End-of-year gifts:
from impersonal to unforgettable in 8 tips.

Your end-of-year gift is all about getting your message across. So think carefully about what sentiment you want to convey with your gift.

Want to take a slightly different approach? Then focus on a milestone or sig­nif­i­cant event that has shaped the past year. A move, a potential merger, achieving a company goal, an anniver­sary, an annual theme, a difficult period, or a positive outlook on what the new year will bring. The pos­si­bil­i­ties are endless!

Our second tip may sound obvious, but every year, hundreds of organ­i­sa­tions still hand out gifts that fail to resonate. A successful gift should be tailored not only to your target audience but also to your objectives, culture and values.

Do employees work from different locations or in the same place? How diverse are your team members? Does everyone have the same nation­al­i­ty? These are just a few of the questions to think about.Feedback from the past year often also provides essential infor­ma­tion.

Looking for fresh ideas? Read this blog post to discover which types of gifts are trending this year.

According to the Gallup Workplace survey, recog­ni­tion is most meaningful when it comes from an employee’s direct manager. They’re closest to their team, which means they’re also best placed to respond to their sen­si­tiv­i­ties and strengths. So ask your team leads to add a short, personal message to turn a generic end-of-year gift into something thoughtful and meaningful.

Why stop at the team leads? You can also invite the other team members to write a few personal and heartfelt words. Ask them to share what they enjoyed about working with each other this past year. This makes not only the gift itself truly unfor­get­table, but also the entire end-of-year period!

Did you know that in Kadonation Select you can easily invite colleagues and team leads to add a personal message to a gift?

When expec­ta­tions are met, employees are satisfied. But if you’re going for true delight, you’ll want to create an unexpected moment of joy. So why not go the extra mile this year and take everyone by surprise.

For example, hide a golden ticket in just one of the end-of-year gifts, spread your gifts throughout the year, create a story box with company milestones or add an unexpected little extra.

Another way to nail delight is by making the way you give the gift extra special. For example, with a funny video message, a digital countdown, a visit from Santa Claus or a physical gift-giving ceremony.

Did you know that 57% of companies have their gifts delivered to the office and the other 43% opt for home delivery?

It needs to be a feast for the eyes, too. Appeal to your employees’ senses with stunning packaging or a memorable unboxing experience. Not just fun to be part of, this approach also visually reinforces your message.

Did you know that, as well as being able to per­son­alise hundreds of physical gifts, you can now also design your own gift card in Kadonation Select?

Want to put a smile on your employees’ faces at the end of next year, too? Then don’t forget to ask for feedback this year. What went well, and what could be improved? Don’t gloss over any blunders, and really put the insights you’ve gained into action. Giving a gift card? Be sure to analyse how many have been redeemed.

Already partnering with Kadonation? Then recipients can send you a thank you message themselves. So keep a close eye on your inbox in the coming weeks. This is our way of con­tribut­ing to a culture of appre­ci­a­tion, recog­ni­tion and delight.