Posts Tagged ‘Business Gifts’


Using Corporate Gifts To Help Avoid Stress

 Monday, October 25th, 2010

Workplace stress can be a problem in every industry and when times are tough the pressure can be on staff to make sure the business remains healthy. It is tough to find the line between driving staff but not putting them under unnecessary pressure as this is not beneficial to the company and certainly not helping the staff. A successful team is one that is motivated and well supported, with measures in place to spot and deal with any signs of stress in the workplace and this not only helps the staff, it ultimately benefits the business.

In their own small way corporate gifts can play a part in keeping stress levels at bay. Corporate gifts aren’t just for Christmas and they can play an important role in motivating and rewarding staff. For many companies bonuses are on hold at the moment so corporate gifts can be a great way to reward staff without breaking the bank. Rewarding staff for the work they have done shows that their efforts are being noticed and they aren’t being taken for granted. Staff that are pushed hard but who don’t feel rewarded or valued are susceptible to stress, so by making sure employees are thanked and rewarded you are showing that they are both noticed and appreciated.

Stress in the workplace is a common problem and one that can cause lasting damage to both the company and the employee. It is a complicated problem and there are many different things that businesses can do to combat it. Corporate gifts are just one of the ways, and they should be used as part of an ongoing process of rewarding staff, offering incentives and improving motivation. Although not the only thing that can be done, corporate gifts can help to maintain a harmonious office.


Motivation Matters In The Business World

 Tuesday, October 19th, 2010

With talk of austerity and efficiency dominating the headlines, motivating employees is more important than ever. Many companies are coming through the downturn by making redundancies but this will inevitably mean a bigger workload for the survivors as they pick up the work of their former colleagues. Motivating those that may well face more work for the same, or even less, pay can be tough but it’s more important than ever to keep motivation high to keep the company in a strong position going forward.

According to the Gallup Management Journal’s Employee Engagement Index in 2009, 71% of UK employees feel unmotivated and disengaged, so how can managers create a positive working atmosphere and help their companies prosper in the downturn?

Negativity spreads like wildfire and a disillusioned employee can soon spread their negative vibes throughout the office. Many managers can find the balance between challenging and supporting their employees quite tricky and the key to combating negativity is finding the right line between pushing your staff and providing a supportive atmosphere in which they can work.

The Corporate Gifts Company have put together this guide to help make sure your staff stay motivated.

Give Clear And Realistic Goals

By giving employees meaningful and realistically challenging goals you will ensure that they have a sense of purpose, as well as providing a focus for their work. Preparation is everything and if the company or department has an end goal in mind, realistically challenging targets for individual employees will ensure that not only will they feel closely involved with the project, it will also give everyone involved a clear focus and assurances of their role within the project.

Money Helps…..

59% of men and 57% of women admit that more money would make them more engaged and committed at work and it does appear to be the obvious solution to low motivation. If companies can afford it, bonuses for achieved set targets can enforce the goals set for employees, as well as giving them something to aim for, driving motivation.

….But It Isn’t Everything

Most business owners won’t need telling, times are tight and money isn’t flowing like it used to. If businesses can afford to pay bonuses they can be an effective way of pushing a team towards an end goal and they will benefit motivation. But if companies are feeling the pinch, there are alternatives that will have an equal effect on employee motivation.

36% of men and 35% of women said that more interesting work would have the same effect as a bigger pay packet, and 33% of men and 42% of women said that recognition for their good work would make them more motivated at work. Items such as corporate gifts can have a positive effect when rewarding hard work and recognising achievement. Corporate gifts can be either unexpected or used as part of an incentive scheme, helping to motivate staff and show that their efforts are not being taken for granted.

Quite simply, saying thank you and showing gratitude for hard work can go a long way towards creating a more motivated workforce. Incentives don’t have to be financial and corporate gifts can be used to provide an effective way of showing staff that their efforts are being noticed by management.


All That Glistens – When Do Business Gifts Cross The Line?

 Monday, July 5th, 2010

The use of business gifts to promote a company and enhance the brand is a commonly accepted practice in the business world. When used properly, they can emphasise key features of a brand, enforce company ideas and also impress existing and potential clients.

 If a company choose to use business gifts to further their brand it can bring obvious rewards, but in an increasingly austere world where every move is scrutinised for openness and fair play, companies need to be more aware of how business gifts can appear to the outside world.

The Fifa investigation into gifts given by the Australian World Cup bidding team raised the issue of just when is giving promotional gifts deemed to be inappropriate? Where is the line drawn when it comes to awarding business gifts?

It isn’t just the Aussies who have come under scrutiny for their gifts to Fifa delegates. Guideline on gifts were published last year after the England bid team were found to have given luxury handbags worth £230 to members of the executive team. But when does a symbolic gift turn into something slightly more sinister?

It isn’t just high profile bidders such as the World Cup team who have to be careful. In most sectors of business there are rules and regulations concerning the awarding of gifts, and companies have to be increasingly careful how they use business gifts to promote themselves.

In instances where contracts are awarded through a bidding process, it is often seen as ill advised or inappropriate for business gifts to be given from either the awarding contractor or from the bidder. Even once the contract is awarded, the most innocent gifts such as those given at Christmas could be seen to outsiders as a kick back or a bribe, so extra care must be taken.

In these situations, particularly when public sector organisations are involved, regulations are often in place to avoid any confusion. But in any grey areas, transparency and openness are always the best policy. By making sure the gifts are declared, it avoids any unnecessary confusion and if in any doubt at all, simply return the gift. Although this creates the inevitable awkwardness that returning a gift entails, it is more preferable than any alternative investigation might be.

In most cases, the awarding of business gifts is an entirely appropriate way of spreading the word about a company. As a general rule, the gift should be symbolic of the company that gave it or bring added value to their brand. Provided that the business gift is relevant to the company involved, there shouldn’t be any confusion. It cannot be seen to be an attempt to influence any financial decision, as this brings the obvious accusations of bribery and wrongdoing.

Bear these simple guidelines in mind, and make sure there is no confusion when you award your business gift.


The Success of Promotional Flash Drives As Business Gifts

 Tuesday, June 22nd, 2010

Gadgets and gizmos make for extremely popular business gifts. They have a high perceived value and make a fantastic impression when branded with a company logo. It is flash drives however that seem to be the most popular business gifts, and it seems that offices around the country are being given them as the business gift of choice. But what is it that makes promotional usb drives such popular business gifts?

Promotional flash drives have many benefits. They are relatively cheap, come in a wide range of different designs that makes them extremely customisable to a brand, and they have a practical use, meaning they will be used a lot in and out of the workplace. This is important when giving a business gift, as practical, stylish items that are often used stand more chance of being seen by more people, giving more prominence to a brand.

There are further brand benefits too. As I discussed, they are extremely adaptable when it comes to shape and colour, meaning they can be customised to suit the image of any brand. In this way it is not just the logo that is being shown with a business gift, but the brand values of a company as well.

They are important from a security point of view too. Many companies are struggling to cope with the amount of viruses infecting computer systems as a result of employees bringing in their own virus ridden memory sticks. It is becoming a serious problem, with bosses enjoying the freedom of employees being able to take their work away from the office, but suffering when the usb drives being brought in infect the system.

When promotional flash drives are given to staff members, companies can ensure that the memory stick used for work has been consistent with their internal security, thereby lowering the risk of infection. This is particularly useful if employees transfer a lot of data between an office computer and a company laptop, so there’s less risk of them coming into contact with potentially harmful home PC’s.

So all things considered, promotional flash drives make for ideal business gifts, whether they’re for staff or for promotional products. The Corporate Gifts Company has a wide selection of promotional flash drives that are ideal for any business gift. Visit the usb flash drives section of the website to see our full range of state of the art business gifts.


Business Gifts Can Make A Great Staff Reward

 Monday, June 7th, 2010

With the “bonus culture” scandals still ringing in the ears of many high profile banks and businesses, it can be difficult to reward staff when the attention is focussed on employees’ pay packets.

With public scrutiny still running the rule over the practices of many of our biggest companies, it can be difficult to find ways to keep staff productivity high whilst raining in on the excesses that promote so much public ire.

It’s important when operating in a fragile economy to deliver the perks that keep staff happy. Whilst there is always the need to tighten the belt, keeping staff motivated and encouraging them to be productive and innovative is essential to any company in these fragile times.

Quality business gifts can be a fantastic way to reward staff and keep them motivated without paying costly bonuses that could risk the stability of a company. Business gifts can be personalised to suit not just the business’s needs but the individual’s needs. Personalised business gifts show that the employer is taking notice of the employee and is rewarding them in a way that is personal to them.

Staff rewards can help in all kinds of ways. Incentives for staff to improve sales, a reward for high achievement or a reward for successful completion of a project, all of these can be acknowledged by using business gifts.

Visit http://www.corporate-gifts-co.com to view our full range of business gifts that will motivate your staff.