When people did exit interviews at Acmo Consolidated, almost all of them said that Sally was the nicest HR person around.
She was always there to greet people with a warm smile – and took care of human resources business with a positive attitude, and respect for each person’s unique individuality.
Sally got employee awards three years running, and everyone was really sad when she left, due to a move out of state. Somebody even baked her a cake, and they sang joyful songs on her last day…
Was Sally the best HR person because she gave out swag?
The Value of Small Gifts
It depends on who you talk to, but many people would agree that pieces of swag and promotional items, given as small gifts, can have a profoundly positive impact in the workplace.
Handing out these items doesn’t necessarily make you a nice person, or endear you to your fellow co-workers, automatically – but if you think of the giveaways as a tool, the picture becomes a lot clearer.
A small gift is a way to approach somebody from a positive angle, for a positive impression. It’s an icebreaker – it’s a sign of shared value – and it’s been a symbol of accommodation and reciprocity that really resonates with most people who are involved in any kind of business.
In fact, for many companies, investing in these small incentive gifts is a win-win, because it also provides brand visibility. You’re likely to have a lot of loyal people taking your swag everywhere and showing it off to others, which generates positive word-of-mouth. And despite the practicality of pay-per-click and e-commerce and all the rest, word-of-mouth still matters.
Personalizing Gifts
Going back to Sally’s story, one thing that people liked about her approach was that she selected the individual swag pieces according to what an employee could use.
She didn’t just give out pens to everybody – she gave out specific gifts that seem to have a personal touch.
If you check out our store at Stitch To My Lue, you’ll see the variety of items that we can customize for your business. We have bags, rubber duckies, and champagne glasses. We have coffee-to-go cups, clocks, mini baseball bats, pet products and many other little objects that people will use every day. When you’re looking for a way to enhance your business advertising, take a look at how these promotional items can work for your business, and think about it not just from an outreach perspective, but from an internal standpoint as well. These little extras are great for on-boarding and everything else your HR people do as they network and cooperate with new talent and through the entire HR life cycle. At STML, we’re happy to help your business to thrive.
At Stitch To My Lue, we want to hear from you. What’s the gifting strategy that has served you best? Tell us what you think about how to become the “nicest HR person” around.
