This year has been an especially tough year for businesses and their staff; with ricochets between home and office work, market volatility and an increasing rate of inflation, keeping businesses afloat and operating normally has been a mammoth undertaking. As such, Christmas seems like an excellent chance to say thank you to your employees for giving it everything they’ve had this year. But how best to do so? Here are just four simple ideas for rewarding your employees this Christmas.
Offer Extra Time Off
The ultimate gift you as an employer can give any employee is that of additional time off. The amount of time you can realistically spare may differ from business to business, but any extra time in a festive period that can be stressful even outside of work is a blessing. You could either gift the extra time as part of their holiday package, and have employees take time off with regard to each other’s schedules as normal, or you could organise a whole-business period of time off, allowing everyone a long weekend of additional time to spend with their families.
Gift a Prepaid Card
If time is too valuable a resource for you to give up in the run up to Christmas, you could instead show your appreciation in the form of gift cards. Rather than making assumptions on behalf of your workforce, fill a series of pre-paid debit cards using an online banking platform, and distribute them to your staff – this way, they can spend the gift money at a place of their choosing, and the business will have effectively paid for something they want.
Throw a Staff Christmas Party
Staff Christmas dos precede themselves. Often a point of incredulity or humour in British media (with thanks to The Office in particular), a staff do if done right can actually be a positive for staff and the business – especially in the aftermath of an extended period of home-working. Show your thanks by booking out some tables at a nice local restaurant, or a community space nearby with fast food in tow. Splash a little out on bubbly and non-alcoholic drinks choices, and be sure to take a moment to thank your cohort in a speech.
Ask Your Team
If you find yourself coming up short with ideas to make your employees’ Christmas, don’t be afraid to open up the floor to those very employees. Probe around for the kind of things your workforce would be interested in, whether physical tokens of gratitude or an evening together. Listening to and valuing their opinion will not only help you ensure you’re gifting the right things, but also let your staff know that they are respected as individuals.
