December 16, 2011

Employee gifting can be tricky. Not sure where to start? Forget ordering tasteless corporate gifts — company paper weights, cheap pens with your company logo on them or calendars. And even though you mean the best – don’t give them gifts of unsolicited advice (no matter how badly you may want to).

Have you been wondering what gifts your employees truly want this holiday season? If so, show your team how much you truly care and give them one of these five holiday gifts.

1. An unexpected day off. It’s cheap, yet effective. Give your staff something they definitely won’t expect – an extra day off. Develop a plan to avoid scheduling conflicts. No matter how much they love working for you, who couldn’t use a three-day weekend?

2. A cash bonus. Did you have a better than expected year? If so, when in doubt – give cash. But remember, that cash or cash equivalents, including gift certificates are treated as additional compensation by the IRS and subject to withholding.

3. A company holiday party: Are you looking for an effective and efficient gift to benefit all of your staff? Throw a company party. The perks are endless and “You can circumvent some of the IRS taxable gift rules for employees. If you were planning to give your employees gift certificates to a local restaurant, host a party at the restaurant instead. Doing this will allow you to write off all expenses of the party and is not taxable. The only rule for holiday parties is for them to be “reasonable” in value (eHow.com).”

4. Employee recognition. If you haven’t shown how much you value your staff lately, here’s the chance. Develop a day of recognition and have fellow employees vote for their peers on a variety of categories including MVP, Most Improved, and so on.

5. Gourmet Gifts. Almost everyone can appreciate a great gift basket, gift tower, chocolate, bakery gifts and more for the holidays. Checkout Harry & David for some exquisite, appealing and reasonably priced gift baskets.

Do you give really cool gifts to your employees? If so, let us know in the comments section below. Did you enjoy this article? If so, subscribe to YFS Magazine and never miss an update. Don’t forget to make our friendship official and join Young, Fabulous & Self-Employed entrepreneurs on Facebook, Twitter and Google+.