In the corporate and business world it is customary for companies and businesses to give clients, customers, suppliers and employees a gift at Christmas or other special occasion.  Corporate or business gifts are a great way to thank your customers and develop goodwill, which in turn develops your business!  Giving gifts to employees is very effective for recognizing their contribution to your success as well as promoting loyalty and good performance.  Whether an employee or client,  everyone appreciates being recognized with a special gift, but what is the correct etiquette when giving a corporate gift?

There are some do’s and don’t in corporate and business gift giving etiquette though.  It is important to make sure that your gift is not of a personal nature unless that client or employee happens to also be a very close friend.   If you are choosing different individual gifts for each recipient then be careful in giving gifts of alcohol which could be inappropriate for that particular person.  As well, make sure that the client to whom you are giving a basket of smoked meats to is not a vegetarian!   

Some companies will have their logo placed on jackets, vests, or other articles of clothing to be used as corporate gifts.  This is an area that requires some caution too.  While some employees may not mind wearing a jacket that has the name of their employer on it,  you may find that clients, suppliers and customers are insulted by the idea of advertising your business on their clothing!   If you do decide to put your logo on a gift,  make sure that it is small, subtle and tasteful.   That will go much further at promoting you than something large or garish. 

When giving gifts to employees,  try to be consistent from year to year.   If it has been a company tradition to give a certain type of gift to each employee, consider carefully before discontinuing or changing the tradition.  Instead of being grateful, employees can sometimes grumble about the gift they got this year when compared to the years that came before.  If you are cutting back on the expense of employee gifts for financial reasons,  make sure this is communicated to your employees so that they won’t feel you are not appreciating them.  Then try to find other ways to show your appreciation to them.  Perhaps you could suggest the whole company put money towards sponsoring a child somewhere for that year.

Remember that corporate and business gifts are a excellent way to promote your business and and services, and choosing the right gift will go a long way in making your clients and employees know that you value them.