Employee Christmas Rewards

“Can’t buy me love” – the Fab Four knew it, and the best employers know it, too. Your employees have worked hard all year, and now it’s time to reward them. This year, get creative with your bonus scheme and watch your teams’ faces light up.

Everyone deserves a treat

There are some things people never get around to doing, the “maybe-one-day” aspirations that the household budget or time constraints rarely allow for. Yep, it’s time to spoil your employees. Here are some ideas:

• Pampering activities, such as facials, day-spa indulgences or beauty treatments are a few of life’s best luxuries

• In-the-wild experiences are on many bucket lists, and include whale-watching, bridge climbing and treetop adventures

• The chance to learn a new skill is priceless: find out what your employee’s creative passion is and indulge it with a course or workshop

Show ’em your conscience

If your company has a focus on social consciousness and you want to reinforce this with your employees, a charity gift can be a great option at Christmas time. That could come in the form of:

• Gifts like ethical chocolates, and fair trade teas or coffees; check out Oxfam Unwrapped for some great ideas

• Sponsoring a child on your employees’ behalf is the kind of reward that will be remembered long after the Christmas celebrations have died down

• Buying a resource for a Third World community – a goat, or a well, for example – has implications far beyond the annual rewards process

The best way to an employee’s heart

Let’s be honest: the best way to anyone’s heart is via their tastebuds. So, if you want to motivate your staff, an amazing foodie adventure is a great idea. Here’s some inspiration:

• A cellar door experience is a great concept for the wine-lovers among your staff: or order a special boxed dozen from a boutique Australian winery

• If the people in your office love a cup of tea and home-made sweets, treat them to a high tea at somewhere special. And think high-brow: the InterContinental Sydney, for example, or the Langham in Melbourne

• Cooking classes are both fun and practical: if you’ve got serious cooks on staff, choose something out of the box (high-end cake decorating, maybe), or a more basic offering for the novice cook

What they want (what they really, really want)

The one thing everyone wants for Christmas is something thoughtful. That will mean something different to everyone, which makes this the perfect opportunity to tailor your bonuses to each person. Take a bit of time to think about what your team members want. What do they enjoy doing outside work? What gets them excited? Some examples:

• A parent who is struggling to balance their annual leave with school holidays might appreciate a bonus in the form of few extra days off

• That sports-crazy person will love you forever for a behind-the-scenes sportsground tour or hard-to-get tickets for a sporting event

• And who knows? That quiet, diligent guy or gal in the next office might be secretly yearning to go rock climbing, so an experience voucher would make a brilliant bonus

>> Find out more about RedBalloon for Business

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