Buying presents for others is never easy. People are different, and selecting the most ideal gift for someone implies that you understand them on a personal level. But, this task might be difficult for human resource (HR) managers due to the formality that frequently surrounds the corporate world. Such types of environments may not always allow managers and employees to get to know one another intimately.
As the holidays approach, it’s customary for some corporations to purchase presents for their staff. These are an excellent way to remind employees how much you appreciate them and wish them well. Personalizing your presents ensures that they become even meaningful to each recipient, on top of boosting employee morale and engagement.
There are often a lot of things you ought to consider when buying gifts for employees. The task becomes more complicated as the number of employees increases. But, remember that the concept behind the gift is more important than the present itself. That being said, below is a guide to help the HR department prepare holiday gifts for employees.
1. Plan Ahead
Every organization is unique, and HR managers usually operate with varying budgets. As a result, different aspects must be considered here. Giving yourself extra time to plan things will keep you from making last-minute decisions. But, more importantly, it allows you to select the best presents for your staff. This extra time might be especially handy when purchasing customized employee presents.
Also, if you plan on arranging a gift-giving ceremony or a corporate party, you’d also need to plan for that event in advance. This could entail sending out office closure date reminders at a much earlier time so staff members can make the necessary arrangements.
2. Customize Gifts
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If you want to do something different with your holiday gifts this year, consider personalizing them. Customization allows you to make gifts that are specifically tailored to the recipients. Most gifts that you can buy from stores will be generic. Although there’s nothing wrong with such items, a customized gift is likely to stand out more. If you get it right, there’s a good chance that the recipient will appreciate the gift because of its uniqueness.
When it comes to creating customized gifts, you got many options, and most of them aren’t as expensive as you think. For example, companies like Printful have a wide selection of t-shirt customization options based on your budget. Companies like Mixbook allow you to design your own photo book using templates and premade layouts. Alternatively, you can opt for customized notebooks, pens, stickers, and desk calendars, among other things. By personalizing such items with your employees’ names, for instance, can add flair to the entire gifting experience.
Additionally, you could create personalized care packages, which are relatively popular corporate gifts. They’re, nevertheless, effective and can be cost-efficient, depending on how each package is constructed. One package may include things like candies, tote bags, and dried fruits. Care packages are also great gifts for team members that work from home.
3. Buy Gifts In Advance
It’d be best if you bought holiday gifts well in advance. Putting off this task until the last minute is a recipe for disaster. If you do so, you may miss out on wonderful deals that emerge just before the holidays. Taking advantage of such discounts would greatly reduce your expenses.
Another reason to avoid delaying the gift-buying process is that stores may run out of stocks faster than you anticipated. If you're shopping online and have your heart set on something, buy it as quickly as possible. Realize that there are probably other shoppers that may be eyeing that same product. If you wait a day or two, you may end up having to settle for items you hadn’t planned on buying. That’s why it is usually advisable to buy gifts in advance—you don’t want to get caught up in the holiday rush, do you?
4. Consider Preferences
Ideally, you want to buy a gift that the recipient will appreciate. But, for that to happen, you must know the person’s preferences. That said, understand that every employee in your company is unique and has different preferences.
It’s easier to buy a near-perfect gift for someone close to you. But, given the formal nature of the workplace, it’s not always easy to know your subordinates on a personal level. However, there’s an exception in some teams whose members have tight working relationships. In such instances, it may be easier for the HR manager to collaborate with team leaders to find the perfect gifts for their respective members.
However, gift cards are a great option if you're unsure about what to buy. This way, you spare yourself the stress of trying to think of the perfect presents and give the recipients the option of purchasing items they want. They might also use the gift cards to purchase gifts for their family. Employees may be able to take advantage of holiday discounts, too.
5. Create A Budget
Since buying gifts will come at a cost to the company, you need to have a budget. A budget is simply a control tool that’ll assist you in staying within the spending limit. Don’t underestimate the importance of detailed budgeting because you may overspend. This is especially true if you want to purchase high-quality items. Expensive gifts would surely make your staff tremendously happy, but it’ll drain the company's coffer.
However, note that you can still be generous with your gifts by establishing a maximum spending amount. Then, conduct thorough research and compare prices from different stores. Also, know that you can often avail discounts when you buy in bulk as opposed to buying items individually. Such savings will assist you in staying within your budget.
Conclusion
Buying gifts for your employees is a challenging task. There are several factors to consider. But, that’s exactly why you should give yourself ample time to prepare everything. The more time you have, the greater options you can explore. You'll also be able to chat with team managers to see which presents could appeal to their team members. Moreover, you may consider doing something different this year by giving personalized presents to your staff, which your employees will surely appreciate.
