How Can A Small Business Owner Show A Token Of Appreciation To Their Staff This Christmas Season?
- Brainz Magazine
- Dec 6, 2023
- 5 min read
Updated: Dec 7, 2023
Written by: Joana Dockute, Executive Contributor
Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise.
12 Ideas on how to show your employees you appreciate them this Christmas season without breaking the bank. Christmas season is the season that we show that extra appreciation to the people we care about. And with the Holiday being more and more commercialized it’s hard not to feel under pressure to buy gifts. I compiled a list of 12 ideas that you can show people you care about them without having to spend a lot of money. The list of 12 came into my mind when I was thinking about 12 pubs of Christmas. It’s ‘a tradition’ we have in Ireland to put on Christmas jumpers and go to 12 pubs. Now it’s safe to say that people rarely reach pub number 12…😊 Here is your list of 12 ideas for making your employees feel appreciated.
1. A handwritten note/card with a personalized message
Here is where you can go that extra mile by reminding your staff how much you appreciate them for their unique qualities and traits. Don’t just write a generic card: "Merry Christmas I wish you a lovely holiday". Instead, maybe write something like this: ‘I feel so lucky to have you on my team. You are the queen of standards and boundaries, and you are doing it so effortlessly. I loved how you handled those suppliers who were late with their first payment. You are so great in demanding stuff but you do it in a super kind manner. It comes so naturally to you I am blessed to have you on my team.’’
2. A customized appreciation certificate/award
Do Xmas Awards Night at Your Business, where everybody gets a certificate and is recognized for their achievements, milestones, and exceptional efforts. Do it in the Oscars style. The Plastic Award/trophy is super cheap to get personalized. What matters is the nomination. Make it unique and celebrate each individual. The nomination doesn’t have to be only focused on achievements, it can celebrate their unique individual personality traits.
3. Invest in your staff personal development
You are probably investing in their professional development already. Maybe buy an online course (they are very cheap on Udemy) towards something that has nothing to do with work. The fact that you remembered that they were talking about this personal passion of thiers, will make them feel special.
4. Invest in an office christmas workshop that has nothing to do with work
Something like a class on how to do breathwork, making reefs, or stress management. It's beneficial for everybody’s wellbeing, and it’s a great team activity as well. Your staff will appreciate that you care about their well-being.
5. Create "a wall of thanks" in the office or online
Where the whole month of December, everyone should write a personalized note to each staff member about why they are grateful for that individual. It can be about anything that happened in the last 12 months. This interactive board fosters a culture of gratitude and positivity in the workplace.
6. Customized desk/office accessories
Personalized pens, notepads, or mouse pads with employees' names or motivational quotes that will resonate with them. It’s hard to get a personal gift for somebody unless you know them well. But there are a lot of office goodies that will be used and appreciated for sure. And there is something about getting a gift with your name or initials on it.
7. Make your hamper
If you love cooking, bake homemade cookies, chocolate, and hot cocoa. You can even add candles or other crafts if you are good at making them. How does this show appreciation? We don’t just make stuff for anybody, right? We have to like a person to make something for them. Everybody loves a homemade gift that was made just for them.
8. Customized calendars
Create a personalized calendar featuring your team member's achievements, memorable moments, and a shared vision. Appreciation means being celebrated. And what is a better way of remembering that than looking at your photo for a month that was put on a wall by your boss? It certainly puts a smile on a face.
9. Host an office lunch or dinner party
And ask each team member to contribute a dish. This event could be extremely fun if you have international employees. It might turn into a food heaven. Even if there are no international employees, we all know there is more than one way to bake a pie. Every person has a family signature dish. A definition of appreciation is "a recognition and enjoyment of the good qualities of someone or something." When you get to know people better it’s easier to appreciate them.
10. Get a gift card/subscription
When you don’t know a person that well, the best thing to do sometimes is to get them a gift card so they can buy something themselves. Or offer to pay a subscription for a wellness app, aromatherapy oils, relaxation, teas & stress relief tools. A Gift card to grow your Plant Kit is probably one of the hottest trends for office gifts. Plants represent tranquility, peace, and well-being, and they support wellness, creativity, focus, and inspiration.
11. Flexible hours and time off
Give extra time off to spend with their family, and make their working hours more flexible. Sometimes this gesture means more than giving them an opportunity to make extra cash.
12. Make an office cookbook from your employee recipes
My cousin, who runs a Steel Factory holds a cooking competition throughout the year among all the departments. The best recipes get to be featured in a yearly professionally published factory cookbook called ‘A Spoon of Steel’. The book is not for sale to the public, but is the most anticipated Christmas Gift ever. Employees love the professional photo shoot, and the ability to taste all the recipes before they are published to a cookbook. Over the years, they published Cookbooks for Soups, Salads, Deserts, Mains, etc. This activity could become your yearly tradition as it shares a common vision outside work.
I hope after reading this you have been reminded that appreciation is not just about saying ‘thank you’, or buying gifts but it’s about making a person feel seen, feel special, and feel needed. And you shouldn’t just do this for Christmas, make your staff feel appreciated all the time and they will do anything for your business.
Joana Dockute, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine
Joana Dockute is a business development specialist and a business coach with a background in running her own direct sales and marketing company for 7 years. When it comes to helping her clients go to the next level Joana perfectly understands their problems, as she had to go through most business development stages herself before she became a business coach. She loves helping business owners 'find their voice', design, and implement customized business systems and processes. Each business is different, so there is no one-size-fits-all. Joana's mission is to help entrepreneurs succeed without having 'to sell their soul'. Meaning, if the strategy doesn't align with your values you shouldn't even consider it.
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