How to Choose a Holiday Gift for Your Employees

Holidays can be made much happier when you select a gift for your employees that suits them--and suits your budget as well. Here are some tips for holiday gift-giving at the office that your coworkers will appreciate--and so will your pocketbook.

Instructions

1. 

   Consider your budget. It's only practical to think about how much money you have for gift-giving at the holidays. Obviously, larger companies may have more standard practices with flashy bonuses. Some smaller business owners, however, prefer to give a gift--and some will host a holiday party for their employees, that's tangible and doesn't have an exact price tag attached to it. Think about what will work for your business.

2. Ration out gifts. If you're the CEO, you may only want to give your board gifts. But if you're a small business owner, you may want to give a little something to everyone. Decide who should give gifts--and make sure to do so in a way that you don't offend anyone. It's OK to reward top performers, but you don't need to rub it in to those who aren't rewarded.
   
   
   
   A wonderful way to get into the holiday spirit is a grab bag. Each employee buys a gift for another and then they exchange gifts. This way you are enabling everyone to receive something and you don't have to pay for everyone's gifts. Be sure to set a spending limit on gifts.

3. 

   Bonus or gift? Many companies include a holiday bonus, which is a rewards-based amount of money given to employees. Some opt for gifts. And yes, some do both--although maybe not in this economy!
   
   
   
   Think about how you want to reward people. If money makes sense, start writing out checks. But if you want to give them something tangible (even a gift card works), then consider that.

4. 

   Give something useful. While a corporate sweatshirt may be great as a promotional tool, chances are your employees don't want that. Give them something useful. Here are some ideas:
   
   
   Gift cards
   
   
   Spa certificates
   
   
   Food baskets
   
   
   Tech gadgets
   
   
   Picture frames
   
   
   Clothing accessories
   
   
   Food gift certificates
   
   
   CDs
   
   
   Flowers
   
   
   Chocolate
   
   
   Sporting event/concert tickets

5. Package it well. Presentation is everything, so make sure to hit the mark here. Whether you buy gifts online or in person, if you're giving something tangible, it's nice to have it wrapped well. Present the gifts along with a card containing a personal note to show your staff you really care.

Tips & Warnings

• Even if you don't dole out presents or bonuses, a holiday card is always a warm, professional gesture.

• It's OK to give someone closest to you (an assistant, for example) something more personal or more expensive.