Everyone has undoubtedly heard the phrase “the gift that keeps on giving” and this is what all gifts should strive to be when coming from an employer. Choosing the right reward for the right person can be a daunting task for most, but one way to easily clear this hurdle is to focus on an event instead of an object. Many people receive tokens of appreciation from their bosses and doing it the right way can improve productivity and employee loyalty. A recent trend that is catching on is any Experiential Employee Gifts that impart memories to the recipient rather than just a simple trinket that will likely end up collecting dust, being packed away, or getting re-gifted. This new approach to rewarding valuable members of the workforce can carry with it significant impact on the quality of job performance.
A gift that treats a person to an experience is something that cannot be duplicated by something inanimate purchased from a random retailer. Those receiving such a bounty often relate this as similar to getting more time off of work because a great experience is internalized like a short vacation. Giving in this way inspires the worker to strive for higher achievement with the vision of being rewarded again with another such grand gesture. Even if the monetary cost is cheaper than traditional gifts, its value to the staff member is immeasurable by comparison. Similarly, an experience is always different for each person, even if the event was the same, so one gift fits nearly all the employees.
The holiday season is a time many people dread because it means they will have either a stockpile of items they are stuck with or will have to spend many hours in return lines to be rid of the excess. The thrill of receiving a gift is not the physical thing held in the hands, but rather the experience of enjoying it in times to come. With a large majority of gifts being discarded or ignored it would be impossible for them to create a joyous memory. This is another reason why giving an experience is worth so much because it goes directly to the best part of the exchange. This means a greater significance is placed upon the gesture than would be on something that they may already have gotten elsewhere.
These kinds of thoughtful benefits have a profound influence on the attitude of the employee that translates to an increase in productivity. This reason alone may be the most important to the employer because every business can appreciate having harder workers. Gifting experience also makes the giver appear as more thoughtful by showing they must have had the enjoyment of the beneficiary in mind when selecting it for them. This in turn keeps the giver on their mind while they are enjoying the perks they have been granted. If an employer wants to see their reward efforts mean something on special occasions, the rare experience will be, above all else, priceless.
