Prior to launching BuildMyGift.com in 2017, co-founder Ras specialised in HR for companies such as the BBC and LVMH. Now she is able to apply her HR experience to help other businesses make sure their staff feel valued and appreciated through Build My Gift’s Corporate Gifting Service.
A valued workforce is a happy workforce and a happy workforce is a productive one. Small gestures, which are often easily overlooked, can make a huge difference to the workplace. A workforce that feels valued can result in everything from a more positive environment and higher staff retention to increased levels of productivity. Here’s a few of her top tips on corporate gifting:
- Surprise, surprise, surprise – employees and suppliers often come to expect gifts at times such as Christmas or the end of the financial year. But never underestimate the element of surprise. Look at key calendar dates that may not be as obvious, for example the date the company was founded or a key date that links to your industry, and gift employees in relation to this.
- It’s not just financial – research from McKinsey and Company has suggested that non-financial rewards can have a greater effect on employee engagement. Just like in your personal life a personal gift goes a long way, so why not take this approach in a corporate setting for maximum impact. Everything from corporate days out that are exciting and relevant to your workforce to personalised gift boxes that reflect the culture you are trying to create will help staff feel appreciated and will also show the lengths the company is willing to go to recognise their hard work.
- Celebrate everyday successes – this may seem like an obvious one, but that doesn’t mean that every employer is doing it. It is commonplace to celebrate the big things, such as hitting targets or winning new business, but it is the everyday successes that get a business to that point. This doesn’t even need to be tangible results, it could simply be celebrating an individual who has gone above and beyond to help others or a work anniversary. If employees see these things being recognised then they’ll strive to keep delivering.
- It’s not one size fits all – there has been a significant amount of research into how the different generations feel valued and motivated at work. For example millennials and Gen Z are much more focused on wellness than previous generations, so assess how this could be used to motivate them on a day-to-day basis. But it is also important to go one step further than this. Don’t just look at your workforce as one collective, or split them by generations, see them as individuals and identify what their drivers are.
- Prioritise it – making you staff feel valued and recognising the hard work they put in should never be an afterthought. It should be planned in and pre-organised so staff know the importance of their input to the organisation.
Build My Gift offers a truly bespoke, luxury gift service for Corporate Gifting. We can provide a fully branded and tailored service to ensure that employees and other stakeholders feel rewarded and recognised.
