How to make an impact? That’s something we know all about.
At Kadonation, we make sure that the appreciation your organisation aims to express has the greatest possible impact. Appreciation is a word with a lot of different meanings and uses, but today we want to talk specifically about the high return you get from a sophisticated gift policy.
To create as much impact as possible, it’s important to develop a strategy around gifts and identify the most meaningful moments. A gift policy, recognition programme, thank you policy, ‘the Excel spreadsheet’… there are countless terms that essentially all describe the same thing: a collection of guidelines and rules that determine how employees can give and receive gifts and other forms of appreciation.
A policy like this prevents conflicts and inappropriate or unequal treatment within an organisation and often includes information about budgets, occasions and the nature of the appreciation (such as gifts). It also acts as a guideline for ensuring the consistency and professionalism of that recognition.
An important part of your gift policy is knowing why and when to show someone that they’re appreciated, because this is what makes the gift meaningful and personal. Start creating your gift policy by thinking about which occasions you’re currently marking. Is it just the high points, or are you also there on those days when life throws us a curveball? Who deserves an extra pat on the back? The employee who has achieved something big, or the one who is always lending a helping hand?
At Kadonation, we’ve been making sure heartwarming gifts reach the right person for more than seven years. And last year we did that more than 300,000 times for over 2,000 companies. That’s why we’re confident that we have a good idea ofwhich occasions it is essential for an organisation to ‘give something back’.
That knowledge was the reason we decided to take a critical look at our own gift policy. This was done by HR together with a handful of individuals from other teams to ensure that we were also looking at it from the angle of the recipient.
The process to update your gift policy is certainly not a simple one. Within any given budget, there are always choices to be made, and that isn’t always easy. We also didn’t want to completely dial back the ‘earned’ occasions (and often therefore earned rights). Since we’re pretty proud of our new policy, we’d love to walk you through it. Because gatekeeping is totally passé!
The classic occasions
If when choosing your gift occasions you start from the classic annual calendar, you often end up with the traditional, Christian-inspired holidays that we’re all familiar with. They’ve become rooted in our culture and no matter which way you look at it, it’s hard to turn your back on them completely. We (unconsciously) like to hold on to traditions, and although a chocolate Sinterklaas doesn’t offer much in the way of surprise, this is an occasion when people do expect something, even if it’s small.
We decided not to remove these occasions from our policy completely, but we did find it important to experiment with how they are marked. For example, we looked at treats to share (instead of individual gifts). To be more inclusive, we also decided to drop the ‘Easter’ label and go for a gift that celebrates springtime instead.
When choosing your gift occasions, don’t limit yourself to the annual calendar. A handy way to ensure that you identify (new) key occasions is to follow the employee journey. What’s crucial here is to think from the perspective of the recipient, not the company.
This is just the tip of the iceberg. Put your thinking caps on and you’ll soon find that some surprising, and therefore even more meaningful, occasions emerge. For example, what about a ‘back to work moment’ after a (long) break (illness, parental leave or holiday) or a difficult time for your employee when one of their family members has to go into hospital.
What does Kadonation’s gift policy look like?
Our gift policy is both centralised and decentralised: some occasions are organised by HR, while the more personal occasions are handled by the managers or team leads. They keep their finger on the pulse in the team and know their colleagues best to make both the gift and the message as personal as possible.
Professional occasions
Company anniversary
What’s a birthday without cake? This says it all really: at Kadonation we’re big fans of a sweet treat from time to time. That’s why we always blow out the candles together on November 30th!
Work anniversary
Whether you’ve been with your employer for one or twelve years, a work anniversary is and remains a special day. And we like to celebrate that with a Kadonation Gift Card. But the best part? Reading the countless messages that your colleagues write to accompany that gift card! Most organisations only celebrate the big, classic milestones of 5, 10, 15 etc. years, but we like to turn it into a party every year.
Tip: Want to do something a little bit different? How about a special treat after 100, 500 or 1,000 days at the company?
End-of-year thanks
You may have already guessed it, but with winter being the ultimate gift season, Kadonation gets pretty busy during the last months of the year. As a thank you to our employees for going the extra mile, we like to give something back when all the hustle and bustle has died down. Like with a pick-it-yourself gift via Kadonation Smile!
Spotlight award
It is often the team that achieves the results, but we also like to reward individual performance too. By allocating each manager credits on our gift platform Kadonation Select, they can choose when to organise an appropriate gift for their team members. Because little gifts when you least expect them, those are the best!
Waving goodbye to a colleague
Waving goodbye to an employee marks a special moment for everyone involved. That’s why we like to make this occasion unique and choose a nice gift together with their manager.
Spring and Sinterklaas/gifts to share
The beginning of spring is often celebrated with chocolate, just like the arrival of Sinterklaas during the winter months. And for those occasions too, we like to scour our gift platform! As we prefer to focus on fostering connection during these occasions, we put a sharing box in the office.
Personal occasions
Weddings
Is an employee getting married? Then we like to help mark this joyous occasion! The wedding itself is often the icing on the cake after many (and often stressful) months of preparation, so we think an extra treat is absolutely essential. Together with a Kadonation Gift Card, there will also be a (non-)alcoholic apéritif or a bouquet delivered to the happy couple’s home.
Newborn/Adoption
Having a baby or adopting a child means a big change in an employee’s life. In addition to celebrating a new family member, as an employer we also want to let them know that it is completely OK for this event to turn their life upside down. In addition to presenting them with a Kadonation Gift Card and a physical gift, we also start a group gift with colleagues for the brand-new addition to their family!
The less rosy occasions
Blowing up balloons and throwing confetti is a lot easier than demonstrating your emotional presence as an employer when the situation for your employee looks a lot less rosy. And yet it is so important, perhaps even more important, to let your employees know that – even during these less fortunate moments – you’re there for them and that you understand the situation and what they’re going through. Here too, we’re happy to share our approach with you.
Loss of a loved one
A period of mourning is one of the hardest we have to face in life. There are no rules when it comes to processing loss and that’s why we try to go with our gut feeling as much as possible when it comes to the right way of showing our support at that moment. So it could be a card, candle, flowers, or something else entirely.
It’s important here that the team leads or managers take the reins. Even though we’re a small organisation with short communication lines, the gift must be given at the right time and not several weeks later.
Surgery/long-term absence
Just come out of surgery? Or been off sick for more than two weeks? Sometimes employees stress out about getting back to work as quickly as possible, while the best move is actually to just rest. That’s why we like to add a word search to a delicious fruit basket; a subtle hint that they should take it easy for a while.
The move-with-the-times occasions
We like to build on the traditional gift occasions with a few unique moments, which is also something you can easily play around with each year. Because a gift policy is of course not set in stone and can certainly evolve with the wishes and needs of your employees and the company.
Birthday
Celebrating a birthday is very personal, and yet we often forget how happy we were as a child to celebrate that special day. We like to bring back that element of surprise, which is why we send a letterbox treat to the birthday boy or girl. But it’s up to them whether or not they want to share it!
Preboarding
The contract has been signed and the start date has been settled on, so now all there’s left to do is wait with anticipation. Sometimes there’s a long gap between signing a contract and your first day, so we like to bridge that gap with a party pack.
Onboarding
We can’t wait to welcome a new talent to our team! On their first day, as well as a goodie bag, we’ll also provide a jar of sweets on their desk: a tradition we’re happy to adopt from our northern neighbours. Why? A tasty treat makes for the perfect icebreaker: colleagues have a reason to stop by the new joiner and it sets the scene for introductions!
Runner-up
Sometimes a candidate goes through the entire application process but it turns out we’re simply not a good match. No matter who puts the brakes on it, we appreciate all the time an applicant invests in getting to know Kadonation. So if an applicant goes through our entire process but it doesn’t turn out the way they hoped? Then we still want to say a big thank you with a sweet forget-me-not through the letterbox. And who knows what the future may hold. Leaving the door open can sometimes lead to new opportunities!
Surprise
Our internal party committee tries to leave a lasting impression, especially on an emotional level. We often like to surprise the team and there are still plenty of ideas in the pot. And the best conversations? They often start with ‘do you remember when…’
Experiences budget
As well as initiatives by HR or the party committee, each team lead or manager has a budget to spend on their team. This creates the space and freedom to organise a team-oriented moment, like a nice lunch out!
Back from a long break
Have you welcomed a new family member and been away for a while, or are you returning from a long trip? That first day back after a long break sometimes makes you feel just as nervous as you did during onboarding. So we like to alleviate some of that tension by decorating your desk in time for your return! Plus it means you’ve got a guaranteed spot in the office, which is always handy.
Wellbeing
The end of year approaching also means the start of the busiest period of the year for our team. To be able to start that rollercoaster with a clear head, we like to schedule a zen moment: first we’ll relax together with some yoga, then after a nice breakfast and a massage we’ll dive right in!
Spontaneous occasions
Not all occasions need to be planned based on a gift policy. For example, on International Women’s Day all the women in the management team were given a little surprise in the form of a plant. One colleague likes to bring in some home-grown courgettes and another prefers to try out new baking recipes on a group of willing guinea pigs. Hot and sunny outside? Perhaps we’ll track down an ice cream van… Or we’ll kick off the winter or summer festival in Ghent together! And that ski trip, that was also one for the ages. You’ve probably already guessed it: spontaneity knows no bounds.
Hopefully we can inspire you and your organisation with how we at Kadonation implement our own gift policy. We’re convinced that a well-considered policy can only add to the positive image of the company, but also strengthens internal relationships, which is the key to sustainable success in the long term!
TIP: if you have a gift policy that you’re proud of, share it in your job vacancies. This is a great way to earn some extra employer branding points!
Did you know that Kadonation Select completely relieves you of the hassle of corporate gifts? Test it and judge for yourself!
Candy box | ‘Welkom in ons team’ (=Welcome to our team)
Mailbox Brownies: Mix Double Chocolates & Salted Caramel
MORO starter kit | body wash
Birthday box | Vegan & Halal
Lux Trio Sparkling Wine Gift
Maternity gift | Teddy bear
Tree | Apple Pie
Gift box Countdown Box
Bouquet | Bois
Fruit basket ‘Word search’
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Silke
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