Good will gifting | Incentive & Motivation

Christmas is traditionally the time of year when we thank clients and staff for their contributions to the business. Throwing a Christmas party for staff can be a great way of thanking them for their hard work and allowing them to relax and catch up outside the work environment.

Beware, there will always be someone who doesn’t like the food and usually one that gets too drunk and tells the boss exactly what they think of them. The season of goodwill doesn’t stretch to disgruntled employees.

BEARING GIFTS

Another way of thanking staff and clients is by way of gifting: I mean who doesn’t like a gift at any time of year? Well, Corporate Governance departments for starters! One of the defining factors of gifting nowadays has been the monitoring of gift giving and the way gifts offered and being accepted are now viewed in the corporate world. We work with now has strict rules on what employees can and can’t accept with monetary value often being the deciding factor. Of course this type of monitoring system still relies on the integrity of the recipient to declare any gift above a certain
value or face the potential gross misconduct
of not declaring a gift.

MODEST AND APPROPRIATE

With the gifting guidelines has come a level of appropriateness to gifts; luxury brands are much less likely to be used as the values are too high to justify, and trips abroad and high ticket electrical items are very much a rarity. I still remember the days when a few bottles of booze and an almighty stilton or luxury hamper were the norm and sales reps’ car boots were ringing out with the chink of wine bottles from November onwards. This has also changed with cultural sensitivities ensuring people are much more careful about handing out alcohol. The moral position on alcohol has changed and although drinking cultures still exist, they aren’t as open in businesses as they probably once were.

JUST FOR CHRISTMAS

Gifting is a great way to thank and reward staff, associates, partners and clients. Carefully and thoughtfully done, it can go a long way to creating goodwill,making people feel genuinely valued and creating a buzz. One of our clients regularly uses merchandise to create this goodwill for staff by doing regular desk drops. It may only be a small item such as a pot of sweets or a stress item, but it’s a talking point and when based around positive stories within the business such as good financial results, record sales or a new ad campaign it really does make a difference. Using the right merchandise at the right time as a communication and motivation tool with your staff can pay dividends and be an effective way of saying they’re appreciated. Just make sure you still look after your clients too.

David Lynn, Managing Director of Dowlis Corporate Solutions