The holiday season is the perfect opportunity to express your appreciation for your employees.
Think about gifts that you’ve received from your employers. Which ones did you love most? Chances are, those gifts required considerable thought and intention and likely were not quick and easy bulk purchases made without individual employees in mind.
Instead of giving your team the usual coffee mug or standard company-branded merchandise, consider sharing gifts that will help motivate and inspire employees. Take advantage of this holiday season to better connect with your team and give gifts that will suit their unique personalities.
Learning and Development
For employees who want to invest in their own professional development, there are a wealth of resources available. Whether it’s taking an online course to earn a notable certificate or attending a conference to learn directly from the top leaders in their specific industry, these employees are constantly aiming to improve. They want to work smarter and help solve problems in ways that will contribute to the company’s overall success.
Oftentimes, employees spend their own money to take advantage of growth opportunities. Now employers can lift that burden by offering learning and development resources as a seasonal gift to their employees. This shows that employers support individual professional development and can see how that investment contributes to better team connections, internal growth, and, ideally, employee retention.
MasterClass at Work is the perfect platform to share with your employees as a holiday gift this year. Give them the invaluable opportunity to learn from the world’s best and gain new skills, such as Business Strategy and Leadership with Bob Iger or Relational Intelligence with Esther Perel. With a company-wide MasterClass at Work subscription, your team will have access to 180-plus classes they can enjoy anytime and anywhere, at their own pace.
Employee Recognition
Some employees are all about being recognized for their hard work. Maybe it’s an employee who has been involved in a complex project for the last quarter and has been key to helping advance the company’s objectives. Perhaps it’s a manager who has been tasked with onboarding an entirely new team during a hectic time. Whatever the case, these employees deserve a shout-out for their efforts.
Think about how employees can be publicly recognized for their work in a positive way—in a team meeting, through an internal announcement to the company, or on a fun platform like Bonusly (which also allows employees to provide public peer recognition). As employees give positive feedback to their team members, individuals are able to accrue points that they can eventually redeem for gift cards for their favorite airlines, restaurants, hotels, and more.
Wellness
For employees who are heavily focused on personal development outside of work, wellness is often a priority. In fact, work-life balance is more than just a trendy buzzword these days, and companies are making great strides to ensure that their employees can build professional careers with healthy boundaries.
Many hardworking employees are trying to embrace screen breaks. They’re eager to spend their lunch taking a walk or listening to a guided meditation, and they’ll love a gift that they can incorporate into their personal wellness routines. Offering something like a ClassPass subscription to your employees is a great way to show that your company is invested in them outside of work. If your company operates in an office space, you could also consider hosting a fun event that includes physical and/or mental wellness activities.
Experiential
Some employees live for experiences. They learn by doing and by being immersed in the moment. These employees may be more outgoing, outspoken, and prone to taking on unconventional challenges.
While they may appreciate the gesture of a gift card from their employer, that isn’t the type of gift that will truly inspire them. Instead, consider giving them something that’s rooted in their love of fun and adventure, like Blueboard. This platform offers a variety of exciting experiences, including at-home activities like golf simulators and DIY projects, as well as adrenaline-inducing activities like snowboarding. No matter what experience you choose to give an employee, they’ll have an amazing time and feel recharged for work.
Use this holiday season to think about how you can best show your employees that they truly matter. This year, give them something tailored to what they enjoy most.