Elk + Elk ’s Post

Here are 5 thoughtful ways to show love and appreciation to your employees this Christmas: ✅ Offer a bonus, raise, or gift card to acknowledge their hard work throughout the year. Monetary gestures are always appreciated and help employees feel valued. ✅ Write personalized thank-you notes recognizing individual contributions. Acknowledging specific achievements makes the appreciation feel genuine. ✅ Give employees additional paid time off to spend with their loved ones. Allowing flexibility during the holidays shows you care about their well-being. ✅ Choose thoughtful gifts like hampers, wellness packages, or experiences tailored to their preferences. Gifts that reflect effort and thoughtfulness build a sense of connection and gratitude. ✅ Organize a Christmas party, lunch, or virtual gathering to celebrate as a team. Include fun activities, awards, and time to unwind together. Merry Christmas! Jesus is the reason for the season.

Introducing a delightful twist to celebrating birthdays 🎉 in the office! Picture this: Instead of the usual routine, you can now surprise your colleagues with a burst of joy right from your workstation. It's as simple as pie! Just glide through our hassle-free form, pick the lucky colleague, sprinkle some magic with our array of templates to jazz up your message, and voilà!💫 Hit that submit button like a birthday confetti cannon. Once you've hit submit, brace yourself for the anticipation, because your chosen colleague will receive a whimsical email notification, signaling the arrival of your heartfelt birthday wish. Can you imagine the grins spreading across their faces as they unwrap your digital gift of cheer? It's a guaranteed smile generator, bringing the joy of birthdays to every cubicle and corner of your workspace! #ServiceNow #BirthdayWishes #WorkplaceCelebration #EmployeeEngagement #DigitalTransformation

It’s never too early to start planning for the holiday season! The end of the year approaches quickly and always takes us by surprise. Are you searching for the perfect rewards for your employees and clients for the upcoming holidays? Let's face it - employees don't want any more company swag. Gift cards have been the #1 most requested holiday gift for 17 years in a row, and that's what we're here to provide. Whether it's a thank-you for a job well done or a festive holiday surprise, a Toasty Choice Card can help make this year more meaningful than ever. Simply send a reward amount and let your recipients choose exactly what they want. Don’t let this year's festive season creep up on you last minute - be prepared and ready with Toasty :) #employeerecognition #employeeengagement #toasty

Wrapping Up the Year: Celebrate the season together! 8. MAKE YOUR GENEROSITY MEANINGFUL. If you decide to give your employees an expression of gratitude at the end of the year, take into consideration what might be more appreciated and have the most positive impact. Especially in times of economic strain or uncertainty, it is important to consider the gift you choose to give your employees. Your generosity is appreciated and never taken for granted, but there are some gifts that are more helpful than others. For example, some companies give every employee a gift card at the holidays—a generous choice that allows individuals to choose the item(s) they need at their convenience. While gifts like gadgets, snacks, office supplies and other similar items are fun to receive and often useful, they may not be as meaningful or have as much impact as a gift card or a cash gift. We’d love to hear from YOU! How do you show gratitude to your team in meaningful ways during the holidays? 👉 Comment below with your ideas for impactful gifts or gestures. 👉 Share your story to inspire others to give with intention this season! Let’s celebrate the season with thoughtful generosity that truly makes a difference. 🎁✨ #MeaningfulGifts #HolidayGratitude #LeadershipInAction

Are you juggling the holiday madness and worrying about staff Christmas gifts? MicroGifts makes this festive season stress-free for admins and unforgettable for your employees! 🎄✨   🗓️ Get ahead of the rush by scheduling your employees' gifts in advance. 🎁 With just a few clicks, you can send personalized, branded gifts that arrive instantly. 🛍️ Employees will love the freedom to use them wherever Mastercard is accepted, both in-store and online. 📥 No lost cards, no logistics headaches—just seamless rewards delivered straight to your email inbox.   Organize early, reduce risk, and give a gift they’ll love — all with MicroGifts! Make this year’s gift-giving memorable and hassle-free! 🤩

What's more valuable to you? An afternoon off. Or a generous gift card redeemable at a coffee shop you love. For a lot of people, taking the afternoon off is hands one of the best gifts an employer could give. As a form of appreciation, the gift of time recognizes your team's hard work and need for unstructured time to rest & recharge. Included alongside more conventional gift options, the gift of time also stands out as unique, thoughtful, and generous. Of course, nothing is stopping an employer from providing time off and an additional gift on special occasions like birthdays and work anniversaries. For your next Unwrapit gift campaign for employees, consider adding Take the Afternoon Off as a gift option. Your people will thank you for the gift of time. #timeoff #futureofwork #thegiftoftime

Gratitude goes a long way in building positive relationships at work. Taking a moment to acknowledge someone's contributions can boost morale and foster strong team bonds. At CoreFirst, we make a point to celebrate and appreciate our amazing team. This month, we hosted a Holiday Luncheon, gave every employee a $50 gift card, and next Monday, we're sharing cinnamon rolls to add some extra warmth to the season. We also send out COREys to recognize our colleagues for a job well done - it's such a meaningful way to acknowledge the contributions that make our team great. How does your organization show appreciation for its employees? Let's share ideas and keep spreading gratitude!

"Prior to this job from my 20's to my 40's being told you’re doing a good job wasn't a common thing. Not feeling appreciated lowers moral greatly and is contagious. This is something that can easily be cured with a simple thank you and a pat on the back. Currently with the weekly wheel spin, birthday wishes, work anniversary acknowledgements and newly rolled out certification support, it's great to see the ‘people at the top’ recognize the value in employee appreciation." The above was a message I received from an employee and it reminded me of the true impact just being thankful can have on other people. We all want to know we have made an impact and saying thank you gives people the satisfaction of knowing they impacted you. So say Thank You often. Do it in person, do it by text, phone call, or even better, a hand written note. The more specific you can be the better. "Thank you for completing that project on time, it allowed me and my family to have a peaceful weekend." is a lot better than just "Thanks for all you do." But DONE is better than PERFECT, so start wherever you can and keep working it. Saying thank you is one of the most powerful things you can do and it took me a very long time to learn this. I am getting a lot better at being spontaneous about it, but because I am such a process person I've built rhythms for me and our company to do this regularly. Every Friday I publicly recognize and thank 3-6 employees during our All Hands Call. I keep a list of every employee's company anniversary date and send a written note and Amazon gift card to each employee each year on their anniversary. I didn't realize the impact this had until I was at someone's desk and saw they had the last 3 year's of cards pinned to their cubicle wall. What new way do you need to start saying thank you to people today?

Some wonderful suggestions to thoughtfully recognize those employees who are the heart of most companies as Administrative Professionals Day approaches. May I add that these suggestions come from a great new HR consulting firm that is bringing companies into the future of people operations!

After her Eras tour, Taylor Swift gave away $55m in bonuses to her crew, while most companies still debate if a $50 gift card is "too much" for employee recognition. Here's why you should be all in on meaningful recognition this year: The math is simple - employees who receive great recognition are 20 times more likely to be engaged. Twenty times!! Yet too many of us treat recognition as an afterthought, saving it for annual reviews or major milestones. Swift didn't just write checks.... She included personal, handwritten notes - acknowledging their individual contributions to her tour's success. It's not about the amount. It's about the intention and consistency. Studies show 72% of highly engaged employees report that even small contributions are recognized at their organizations. The little things matter, eg: ↝Weekly meaningful conversations ↝Personal notes ↝Specific feedback about individual contributions. These cost nothing but time and attention. The ripple effect is real. When people feel truly seen and valued, they bring their best selves to work. No, we can't all give out $100k bonuses. But we can all create cultures where recognition is intentional, personal, and consistent. 👇🏼Tag your superstars in the comments to give them some deserved recognition! - Image: Stephen Mease - Unsplash