Memorable Gifts

I remember years ago, when I worked for a technology company, my manager did something that I still remember. It wasn’t a big thing, but it stuck with me just the same.

We were very busy that year, with lots of long days for our small office of five women. Now, the year was coming to an end, and our office was relatively quiet.

Late one afternoon, our manager called us into her office and announced that we had earned a reward for all our hard work that year. She explained that we were to get together and schedule one afternoon off for each of us in the coming week. We could use the time to finish our holiday shopping, get a massage, or whatever we wished. The point was to do something that would reduce our overall stress.

What made this memorable for me was that she combined a “timely” gift with her message of gratitude, acknowledged our pre-holiday anxieties, and did it all without putting any kind of a burden on the department or the company.

That was a memorable gift tied up with a beautiful bow.

Copyright 2007 Cindy Ventrice

Tough Times and Holiday Bonuses

What do you do when you just don’t have the money in your budget to give the kind of holiday bonuses that employees expect and deserve? That was the question that a retail manager asked me during a training session a number of years ago. Because all six managers in this small company were present, we took the opportunity to brainstorm.

The problem: The managers had a budget of $50 per person for holiday bonuses. Their employees typically received around $200, but sales were down and it just wasn’t possible that year.

The solution: They decided to limit the bonus checks to $20 and use the balance to buy small personalized gifts for each employee, gifts that would fit into a holiday stocking.

They spent their off hours shopping and wrapping. They hired one of the manager’s daughter to write, in glitter, the name of each employee on a stocking.

Late one evening, they stuffed the stockings with the gifts and checks, and then they hung the stockings in a narrow stairway that led up to the employee break room. They headed home, still worried that employees would feel cheated by the tiny checks.

The next morning the six managers entered the office uneasy about what they would find. They headed for the break room and were surprised to discover their employees sitting on the stairs, unwrapping gifts, laughing, and sharing their surprises with each other.

Employees loved the personal attention that went into their gifts. They knew they were valued in spite of the size of their checks. It truly made their day. In fact, they talked about their holiday “bonuses” for months to come.

Copyright 2007 Cindy Ventrice