Christmas is not very far from now and it is approaching very fast. And if you have not planned for it then it is the right time for the HR department of your organization to make a decision about Christmas rewards and how to make their employees feel valued. Also, it is the best time of the year to recognize the contributions made by the employees of an organization. With the right appreciation and rewards, workers of a company feel motivated towards their work and give their best in everything they do.
In the latest research conducted by a firm revealed that more than one-third of employees surveyed said that Christmas gifts and rewards make them feel valued and around 30% said that a Christmas bonus keeps them motivated.
Hence, it can be said that Christmas rewards and recognition are an important part of giving value to your employees and appreciate their work. It is good not only for your employees but also for you in terms of long-term business advantages such as:
- Keeps your employees motivated
- It can make your employees loyal to your company
- Increased performance
- Very unlikely that employees will leave your organization
What To Give In Rewards?
It is not an easy task when it comes to deciding about the gifts to be given at Christmas.
In order to make your task a little easier, you can ask a few questions to yourself such as why you are giving gift rewards to your employees? Is it for motivation during festivals? Or is it a year-end gift?
Whatever may be the reason behind giving rewards to your employees, you need to maintain a balance between giving something which holds value and that can be given within your budget. In case you fall short of budget, you can apply for Christmas loans here in the UK from private money lenders such as The Easy Loans.
Now, coming to giving rewards. There are various options available. Let’s go through all one by one.
The Christmas Bonus
This is still a very popular reward. Many HR professionals prefer to give a cash bonus to their employees. However, a cash bonus can be a great reward for an employee, it often gets lost in the monthly expenditure of an employee. Thus, the reward has less use as most of the employees will use it for bill payment or some other purchase. It doesn’t have the same memorable quality as other gifts. Also, employees too prefer some gift items rather than a cash bonus. Now the choice is yours after all.
Gift Vouchers And Card
This is a better option for your employees and it gives them freedom of choice. Employees can use this voucher for different things on Christmas Eve such as buying gifts for children, dinner with family, etc. With the help of this voucher, they can celebrate their Christmas in a very special way.
However, the important thing is value-added on gift vouchers and cards. You should add a sufficient amount such as 25-30 pounds to make them feel happy and enjoy their Christmas evening.
Work Life Balance
If vouchers and gift cards are out of your budget and you cannot afford to throw a Christmas party for your employees then you can take some measures to improve the work-life balance of your employees.
In order to do that either you can give leave for few days or reduced working hours so that they can spend some quality time with their family during Christmas. Also, you can offer them to work from home. This way your employees can feel better.
Gift of Time: Best Gift Ever
Apart from the bonus, the most important thing for an employee is time. We all love some extra time during festival seasons. Therefore, if you can provide some extra time during Christmas to your employees then it will make them happier.
You can allow your employees to take an extra day off with paid leave. They can use this extra day for shopping, meeting friends and family, taking their children for an outing. This will definitely make them happy and satisfied. After coming from holiday break they will feel energize and work with a fresh mind throughout the year. Hence, you can consider offering an extra day off at Christmas.
Other Ideas That You Can Think About
There are other things as well which you can do to make your employees feel valued and motivated such as:
- You can throw a Christmas party at your office
- Free food and drinks for all your employees and their family members
- You can organize quizzes and games
Bottom Line
Hence, in conclusion, we can say that rewards and gifts during festive season help to engage and motivate employees. They feel that their hard work is getting recognized and appreciated. But the HR team has to find the right balance between the gifts ideas and budget. Employees want to have a good time during the festive season and it is the responsibility of HR professionals to make this happen.
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