A Helpful Guide To Corporate Gifting Etiquette
Are you in charge of choosing corporate gifts for your employees? Or are you a business owner who wants to purchase corporate gifts for stakeholders on your annual company day?
The essence of giving extends from homes to the corporate world. With modern workplaces continuously evolving, there’s a need to boost employee engagement. It’s time to carefully plan your next event and choose the best corporate gifts to capture everyone’s attention and make them feel appreciated.
Learn more about corporate gifting etiquette by reading this article from start to finish.
Carefully Choose Corporate Gift Items
While it’s easy to browse, choose, and order corporate gifts online, selecting the best corporate gift items to include in gift hampers is important. Decide the best gift items for your employees by knowing what they like and reviewing the past gifts you already gave to avoid repeats.
For example, you might want to include a bottle of red wine, wine glasses, cheese crackers, fresh fruits, and chocolates in a gift hamper. This corporate gift basket is a staple present many people love receiving from their employers.
Here are other perfect corporate gift ideas:
- Fruit baskets
- Chocolate lover gift baskets
- Coffee lover gift baskets
- Beer snacks gift baskets
- Seasoning gift baskets
Thoughtful gifts are unique, beautiful, and functional. They may not be expensive but are made with love and care. Start-up and small business owners can give thoughtful gifts such as bouquets, inspiring books, or a basket of baked goods to their employees on their anniversary.
Below are some thoughtful gift ideas:
- Essential oil and perfume package
- Homemade potpourri in a jar
- Handcrafted gift items
- Digital art portrait
Woman holding wicker basket full of presents on grey background, closeup
Include A Professional Personalized Message
Make your corporate gifts extra special by including a personalized message. Whether the anniversary or holiday greeting is handwritten or digitally printed, it’s the thought that matters. Put the name of the recipient and include a short greeting.
You can include the following message ideas for your next corporate gifts:
- Inspiring quote
- Executive message
- Lyrics to a song
- A company saying
When writing a personalized message, avoid going overboard. Avoid writing notes that are too personal because the recipient may take them differently. For instance, some people can misinterpret the message as something romantic or unprofessional.
Avoid Cheap Corporate Gifts
Corporate gift-giving applies to employees, clients, suppliers, investors, and other stakeholders, who can be inside or outside the company. If you want your business to leave a good impression, choose premium gift boxes that can make them feel valued.
Avoid giving cheap corporate gifts. Examples include poor quality or mass-produced towels, mugs, t-shirts, pens, and notebooks in cheap paper or plastic bags. If you give generic gifts, stakeholders won’t feel the genuineness of your appreciation.
Check Your Company Handbook
People usually give gifts with good intentions. However, some gift-giving gestures can be misinterpreted as bribes or possible sources of conflict of interest. If you doubt the policy governing corporate gift giving, you can check your company handbook.
Your company handbook will include applicable policies regarding the type and value of gifts you can give during Christmas, company anniversaries, and other corporate events. You can also approach your human resources (HR) department if your company handbook doesn’t cover this topic. This way, you can prevent facing consequences because of missing this important gift-giving company policy.
Keep The Element Of Surprise
Corporate gifting can help show appreciation to your employees and other stakeholders. Hence, it’s important to keep the element of surprise for them to feel the excitement. Good presentation is essential in corporate gifting.
Avoid just handing the gift over without any wrap or in transparent plastic. You can also go the extra mile by customizing the packaging of your corporate gifts to show attention to detail. Your genuine gratitude and your company’s values should be reflected in the presentation.
In addition, ensure all gift packages are the same, especially if you’re giving gifts to the same level positions in your company. For the bosses, bigger and more expensive gifts are acceptable. But as much as possible, keep all sizes the same to avoid any negative impressions from rank-and-file employees and other stakeholders.
Distinguish Corporate Gifting From Bribing
One of the main topics in corporate gifting etiquette is bribery. It’s crucial to delineate corporate gifting from bribing to avoid leaving a negative impression on employees, clients, and other stakeholders.
But at what point can a gift be considered a bribe? A bribe is generally expecting someone to return the favour. It involves some degree of dishonesty prohibited by company policies and employment and business laws.
Avoid leaving a bribery perception by not asking anything in return. Simply include the recipient’s name, a message, and your brand or company name. Avoid implying anything in your messages, such as “I can do more for you” or “We can give you more.” In short, never flatter or bribe.
Give Corporate Gifts With Equal Value
Are you purchasing gifts for your employees? If yes, ensure you give the same gifts of equal value. Otherwise, some employees may suspect favouritism on the part of management. Never miss anyone, even if one of your employees proactively expresses absence at the corporate event.
If purchasing gifts for C-suite positions or your boss, keep it simple and avoid giving expensive items. Examples include a professional-looking compendium or notebook organizer. Give the same nature and price of gifts to the upper management to avoid misinterpretation.
Furthermore, if you’re buying corporate gifts for your investors and other significant people outside your company, ensure you choose gifts of the same nature and value. You’ll never know if both investors will arrive at the same time, and they’ll open their gifts together. Nevertheless, you can avoid this awkward moment by being fair to all recipients.
Conclusion
You can use this helpful guide to wrap the best corporate presents for your company anniversary or Christmas party. Remember that the essence of corporate gifting starts from identifying the purpose and choosing unique, high-quality gifts. In addition, you can make corporate gifts more special by being creative and following your company’s policy to avoid going overboard.