Corporate gifts are valuable items given by a company to their clients or to their employees as a sign of gratitude. If you have not already got a corporate gift buying guide, or want to update the one you have, this corporate employers’ gift guide will help you make the right decisions for you and your business.
Gifts for employees
Unexpected gifts, when employees least expect it, will create loyalty and a higher level of satisfaction on the part of the employee than gifts to celebrate holidays. This can be a gift to mark personal milestones such as a promotion or retirement when you want to show your appreciation to your employee for their loyalty and work for your business. Look at corporateretirementgifts.com for inspiration that shows not only your appreciation to the person leaving but also the value placed on current employees. The gift should be formally wrapped, along with a handwritten note. If possible, this should be delivered personally or shipped to the business address at the right time.
When buying a gift for all employees in the company to celebrate a particular event or holiday, it is best to buy the same gift for all employees, whatever their position within the firm. This gift should be appropriate for a business environment to give the impression of professionalism, being neither too casual nor too personal.
Gifts for clients
Buying gifts for established and potential clients and other business partners can help build relationships and generate more business for the organisation. In these cases, the gift is not a marketing tool, but a simple thank you. A non-political, secular gift is required and can be something relatively small, but definitely not cheap.
Whilst gift-giving by companies has been standard practice for many for decades, you may want to be more imaginative than a diary on New Year’s Day. Gift giving around holidays may not always be the most appropriate due to diverse ethnicities and groups within the organisation. In addition, offering gifts to another business when everybody else is doing the same, does not make it special.
Once a budget is decided, give the best that you can without compromising on quality. The gift will directly impact the reputation of the business, so spend wisely but do not be cheap. While a small company logo hidden somewhere on the gift is acceptable, it is better to stay away from making the gift a marketing piece. As important as choosing the right corporate gift for your client is, do spend time and money on the wrapping too. A hugging ring with beautiful packaging is a good idea for this.
Gifts for co-workers
If you want to buy gifts for just a few of your co-workers, offer the gift outside of work hours. It is considered unusual to buy a gift for a co-worker if you do not see them outside of work hours. If you are buying for the majority of team members, include everyone on your gift list. If an employee wishes to buy a gift for a senior level employee within the company, a small card or token of appreciation is often acceptable.
Legal compliance
When buying a gift, you do not want the recipient or other employees to feel uncomfortable, but there are also compliance laws that apply to employers which state which gifts are appropriate and which are not. The company should have an agreed financial threshold for corporate gifts and should keep close to this figure. This can include meals where the gift giver and recipient are both present, but not gifts intended to influence business decisions or hint at favouritism.
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