses are good options.
3. Gift Cards
If you’re responsible for holiday gifts at your company, gift cards can feel like a cop out. However, employees really like receiving gift cards they’ll definitely use: grocery stores, gas stations and local restaurants, to name a few. Put a little bit of personalization into your selection and you can’t go wrong!
4. Time Off
Adding an extra day of PTO will definitely be appreciated by employees, although it’s not easy to replicate for clients. You could also combine a half day of volunteer work with a half day of paid time off.
5. Food
Who doesn’t love good food? Instead of the traditional turkey or ham (which some of your employees may not appreciate or even eat), opt for something smaller and more universal. High quality olive oil, unique seasonings or a cookbook chosen just for them are thoughtful.
6. A Night In
Give everyone on your list what they need to create a fun night in. For some employees, this might be a few drinks, a Redbox or Netflix gift card and a fleece blanket. Young families might enjoy a new board game and a gift card to the local pizzeria. Encourage trading among employees after everyone receives their gifts, so they can build their ideal night in.
