Times are tough for employees. Economic uncertainty. Lingering health fears from COVID-19. Disconnected teams spread out all over the world. Burnout. That means holiday gifts are more important than ever to boost morale and show your employees how valuable they are. But the last thing they need is another piece of branded swag — which is why e-gift cards are the way to go.
E-gift cards are free and convenient to distribute, give recipients a lot of flexibility, and offer plenty of opportunity for personalization. To really maximize the impact of digital holiday rewards and make them truly special, though, the key is often in the delivery.
Here are three creative ideas to get your whole team into the holiday spirit and make your holiday gifts more meaningful.
Want more fun seasonal ideas for delivering your employee rewards? Download our Ultimate Holiday Employee Gift List!
End-of-year award winners are traditionally given trophies or certificates at a ceremony or all-hands meeting. Now, considering the high number of employees working remotely and the increasingly global workforce, those trophies would need to be shipped, and who needs another desk ornament, anyway? Give them a choice of e-gift cards instead, but don’t lose the impact of a public presentation. Host a virtual ceremony on a communications platform like Microsoft Teams so you can deliver the rewards live for everyone to see.
Not all holiday rewards need to be about recognizing high performance — some are just fun. Let employees show off their ugly holiday sweaters during a virtual holiday party, so you can include team members located anywhere around the world and not just those in the office. Appoint a panel of executives or other team leaders to be judges. Have them choose winners in a number of categories, including funniest, most original, most festive, and downright ugliest. Give out prizes on the spot, live in the meeting, by sending e-gift cards for a retailer where they can buy some more stylish duds, such as Macy’s, Nordstrom, Kohl’s, or Eddie Bauer.
Burnout has been a hot topic this year, and employees want and need more support to deal with it: In a Deloitte survey, nearly 70% of professionals said their employers weren’t doing enough to prevent or alleviate burnout. Show your team that you are committed to fighting burnout, especially during the hectic holiday season, by giving them an extra day or afternoon off, paired with a digital reward that encourages them to unwind. Offer options such as Spafinder, Bath & Body Works, and the multi-brand Treat Yourself gift card.
The only limit for using e-gift cards as employee holiday gifts is your imagination. Depending on whether your team is fully remote, all in-person, or a mix of both, you can use your holiday rewards to help you thank employees for their dedication and hard work and bring your team together.
Download our Ultimate Employee Holiday Gift List for the full list of 20 creative reward ideas to show appreciation for your teams!
Hannah is a reformed journalist who has more than 15 years of experience and now focuses on content marketing for innovative tech companies.
Hannah is a reformed journalist who has more than 15 years of experience and now focuses on content marketing for innovative tech companies.
