We’ve all seen it. Whether it’s a membership to the jelly of the month club or a mug with a face on it, terrible office gifts are a recurring theme in movies and tv shows.
The pressure of giving the perfect gift can be anxiety-inducing. We feel pressure to give a high-dollar gift, so those you work with don’t think you are a cheapskate. Other times we search endlessly for the one perfect gift so others know we know exactly who they are.
The sad part is the anxiety is self-induced and shouldn’t even be an issue.
As you prepare for the gift-giving season, here are a few tips to consider to take the anxiety out of giving corporate gifts.
Give with Gratitude
This is probably the most important thing you can do as a business owner. A lot of companies will give because it’s expected, or worse, in hopes of meriting the favor of employees.
Every gift you give should come from how thankful you are to have the person working for you. When you do this, they will feel the heart behind the gift and it will make it much more meaningful to them.
Give without Expectations
When was the last time you gave someone you love a gift and after they opened it you said, “Since I got you something great, you better get me something great!”?
Hopefully, it was never. Gifts with expectations are gifts, they are bartering tools, and traded items. You are paying for something without using cash directly.
This holiday season, don’t give gifts thinking someone will work harder if they have a reminder on their desk of how great of a boss you are. Don’t give in anticipation of what they might give you on boss’s day next year.
Give simply because you want to show, once again, the appreciation you have for those who help you do what you do.
Give with Purpose
Sometimes, gifts only benefit the receiver, “Here’s a day at the spa.” Other times gifts may benefit both the giver and the receiver, “I got us football tickets!”
But when you give a gift that benefits people beyond the giver and receiver, that’s when you can show your desire as a leader to have an impact.
And obviously, we have a perfect suggestion for just such a gift.
If you are a business owner, manager, supervisor, or looking to give co-workers or clients gifts this holiday season, why not make it a gift with a purpose?