It’s the start of a new year and time for everyone to start thinking about what resolutions they’ll adopt for the year ahead. If you’re a company executive or are a manager for a business, then you’ve probably already spent countless hours preparing for the new year. This includes setting realistic goals to grow your company and hopefully have a few business-related resolutions to help reach those goals.
Setting higher sales goals or finding new and exciting ways to do business are usually front-runners when it comes to planning for the year ahead. However, in order to achieve these goals, you must have a hard-working team that is dedicated to the company.
One area within businesses that can’t be overlooked is the company culture and job satisfaction levels of employees. It’s no secret that without a team of dedicated employees, success is a lot harder to achieve. If you haven’t already planned to dedicate a portion of time and resources towards employee engagement for the new year, you might want to rethink your goals.
5 New Year’s Gift Ideas for Employees
Employees who feel appreciated, valued, and regularly recognized for their work are more likely to work harder and tend to stay with a company longer compared to employees who feel they are unappreciated. High turnover rates not only negatively affect the culture and feelings of camaraderie among employees, but they also greatly impact company resources. This loss of resources is a result of the required substantial amount of time and money spent to regularly find and replace employees. If a company is not careful it can lead to potentially wiping out all of the extra money brought in by way of those lofty sales goals.
Showing appreciation for employees and letting them know how much they are valued for their dedication and hard work doesn’t have to be done through grand gestures and can be relatively simple and budget-friendly if you get creative enough. Simple gifts that are branded by your company or planning offsite events and team-building exercises are all perfect ways to express your gratitude and are sure to thrill employees. At the same time, you will be promoting inclusivity and helping build a sense of community among workers.
The key to giving great gifts in the new year that thrill employees is finding practical ideas that are useful and hold an element of value. Branded items that are cheap and overdone, or a gift card to a coffee shop, may come off as impersonal or taking the easy way out. Find items that are different, personalized, or ones that can help your employees experience something they might not do normally.
If you find yourself needing some inspiration, check out these gift ideas for employees to help ring in the new year:
1. Custom Apparel
Make getting ready in the mornings easier for your employees by helping take the guesswork out of what to wear to the office. Customized shirts are always a crowd-pleaser. From custom dress shirts to personalized t-shirts, the apparel can be as fancy, or casual, as you would like. If you are located in cold regions, hand out embroidered jackets that are sure to be welcomed by employees, or if your office space always has a chill running through it, try giving your employees custom printed sweatshirts.
2. Host Team Building Activities
Nothing will help unite teams and boost camaraderie more than taking employees to offsite teambuilding excursions. These don’t always have to include sitting in a conference room for a day conducting trust falls and can be as simple as going out to a bowling alley, escape room, or mini-golf course. Anything that promotes getting out with employees and allowing them to get to know one another more outside of the office walls is sure to boost company morale.
3. Customized Coolers
Giving employees something useful that they might not want to spend their own money on is always a great gift idea and custom coolers are just that. What better way to make sure your employees are always prepared for a BBQ, picnic, or sporting event? There are a wide variety of sizes and styles to choose from, and adding your logo will help remind employees how valued they are every time they put it to use.
4. Insulated Tumblers
Keep drinks fresh and well insulated with stainless steel tumblers that can have your brand printed or laser engraved on the outside. These cups will help reduce waste as employees use and reuse them over time, and cut down on costs for disposable cups. A perfect addition for morning commutes!
5. Throw A Catered Lunch and Goal Setting Event
Treat your employees to a catered lunch and help them grow their careers over the coming year by bringing in a career coach to help them set and reach their career goals. Hand out custom jotters that will help everyone organize and revisit their goals over the year and track their progress.
In addition to happy employees, keeping good relationships with your clients is another incredibly important aspect of a successful business. Don’t fret, we’ve got suggestions client gift ideas too:
4 Gift Ideas for Clients in The New Year
When it comes to giving new year’s gifts, employees shouldn’t be the only ones on the recipient radar. In a B2B world where clients have a variety of options when it comes to who they do business with, companies often have to do more than just provide exceptional service to keep clients happy. Giving custom branded gifts are a great way to keep your brand at the forefront of customer minds and show them how much you appreciate their business.
1. Custom Tote Bags
There’s a reason custom tote bags are one of the most popular items for businesses to give away to clients. They are durable, eco-friendly, stylish, cost-effective, and can be used hundreds of times. Each time one of your clients uses your branded reusable tote bag, they’ll be providing ongoing marketing and spreading awareness for your company, all while helping customers easily complete everyday tasks.
2. Custom Backpacks
Want something as functional as a custom tote bag, but easier for employees to carry around? Custom backpacks are a great alternative that is sure to be a hit for those who commute via public transportation and can be more secure for carrying laptops and other office supplies.
3. Personalized Home Gifts
Just like with giving new year gifts to employees, finding items for clients that are useful is the key to making sure your acts of goodwill don’t fall flat. Instead of going with traditional gifts, try giving away items like personalized home gifts, such as car accessories, kitchen gadgets, or even custom candles.
4. Customized Lanyards
Help make sure key-cards, house or car keys, and id badges are easily accessible by providing custom lanyards with your company’s logo and a variety of unique features. These are the perfect item to hand out at conferences, events, or simply just because. These are a great, cost-effective way to elevate your company’s public image.
Prep Your Company for a Successful 2020
The turn of a new decade makes it a perfect time to rethink the way you show appreciation to your employees and customers. Show them how much they are appreciated by giving customized gifts that are useful and unique. Browse the Bagmasters website today to find the perfect gifts to bring in the new year for your employees and clients.
