Choosing the Right Gifts for Your Employee New Hire program
6 Tips on Choosing the Best Products for Your New Employee On-Boarding or Welcome Kits
Austin, TX: Employee New Hire or Welcome Kits have been increasing over the past few years..and rightfully so. They help reinforce the sense of community in a company and submerges them into the corporate culture--while also giving the a sense of pride and "brag factor" as they walk around with your corporate swag.
But how do you choose the best gifts for these on-boarding kits?
1) The first step is to think of your corporate culture-- and find a set of gifts that are compatible and suitable. Although that sounds basic and is, we at Geek Tech Branding are often asked to provide gifts that do not seem to fit with the type of company or culture that is already in place.
2) Next, decide on how you will be presenting the employee with their gift. Will it be at a company meeting or event? Will it be sent to their home. Will it be presented to them by the president, HR director or other executive of the company in their office or at a lunch. Think of the logistics before thinking of handing an employee several bulky or heavy objects-- or small pieces-- with no box or bag...as well as the impact of the presentation and how it will be remembered.
3) Will you be providing the employee gifts at one time or staggered over a period of time? Welcome Kits are awesome if it will be a milestone gift--say at the three month mark, for example-- but if you want to have a series of milestone gifts, then a theme and multiple individual gifts will be better suited. There is no right or wrong to whether a single kit is better than a series of individual gifts--just be consistent.
4) Determine your budget ahead of time. You would be amazed at how many people ask for cool on boarding gifts--but have no idea of budget. Think it through first--then break it down into the frequency or how often a new employee will be presented with a gift. Remember, the cost of employee turnover is staggeringly high--both in real costs and in training and inefficiency costs-- so your welcoming gift is a small investment in helping your new hire get acclimated and to fit in more quickly.
5) Think in terms of what the employees would like--not what you would like or think is cool. One of the toughest jobs is to remove yourself from the decision and think in terms of your new hires. Perhaps put a small committee together to brainstorm ideas for these gifts. Today's employees like different promotional swag than employees even 5 or 10 years ago...so stay current.
6) Think of these gifts as a walking billboard for your company and brand. If your employee is wearing his trendy hoodie and stylish branded backpack while powering up their phone with a customized power bank and listening to tunes on their logo headphones--his or her peers will be seeing your logo--and promoting your company for free to his peers. That is target marketing that goes a long way. It also helps as conversation starters as people see your logo on promotional items--as people are curious and will ask that employee about your firm.
Once you have figured out these 6 steps, then you can have a clearer idea of what to choose for your employee gift ideas. We have been providing tech kits, customized hoodies, and one off gifts for employee hire programs for over 50 years. Let us know how we can help to make your selection easier.
