The present connundrum
I have a really hard time buying presents for other people. This makes it tough at work, when I’ve got to buy either 10 gifts that are similar in value, but personalized to each person (signaling how much I like them, care about them and think deeply about them) OR 10 gifts that are identical, but probably won’t be very endearing. Truth be told, I’d rather pretend this whole holiday season didn’t exist and let it pass by without comment. Not much chance of that, though. With exactly zero input from the boss (me) the office spontaneously organized a progressive luncheon this week. Yay.
Anyway I’m pleased to see that my fellow b5 business bloggers are writing about exactly this topic–the full round up of posts is over at Pimp Your Work. Maybe I’ll get some tips to help me avoid what I anticipate is an oncoming collision with ten Target gift cards. Also, Mark Hurst (who runs the very excellent GooToDo) has produced a really fun pdf of a wide range of gift ideas and seemingly random tips for good living. It’s a quick read and free, so there’s no reason not to grab your copy.
I know I’m coming off all Scrooge here, but I do have one redeeming option for office gifts that actually does accompany a Target gift card quite well: a personalized and thoughtful note to employees and bosses alike. The upside of a handwritten (yes, handwritten) note is that it’s cheap from a dollars-and-cents perspective. It’s rather extravagant from a time-and-thought-invested perspective, however. The cool thing is that a truly thoughtful handwritten note from the boss can generate some very long lasting good vibes. And, if you’re a Scrooge like me, it’s good practice to think about how much you appreciate the individual strengths and talents that your employees (and bosses) bring to the office each day.
So if, like me, you’re struggling to find the perfect gift for your employees, give some serious thought to investing your time into a thoughtful note rather than your money into yet another forgettable gift.
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POSTED IN: communication, creativity, management, tips and tricks
6 opinions for The present connundrum
Rhea
Dec 12, 2006 at 12:26 pm
I think personal notes go a long way! No one writes letters anymore, and getting one from your boss saying you are ‘amazing’ would be great.
Lora Adrianse
Dec 12, 2006 at 3:22 pm
Bren, you could always ask them what they want :)
I thought it was important to reward/recognize people with things they valued,
Here’s a little something I used to do at the beginning of every year…
I created a categorized form/list with items they could check off and space they could write in. Things like:
Food treats - popcorn, candy, coffees, teas, special sodas, etc.
Entertainment - movie tickets, symphony tickets, arena tickets etc.
Gift cards - book stores, target, etc.
Misc. - car wash passes, vacation days, leave early for no reason coupons, etc.
At the beginning of every year, everyone needed to update their list and turn it in.
It served us all. They always got something they valued and I always had a running list.
Cheers!
Lora
Bren
Dec 12, 2006 at 10:06 pm
Lora, I did ask (some of them) what they wanted. Kinda sounded like gift cards were the thing. I like the book store gift card idea…think I’ll go with that. And probably some food. Food is always good.
Crawdaddy
Dec 18, 2006 at 6:02 pm
I am a manager of six people, and I work on a team of seven other managers. None of the people I manage, nor the managers I work with, expect a gift from me or from each other. But each year, I like to find one book that I have particularly enjoyed and that I think will have wide appeal among these 13 people and give a copy to all of them. I like this approach because it’s a gift that’s personal (though not personalized) and I find that, because almost no one has the guts to buy a book for someone else, it’s much appreciated. This year, the book I’m giving them all is The War of Art, by Steven Pressfield - which I wrote about in a recent post at crawdaddycove.com. I will write a brief, not-too-personal note to all of them, too, but I really let the gift/book do the talking for me.
Bren
Dec 18, 2006 at 8:47 pm
Thanks, Crawdaddy. I love to give and get books, too. And ‘War of Art’ is one I’ve wanted to read. I’m going to read through your posts!
BTW, I ended up getting gift cards at Powells, here in Portland. Best bookstore, ever.
Crawdaddy
Dec 19, 2006 at 11:29 am
…. one more thought: I have a bunch of kids and it’s sort of expected that we should buy gifts for their teachers. Small gifts, but something. I remember a teacher telling me a few years ago, “For teachers, you can’t go wrong with a gift cards to Barnes & Noble or Starbucks. What teacher doesn’t love books or a luxury cup of joe?” Makes a lot of sense to me.