Supercharge your offsites & events through employee gifting
Supercharge your offsites & events through employee gifting
Kelsi Roberts, Head of Supply & Partnerships · 2/13/2023
We talk a lot about the strategy behind events. We believe offsites, onsites, retreats, and other company gatherings are more than just a one-off experience to have fun or work through a certain challenge. They can act as the spine of your engagement strategy—making sure employees feel connected, aligned, and valued throughout the year.
When crafting an events strategy, we always encourage clients to start with goals. What impact do you want these events to have? How will you measure that impact? Then, how can you map out a plan, budget, and timeline that ensures you reach those goals?
We help companies answer those questions every day, and we’re commonly asked how to take an event “to the next level.” How do you make it feel special? How do you leave a lasting impression on employees?
There are a lot of options to consider, from choosing a great destination to adding personal touches throughout your experience. But one of the most cost-effective and impactful ways we’ve found to give your event that extra magic is a well-timed, thoughtfully selected gift.
Don’t overlook the power of gifting
Giving meaningful gifts to your team is a powerful way of maintaining a positive and productive environment. Gifts serve as a tangible way to show appreciation and recognition for the hard work and contributions team members make every day. Plus, there are lots of tangible benefits: receiving gifts can boost employee morale, increase job satisfaction, and improve relationships between management and staff.
This can lead to a more positive culture and increase team cohesion, reducing turnover rates. As an added bonus, company-branded gifts can also help get your name and image out in the world, spark conversations, and increase brand recognition.
But we’re not just here to talk about why gifting is great on its own—let’s look at why offsites and other company events are the perfect opportunity to get smart about gifting. We’ve gathered the important details you should keep in mind when creating your event gifting strategy, what to avoid, and easy-to-use templates to help you put it in action.
Why offsites and events are a great time to give gifts
Let’s start with the basics: why tie gifting to your company events? You can meaningfully use gifting in relation to birthdays, anniversaries, and employee milestones, but events have some unique benefits to take advantage of.
Increased visibility: Company events provide a platform for gift-giving that is visible to all employees, which can help increase its impact and make employees feel valued. The gifts you selected can become a talking point for the event as employees share their favorite items.
Celebration and recognition: Offsites and events often serve at least in some part as a celebration of the company's and employee’s accomplishments, and can provide an opportunity to acknowledge everyone’s hard work. Tying a gift to this celebration helps you double down on appreciation.
Building relationships: Gift-giving at company events can help build relationships between employees and management and foster a sense of camaraderie and teamwork. Knowing your company is willing to thoughtfully invest in giving you something you’d like can mean a lot.
Memorability: Company events provide a memorable experience for employees. Giving gifts during these events can add to the positive memories and act as a souvenir that reminds them of their team and their value as a team member.
Before we dive into the specific types of gifts you can consider, let’s look at when to give gifts and some creative ways to deliver them.
Timing your gifts around company events
You essentially have three options for when to give gifts tied to a company event: before, during, and after—or some combination of each. Here are some tips to help you choose.
Before
Sending a gift to an employee’s home (or through virtual delivery) before an event can help you build excitement for what’s to come, set up the themes and goals you want to touch on during the event, and show you’ve gone the extra mile to make it feel special. If attendees will need to bring specific items, like a notebook or personnel badge, this can also be a great way to provide it in advance.
During
Giving gifts during an event can help tie it closely to the experience, improving the celebration and memorability factors mentioned prior. It’s also a great way to provide snacks, a water bottle, reading material, or other items that will be useful during the event itself.
After
Sending a gift after the event is a great way to show appreciation for their attendance, reinforce any key messages or ideas, and also gives you the chance to send photos from the event to make it more memorable.
Creative ways to give gifts at your events
Gift boxes
Collect a variety of items into a fun, branded gift box that ties to the theme of your event or your company’s identity.
Room drops
Have items waiting in each employee’s room with a welcome note, or arrange with the hotel to make special deliveries at some point during their stay.
Scavenger hunt or other games
Using some form of treasure hunt game can be a fun and engaging way to present gifts to employees.
What kind of gifts can you give employees?
What you pick is just as important as when you give it. The type of items you give to employees can vary depending on the occasion, the budget, and the individual preferences of employees. Some popular gift options include:
Practical items: Items that employees can use in their daily lives, such as pens, notepads, travel mugs, or tote bags, can be both useful and appreciated.
Snacks and treats: As long as you take allergies and dietary restrictions into consideration, packaged food items (especially unique ones you can’t find in most stores) are a great option.
Technology items: Gadgets like headphones, smartwatches, or fitness trackers can be popular gifts for tech-savvy employees.
Experiences: Gift certificates for local restaurants, movie theaters, or other entertainment venues can provide employees with a memorable experience.
Personalized gifts: Personalized gifts such as monogrammed tote bags, custom-engraved keychains, or photo frames with a team photo can help employees feel valued and special.
Health and wellness items: Items related to health and wellness, such as fitness trackers, water bottles, or massage vouchers, can help promote employee well-being. Or, you can provide a wellness stipend and allow employees to choose!
Work from home and office supplies: If your team is remote, you can give them items to help them create a comfortable and productive work from home setup.
Gifts to avoid
Alcohol
Gift items that contain or are related to alcohol may not be appropriate for some employees, and it's important to respect individual preferences and workplace policies regarding alcohol.
Religious or cultural items
Gifts that are religious or cultural in nature may not be appropriate for all employees, and it's important to be respectful of individual beliefs and cultural sensitivities. This is particularly relevant when gifting around the holidays.
Integrating company swag into your gifting strategy
Company swag has a mixed reputation: some people think it’s a great way to build up your team and image, some people feel it swings toward being wasteful and unnecessary. From the point-of-view of our team, it all comes down to the items themselves and how they’re given.
One tastefully designed item that reflects the spirit of your team or marks a meaningful moment can have a great impact. A bag of cheap pens that break after a single use, or a t-shirt that starts to fall apart after a couple of washes? Not as effective.
First, let’s look at the benefits of company swag.
Why company swag can be a powerful part of your gifting strategy
Brand association: Company swag allows employees to feel connected to the brand and show their support for the company.
Sense of pride: Wearing or using company-branded merchandise can increase an employee's sense of pride in their workplace and help foster a positive workplace culture.
Usefulness: Company swag often has practical applications, such as clothing items or bags, which employees can use in their daily lives.
Networking opportunities: Wearing company-branded merchandise can lead to networking opportunities and help employees strike up conversations about their workplace with others.
Overall, company swag can help employees feel valued and connected to their workplace, and provide them with tangible benefits they can use in their daily lives. But as mentioned earlier, it can also have some drawbacks you should consider, which we’ll explore next.
Things to avoid when buying company swag
Swag should reflect the values and identity of your company, which means you need to be careful about the quality of these items. The most important way we assure our swag has a positive impact is by working with vetted partners who create items that look and feel great, but here are some additional factors we’re sure to avoid:
Poor quality items: Avoid choosing low-quality items that are likely to fall apart or wear out quickly. This can reflect poorly on the company and create a negative impression.
Inappropriate designs or logos: Make sure that the designs and logos used on company swag are appropriate for work environments and don’t play too deeply into any cultural, religious, or other sensitive iconography.
Unpopular or outdated styles: This will be highly subjective and dependant on factors like the average age and culture of your team, but it’s best to avoid choosing styles or designs that are outdated or unpopular. A branded golf polo is probably not the best choice for a startup with a laid-back culture, for example.
Ignoring employee preferences: Avoid ignoring employee preferences and not considering their individual needs and tastes. Asking for input and considering their suggestions can help ensure that company swag is well-received.
Neglecting environmental impact: Avoid choosing products that have a significant environmental impact or generate a lot of waste. Consider choosing eco-friendly or sustainable options that reduce the company's carbon footprint and show a commitment to the environment. This can help create a positive image and align with the values of those who are environmentally conscious.
By avoiding these pitfalls, you can help ensure company swag is well-received, effective in building a positive work culture, and represents your organization in a positive light.
How to ask employees what kind of gifts they’d like to receive
The best way to avoid giving employees gifts they don’t want? Ask. The more information you can collect to help refine your search, the better impact you’ll be able to have.
Gifting survey email template
Subject: Let's pick out some company swag! 🎁
Dear [Employee Name],
For our upcoming team retreat, we’d like to create some special gift boxes as a thank you for everyone’s hard work. To make sure we pick the best items possible, we wanted to get your input! What kind of items would you like to see? Maybe a new travel mug, a cozy sweater, or a funky notebook? We're open to all ideas, so please let us know what you would love to see in this form: [Include link]
Please complete this form by: [Date]
Questions will include:
What's your favorite color?
What type of products do you use on a daily basis?
Is there anything you'd rather not receive as a company gift?
And more!
Feel free to share as much or as little as you'd like, and please know that all responses will be kept private.
Thanks in advance for your input! We're looking forward to creating some fun gifts.
Best regards,
[Your Name]
Employee gifting preferences survey template
These survey questions can help you gather information about the individual preferences and needs of employees and can guide your decision-making when selecting gifts for your next event.
Dietary preferences and restrictions
Do you have any dietary restrictions (e.g. vegetarian, gluten-free, etc.) that we should be aware of?
Do you have any severe food allergies?
Are there any foods that you particularly like or dislike?
What is your favorite type of cuisine? (e.g. Italian, Mexican, Chinese, etc.)
Do you prefer coffee or tea?
Do you prefer salty or sweet?
T-shirt size and apparel
What is your T-shirt size? (e.g. S, M, L, XL, XXL)
What is your favorite color?
Are you allergic to any common fabrics or materials (e.g. wool, cotton, etc.)?
Kids and pets
Would you be interested in receiving gifts for your family members? If yes, please list their names and t-shirt sizes.
Would you be interested in receiving gifts for your pets? If yes, please list the type and size of your pet(s).
Put your gifting strategy in action
Employee gifting can be a fantastic way to acknowledge hard work and foster a positive work atmosphere. The key to successful gifting lies in personalization and considering the unique preferences of each employee. Asking for their input through surveys or forms not only ensures that the gifts will be well-received, but it also shows that the company values their opinions and cares about their needs. Incorporating it into offsites and other events helps ensure that you’re making the maximum impact.
What's most important is that the gifts are thoughtful, and that they are given with the intention of building relationships and creating a positive workplace culture. So, don't be afraid to get creative and think outside the box when it comes to gifting for your teammates and how to incorporate those gifts into your events. If done right, the gesture can go a long way in making them feel valued and appreciated.
