What makes a corporate gift actually good? For 94% of employees, it’s one that feels personal

When the holiday season arrives, corporate gifting can oftentimes feel impersonal: a basic water bottle with the company logo splashed on it or the twisty pen that sometimes works. What many folks in HR don’t know is that intentional gifting is the most overlooked retention tool in businesses. Here’s why.

According to a Holiday gifting survey by Custom Ink, which polled over 1,000 employees and gift buyers, 97% of workers say they are most likely to stay in a job when they receive a gift they actually love from their employer. However, while 93% of buyers behind these gifts feel confident their selected presents are meaningful, only 35% are actually making decisions based on real employee insights, pointing to a “thoughtfulness gap.”.

Mind the gap

How can corporations and business owners close the “thoughtfulness gap” for their employees this holiday season? The survey, conducted between September and October this year, examined data from the people behind the gift organization (509 participants) at companies with eleven or more people, and employees who receive (502 participants) at companies with ten or more people. The samples, which were collected from multiple-choice questions and open-ended answers that were coded into themes, provided insights into what the “thoughtfulness gap” means.

Custom Ink’s data uncovers an important trend in corporate gifting: Thoughtfulness comes from the intention behind selecting the product, whereby 38% of the employees surveyed define it as putting care into choosing something practical for their everyday routine.

“It feels thoughtful, like they didn’t just find something that was popular but looked for something that tailored to me,” said one respondent.

Personalization is more than just adding a custom logo on a product; it’s about knowing what people genuinely want. It’s the “thought” itself, from “the thought that counts,” that makes a gift last. Sixty percent (60%) of gifts go unused, with most re-gifted or donated, and some going in the trash. An interesting find from the survey shows that most people (around 58%) prefer to choose their gift from a curated list, rather than a bang-for-their-buck basket of cheap items.

Give the gift that lasts, not just what counts

Not surprisingly, the top gifting category that employees use the most is tech and electronics, where over half of employees from the report use their tech gifts on a regular basis. However, only 30% of companies surveyed buy tech and electronics as gifts.

The employees surveyed uncovered what they believe is a gift that lasts:

• Solving a problem in their daily routine: 51% like a gift that can integrate seamlessly or improve their daily routines.
• Personality trumps popularity: If you’re gifting something with the company logo, 35% want to keep it lowkey, and 27% want a gift that reflects recognition, genuine thought, or a milestone.
• The gift that will actually last: Quality and durability are important to the 43% who say this is what makes the “thought that lasts.”

So how do we do corporate gifting right?

What companies should not do is skip the gifts. No gifting, cheap and generically branded items, and any candy or fruitcake are ranked the top three worst gifts an employer can give. Instead, think about what your employees want: perhaps a quick survey to get some insights. It shows you appreciate your employees with genuine thought, and your investment shows how much you value them. Close the “thoughtfulness gap” this year with something other than the yearly company pen or basic bottle.

This story was produced by Custom Ink and reviewed and distributed by Stacker.