As a human resource manager, you have to be able to find gift baskets to fit every occasion in the office. The problem is, many of those corporate gift baskets are just...boring. No employee wants to receive the same drab basket with the same generic chocolate bar and gift cards to restaurants they don’t like for the third year in a row. These baskets tend to have more paper filling and ribbon than content for a reason — the actual gifts in the basket aren’t that interesting.
It can feel a little stale and disingenuous, and that’s not a great feeling to inspire as an HR director. If your employees don’t feel like your corporation cares about them as a person, morale will drop. If clients aren’t wowed by your gifts, they may start to look elsewhere. You want employees and clients to know how special they are to your corporation, and to do that, you need something that goes above a typical gift basket.
This wasn’t always a problem for HR managers, because corporate gifts were once scattered few and farther between. Not so now. “Companies [...] reward employees much more frequently,” says Alex Ferrero, Promotional Product Specialist at The Grommet. “It used to be a pen at 10 years and a ring that looked like you won the Super Bowl at 20 years. Now we see companies celebrating achievements with more gifts that start with new hires, and continue through the first year, the second year, 5th year, and beyond.”
Unique corporate gift baskets might be more rare (if they weren’t, they probably wouldn’t be “unique”), but that doesn’t mean you can’t find them out there. But first, it’s important to know what you’re looking for.
What Makes a Unique Corporate Gift Basket?
“When you think of what makes a corporate gift special, the first thing will be quality,” says Mini Little Thing about their corporate baby gifts on their “corporate gift page.” Your corporate gifts are a reflection of the company. They shouldn’t look cheap or thoughtless, like something you just purchased as an afterthought. They should be eye-grabbing and high quality. If you make baby gifts, that means high-quality fabrics and materials to make teddy bears, blankets, and so on. If you make gift baskets, that means delicious ingredients that make an impression.
Thoughtfulness is also an important quality to unique corporate gifts. Mini Little Thing set up their corporate baby gifts as a way to offer thoughtful, personal gifts to coworkers, employees, clients, or new hires who have a little one at home. A gift like this shows that you appreciate who they are as a person both on and off the clock. This can be a challenge for HR managers, however, especially in large corporations. It’s hard to know each employee personally. But any touch of individuality can make a big difference.
It also matters where the gift comes from. In the case of The Grommet, they pay close attention to the environmental impact, and the impact on the local economy, to offer high quality, eco-friendly gifts. At The Best Gift Baskets, these and many other factors are taken under consideration as we take care to select the best gifts available.
Personalization is a desirable trait when it comes to gift baskets, but Ferrero warns that corporations should be subtle in their personalization: make it about the recipient, not the giver. “In this case, the goal of personalizing should be to create a more lasting connection between company and employee through the gift. Include your brand, but don’t make it a distraction from why you’re giving the gift in the first place.”
One thing that Ferrero suggests HR managers avoid when searching for unique corporate gifts? Procrastination. “Nobody likes to be on the receiving end of a “gift” that was clearly an after-thought. It’s painfully obvious when that happens and I think it can have a negative impact, even more so than giving nothing at all.”
At The Best Gift Baskets, we offer several customization and personalization options with our corporate gifts. You can have a handwritten gift card written to make each gift feel personal, even when bought in bulk. You can add a message or even build your own custom gift basket. Any of these things can make corporate gifts stand out.
A unique corporate gift basket should be a gift basket that wows, something that surprises the accomplished employee who’s seen it all before. We think these gift baskets just might do the trick:
1. 'Tis the Season Holiday Gourmet Gift and Cutting Board
The beauty of this gift is the keepsake cutting board and cheese knife. It is so much fun to receive a thoughtful gift full of delicious treats, but it seems even more special to have the cutting board and knife for repeated usage, enjoyment, and appreciation. It can be hard to find a gourmet gift basket that pleases the tastes of every employee, but this unique corporate gift basket combines tasty treats and a keepsake!
2. A Taste of Napa Valley Wine Gift Basket
Many gift baskets have wine, but how many of them can boast that their wine comes from America’s most famous wine country? This gift basket gets its unique theme from Napa Valley wineries and contains two Napa Valley red wines: merlot and cabernet sauvignon. It also has the perfect snacks to go along with that delicious wine, including Monterey jack cheese, bruschetta crisps, and Ghiradelli chocolate squares.
Want to reward a hardworking employee with an opportunity to relax and treat themselves? This is the unique corporate gift basket for the job.
3. California Golden Gourmet Wine Gift Basket
This gift basket is also themed after Napa Valley’s wine country, but in this case, it pays homage to a specific vineyard: Maddalena, known for their strong belief in crafting the finest artisan wines. Along with a Cabernet, a Chardonnay, and a Zinfindel, you can find brie cheese, flatbread crisps, chocolate truffle cookies, and more to add to the richness of the wines.
Want to impress a new client with an impressive presentation and gift basket to match? Look no further than the California Golden Gourmet Wine Gift Basket.
4. Something for Everyone California Wine and Craft Beer Gift Basket
Not everyone is a wine person, and that’s okay! For employees who love craft beer, this is a great option. This gift basket has something for everyone including various California craft beer, a cabernet, and snack goodies that will all get gobbled up: Butter Toffee Pretzels, Sourdough Nuggets, Cheese Crackers, Almonds, Cheese, Pop Chips, Peanuts.
This gift basket screams celebration from head to toe. It’s the perfect choice for celebrating a loyal employee’s retirement, promotion, or anniversary of their time with your firm.
5. Classic Gourmet Celebration Holiday Gift Basket
Looking to really impress? This gift basket is fully loaded with something for the entire office. Whether you’re a California corporation welcoming a new hire from out of state or your newest employee moved to your location from California, this unique corporate gift basket is both thoughtful and interesting. All of these tasty treats are sure to impress and will be very much appreciated!
6. Dom Perignon Champagne Gift Basket
Want to make a big statement for your new c-suite executive? Nothing says you are important like a bottle of Dom Perignon. Nothing more needs to be said.
7. Fields of Lavender Spa Gift Basket
Some gift baskets offer tasty treats or fine wine, and that’s all very well and good. This gift basket offers something different: the chance to give yourself a spa treatment in your own home. This beautiful gift basket includes a wire mesh basket design that people keep and reuse in so many unique ways!
The gift basket that bodes well as a corporate gift while also showing that you understand and appreciate the fact that your employees have lives outside of work. “If you can source new products that integrate well into daily life but also embody the kind of culture you want to promote, you’ve achieved the best outcome possible,” says Ferrero of some of his favorite corporate gifts at The Grommet. “For us, we get a big kick out of products that your employees didn’t know they needed but now can’t live without.”
Want to show your boss that you appreciate her or reward someone for their 20 year anniversary at the company? This gift basket says that you recognize everything they do and believe they deserve to take some time for themselves.
8. Welcome Home Baby Gift Basket
This comes back to what we’ve said about personal gifts. When your corporate gift basket is something that’s actually relevant to your employee’s life, they’ll appreciate it that much more. This gift basket, with its Noah's Ark collection of adorable stuffed animals and useful items like baby bottles and pacifiers for the baby, is perfect for a loyal employee about to leave for maternity. Let her know that your corporation is thinking of her and excited for this next chapter of her life.
These are just a few of our unique corporate gift baskets. Check out our featured gift baskets or contact us for help and ideas for your corporate gifting needs. Just because it’s a business gift doesn’t mean it should be boring. At TheBestGiftBaskets.com, we take care to select corporate gift baskets you can be confident will be very appreciated by your clients and your employees.
Special thanks to our friends at The Grommet for their insights and the unique corporate gifts they offer to their customers.
References:
1Fruit Facts - Grown in California