Feeling valued: holiday gift or gifts of appreciation every day?

We’re more than halfway through the holiday season.

Are you still thinking about gift ideas that will let your employees know how much you appreciate them? Will you select turkeys or bonuses, or both?

A company recently stopped giving holiday gifts to employees. For five consecutive years, the CEO made sure all employees had a turkey for their Thanksgiving tables.

The CEO became so frustrated with the barrage of emails, phone calls and visits to his office by employees inquiring about the status of “their” turkey, that he went cold turkey on gift-giving.

The CEO said, “I understand. The employees want to make plans for their holiday meals, but don’t they realize the turkeys were intended to be a gift, not an entitlement? The fact that they now expect a turkey every year, takes the joy out of giving for me.”

Would it have made a difference if the gift varied from one year to the next? Did the consistency of receiving a turkey make it feel like receiving a “paycheck?”

What nonmaterial gifts were given to the employees during the rest of the year? Was the turkey-giving the only time the CEO spent with employees?

How else was the CEO making his employees feel valued?

If the culture of a business is not focused on care and concern for employees throughout the year, giving a turkey at the holidays is just that – giving a turkey. The positive effects and gratitude for the gift will soon be forgotten, and employees will revert back to feeling like the boss doesn’t care about them – “we’re just here to make money for the company.”

On the other hand, if the company culture consistently demonstrates how it values its employees, throughout the year, employees will not feel they are owed something during the holidays or any other time.