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Feeling stuck trying to pick the perfect employee holiday gifts to share? You’re not alone — workplace gift-giving can be intimidating, especially if you’re new to it.
Forget all the do’s and don’ts that are stressing you out and imagine for a minute …
How would Santa choose employee holiday gifts?
Santa delights children around the world year after year, right? He’s a gift-giving authority! (more…)

The new comedy “Office Christmas Party” is every HR team’s nightmare of a workplace holiday party gone bad. The movie has every poor-taste cliché going: drunken debauchery, regrettable social choices with bosses and coworkers, and a big mess of property damage to clean up the next morning. It’s enough to make any HR department want to cancel the workplace holiday party, immediately. (more…)

The stakes are high with employee holiday gifts.
A lot of responsibility rests on your shoulders if you’re in charge of picking, ordering and distributing gifts for employees at the holidays.
Pick the wrong gift, and it could end up on one of the many lists mocking terrible workplace gifts. Bad gifts from bosses are so commonplace that the Emily Post Institute created a multiple-choice quiz to test holiday gift-giving knowledge and warn against common mistakes.
People don’t have much confidence in companies to get it right, either. (more…)

Happy International Volunteer Day! Today we’re celebrating the benefits of workplace volunteerism.
International Volunteer Day is a UN-spearheaded effort to highlight and honor the work of volunteers around the world in areas such as education, youth engagement, health, poverty eradication and the environment.
If you’re interested in celebrating the day in your workplace or sharing information about your company’s volunteer work on social media, be sure to check out these (more…)

Some families share a turkey as the centerpiece to their holiday feast. And some families share a ham. Give everyone what they want for the holidays with gThankYou! Turkey or Ham Gifts!
Turkey or Ham Gift Certificates from gThankYou give recipients the flexibility to choose. They’re meaningful, appreciated and convenient!
Choosing an employee holiday gift that recipients will love can be a challenge, especially when you’re tasked with finding a gift to please a large workforce with a wide range of ages, backgrounds and interests. (more…)

Don’t let the stress of the holidays undo the hard work you’ve put into employee engagement and workplace wellbeing this year!
Get a head start by promoting and rewarding healthy choices and tobacco-use cessation.
This week, kick off your holiday workplace wellbeing initiative with a celebration of the American Cancer Society’s Great American Smokeout! The date is Thursday, Nov. 17.
The Great American Smokeout is a chance to offer encouragement to employees who are trying to quit smoking and reward everyone for healthy behavior. Plus, the American Cancer Society has lots of resources to help employers raise awareness about the benefits of quitting and spread the word about workplace wellbeing rewards. (more…)

Celebrate the gratitude and joy of the season with a traditional Christmas ham gift!
Everyone appreciates the gift of food during the holidays, especially one that’s the centerpiece to their holiday celebration.
It’s a meaningful gift they can share with their families and build memories around.
Make your Christmas ham gift program easy this year: share gThankYou! Ham Gift Certificates. gThankYou makes it easy to plan any size of ham gift program — or for a complex distributed workforce or even at the last minute. (more…)

Workplace kindness may be one of the rarest forms of kindness. We’re more frequently expected to share kindness at home, with friends, in places of worship, in our neighborhood and at school.
Yet the workplace is one place where kindness is not emphasized and often sorely missed — we’re too busy, too distracted, too competitive.
The climate of communication today is often unkind, too. We’re barely a week out from a bitterly divisive presidential election with name-calling from both sides. We have been immersed in inconsiderate commentary for endless months.
We all need kindness — today more than ever. In employee management in particular, kindness is powerful. (more…)

Veterans Day is Nov. 11. Wondering how to thank veterans in your workplace and beyond?
If you aren’t already, now’s a great time to start incorporating celebrations of giving and honor (like Veterans Day) into your employee engagement calendar!
Thanking the veterans in your workplace isn’t just a nice thing to do for them, it’s also an excellent opportunity to engage all employees with gratitude and a good cause. Employees now more than ever are embracing workplace volunteerism, corporate social responsibility (CSR) and giving back to their community with coworkers.
Here are five tips for how to thank veterans in your workplace and community as a tool for employee engagement.
(more…)

Need a workplace Thanksgiving gift, quick?
Order your gThankYou! Turkey Gift Certificates today and have them as soon as tomorrow!
gThankYou is proud to offer same-day shipping on virtually all orders. That means you can have your Turkey Gift Certificates in hand, ready to give to recipients — tomorrow.
Plus, unlike gifts of actual frozen turkeys, gThankYou! Turkey Gift Certificates give recipients the flexibility to choose the size, brand and preparation they want as the centerpiece of their holiday family celebration. (more…)

Sorry. It’s the one word that may be holding back you and your team from building a stronger culture of workplace gratitude.
Apologies have their place. But you’re probably saying “Sorry” when “Thank You” would be better.
“If you’ve truly done something to hurt or offend someone, an apology is best. But so often the things people apologize for in daily life are ambiguous,” Julie Beck, senior associate editor at The Atlantic, writes in her article “The Power of Casual Gratitude.”
“A ‘sorry’ is a token offered to ward off guilt and to keep others from being irritated with you. But it’s just basic economics that the more of these coins you have in circulation, the less they’re worth,” she writes. (more…)

Are your employees caught up in election distraction? Don’t worry! Election Day is actually a great opportunity to engage distracted employees.
This presidential election cycle has been more distracting and contentious than most — and it’s causing problems in the workplace, according to a recent Wall Street Journal article.
Bosses are put in a position to mediate political disputes between coworkers and are “struggling to keep employees civil and productive,” John Simons and Rachel Feintzeig report.
At the same time, there’s no denying that (more…)

It’s November, and that means the holiday season of gratitude is here! Seize the opportunity to honor and celebrate with your staff — write a Thanksgiving letter to employees this month.
Writing Thank You notes is a practice shared by many of the most successful CEOs in business, like Campbell Soup Company’s Doug Conant and Pepsi’s CEO Indra Nooyi.
But you don’t have to be the CEO of a Fortune 500 company to write the kind of Thank You letter that employees tell their families about and remember for years to come.
We are excited to introduce our new eBook,  “Put the ‘Thanks’ in Thanksgiving: How to Write a Thanksgiving Letter to Employees”,  the perfect resource for inspiring your Thanksgiving letter to employees this holiday season. Download this FREE eBook for step-by-step tips and lessons from real-life examples from workplace leaders. (more…)

Workplace culture is defined in part by the corporate ethics a company practices. And when there is an ethical breakdown — such as the widespread fraud case reported at Wells Fargo — it can have a toxic effect on workplace culture.
Employees and customers are paying attention. Ethics matter in every aspect of business now, from hiring talent to attracting customers, as more people demand corporate social responsibility. (more…)

Say “thanks!” to your employees with the centerpiece to any holiday meal: gThankYou! Turkey or Ham Gift Vouchers give recipients the flexibility to choose what they want most as the highlight of their holiday feast.
Choosing an employee holiday gift that recipients will love can be a challenge, especially when you’re tasked with finding a gift to please a large workforce with a wide range of ages, backgrounds and interests. That’s why the gift of a Thanksgiving turkey or Christmas ham is one of the most meaningful yet affordable gifts you can buy. Enjoy our free download “10 Reasons to Give Employees a Turkey for the Holidays” and learn why businesses have been sharing a Thanksgiving turkey for over a century. (more…)

Make A Difference Day is today, Oct. 22. How are you and your team celebrating?
If you missed organizing a Make A Difference Day activity in your workplace this year, no worries! Now’s a great time to look ahead to #GivingTuesday. Similar to Make A Difference Day, it celebrates gratitude, giving and volunteerism.
After Thanksgiving, we have Black Friday, Small Business Saturday, Cyber Monday — and #GivingTuesday on Tuesday, Nov 29.
#GivingTuesday is a “global day of giving fueled by the power of social media and collaboration,” according to GivingTuesday.org. It “kicks off the charitable season, when many focus on their holiday and end-of-year giving.”
United Way calls these Days of Caring. Besides Make a Difference Day and #GivingTuesday, the organization also includes Martin Luther King Day, Read Across America Day, National Volunteer Week, Day of Action, and 9/11 Day of Service and Remembrance.
#GivingTuesday and other Days of Caring are a fantastic opportunity to engage employees with volunteerism and giving back. You can organize activities inter-departmentally or with the community in your neighborhood, city or state, or even orchestrate a nationwide effort with employees across distributed company locations.
Days of Caring are quickly becoming key workplace celebrations. Read on to find out why, and for planning inspiration.

Workplace Volunteerism Attracts (and Keeps) Employees

Millennials in particular are demanding corporate social responsibility, according to an NPR commentary by Paul Argenti, Dartmouth professor of corporate communication. A recent Nielsen survey shows the younger generation is “significantly more responsive” to corporate social responsibility “in both consumption as well as employment decisions.”
A triple bottom line is emerging: people, planet and profit.
“Millennials are choosing to spend their resources — be it time or money — on organizations that appear to represent a set of values,” Argenti writes.
One company incorporating volunteerism and giving back into its business strategy is TCC, the Verizon wireless retailer. CEO Scott Moorehead explains that the “commoditization of wireless retail stores meant we needed to do more to differentiate ourselves in order to grow a loyal customer and employee base.”
So TCC started “Culture of Good,” a program aimed at engaging its employees, 85 percent of whom are Millennials. Employees are allowed 16 hours of paid time-off annually to devote to volunteer efforts. In 2015, the company donated $1.2 million to employee-led charity efforts.
“Such a policy fits well with two of the major requests from Millennials: empowerment and the ability to affect local communities,” Argenti writes.
It’s also good for business. As a result of “Culture of Good,” TCC reported higher employee retention and satisfaction, as well as an increase in customers.
“Although each generation bemoans the faults of the following ones, perhaps it’s time we give Millennials credit where credit is due: They are forcing business to do good while doing well. Companies need to rise to this challenge quickly or risk becoming an anachronism,” Argenti writes.

5 Ideas for Workplace Giving Inspiration

Be inspired by what companies around the country are doing! It’s the best way to start brainstorming your own ideas for Make A Difference Day, #GivingTuesday and other celebrations of volunteerism.
1. Volunteer at a homeless shelter
Employees and their families at 11Alive, an Atlanta-area TV station, are volunteering at a shelter for women and children called My Sister’s House. Coworkers from parent company TEGNA are joining them. John Deushane, general manager of 11Alive, says Make A Difference Day demonstrates “how easy it is to volunteer and how lives can be changed … for both those being helped as well as for those helping.”
2. Teach kids athletic skills
Experts recommend that corporate #GivingTuesday activities be strategic and on-brand. Reebok did just that last year by encouraging its customers to support Fight For Peace, an organization that teaches kids boxing and martial arts combined with education and personal development.
3. Ask for favorite charity nominations
CVS Health invites employee volunteers to nominate a charity in their local communities for a grant from the CVS Health Foundation. In response to the overwhelming success of the 2013 #GivingTuesday campaign, the foundation in 2014 more than doubled its commitment and awarded a total of $100,000 to 50 organizations nationwide.
4. Let employees volunteer at their charity of choice
Ryder System, Inc., the commercial fleet management and supply chain company, invites employees to volunteer on #GivingTuesday at local charities of their choice. During a recent year, 220 employees participated from 29 Ryder locations across the country.
5. Make your city beautiful
The City of Mesa (Ariz.) is spearheading an effort to get everyone in town involved in Make A Difference Day. City staff along with residents, neighborhood groups, local businesses and church groups are volunteering on a variety of beautification and cleanup projects, including painting, landscaping and distributed neighborhood resource bags.

Make A Difference Day and #GivingTuesday Celebrate Gratitude

Gratitude is transformative in the workplace! Want to build gratitude in your workplace? Download gThankYou’s must-have free eBook, “Transform Your Workplace With Gratitude.” It’s full of practical learning that you can start putting to use today. Learn from positive psychology and leadership experts how to build (and sustain!) a workplace culture of gratitude that attracts employees and customers.

About gThankYou, LLC
Turkey Gift Certificates and Turkey Or Ham Gift Certificates by gThankYou! are two of America’s favorite employee gifts and can be redeemed for any brand (Turkey or Turkey Or Ham), at virtually any grocery store in the U.S.
gThankYou, LLC provides company leaders with a variety of easy, meaningful and affordable ways to recognize and reward employees, holiday time or anytime. gThankYou! Certificates of Gratitude and our free Enclosure Cards are personalizable including incorporating your company logo. And, nearly all orders ship same day.
gThankYou, LLC (www.gthankyou.com) is based in Madison, Wisconsin. Contact: Rick Kiley, Chief ThankYou! Officer, gThankYou, LLC at info@gthankyou.com or 888-609-2234.
Follow the Company Blog — “Celebrating Work”.
Join the Conversation @gThankYou
“G” logo and “Certificates of Gratitude” are trademarks and “gThankYou” is a registered trademark of gThankYou, LLC.

Halloween is less than two weeks away! Are you ready? Make it easy on yourself this year. Plan ahead for a workplace celebration that energizes employees with Halloween team building.
Games, a costume parade, themed potluck, or contest for best office decoration — Halloween team building activities turn the focus on play, laughter and connecting with coworkers.
Play is a powerful tool to increase creativity and strengthen relationships. Employees will return to work with renewed enthusiasm and better ideas. (more…)

Staff appreciation gifts that send a meaningful message of thanks don’t need to break your budget!
In fact, budget-friendly staff appreciation gifts are more effective than even expensive bonuses because the focus is on your gratitude and on a thoughtful gift that has personal significance.
“Bringing unengaged and detached employees back to the pack doesn’t have to be a pricey undertaking,” according to the employee feedback experts at Quantum Workforce. (more…)

Last week we asked our gThankYou email subscribers to answer the question, Why is it important to give employees a Thanksgiving turkey?
We entered the respondents in our giveaway of Melanie Kirkpatrick’s new book, “Thanksgiving: The Holiday at the Heart of the American Experience.”
Lots of great responses came in, but one in particular stood out. It came from Lisa, an administrative assistant in California.
Lisa’s heartfelt reflection on the employee turkey gift tradition goes back to her childhood. It’s about a lesson in appreciation she learned from her father and his boss. She’s been kind enough to allow us to share her story with you, our Celebrating Work blog readers! (more…)

gThankYou is excited to announce our new Spanish resources for your gThankYou! Turkey Gift Certificates. Our “Thank You” Enclosure Cards and other free resources en Español make it even easier and more convenient to show your gratitude to all employees!
We recently updated both the English and Spanish versions of our “About Your Certificate” letter for gThankYou! Gift Certificate recipients.
In addition, we have new Spanish-language Enclosure Card designs for both Autumn/Thanksgiving and the Winter Holidays.

And we offer Spanish-language customer service!
Thanksgiving in particular is celebrated by all Americans. As we learned in our recent interview with Melanie Kirkpatrick — author of “Thanksgiving: The Holiday at the Heart of the American Experience” — it’s one of the first American traditions that immigrants learn about and embrace.
Help the Spanish speakers on your staff embrace and celebrate the holidays (and their gThankYou! Turkey Gift Certificates) with personalized cards and resources they can easily understand. Read on to see our new Enclosure Card designs en Español and find information on all our Spanish resources for your gThankYou! Gift Certificates.
(more…)