Gift Policies

By: Together Abroad 31-10-2016 1:24 PM
Categories: ** HR Compensations & Benefits,

You may already have an employee rewards and recognition program in place to provide your employees with a fair return for their efforts and the motivation to maintain and improve their performance – in the long run. Aside from that, gifts given to your employees on occasions such as their birthdays, Christmases, or anniversaries, provide an immediate psychological boost. More than that, they show that you care and that you do not perceive your employees only as workforce, but that you relate to them on a human level.

If you are a very small company, maybe the process of giving gifts is reduced to checking Facebook for birthday notificationsand then swiftly producing a birthday card and a bottle of wine for the birthday boy/girl. However, if your workforce gets slightly larger, you may find this approach ineffective. That is probably a good time to draft out a Gift Policy.

In the gift policy, you can specify which occasions are to be celebrated with a gift. For example, some companies stick only to birthdays, Christmases and occasions like weddings or childbirth; and others recognize also other personal events like moving into a new house or moving in together. You can (and should) specify the budget that can be spent on a gift, based on the occasion. Optionally, you can decide to establish what gifts should employees receive very specifically. For example, everyone celebrating their birthday will receive a bouquet worth € 20. This might take the thrill out of receiving a gift, but on the other hand, nobody will feel favoured, or left out. Besides, not having to come up with fresh gift ideas every time will save you some time and headache.

What kind of gifts should you pick? Well, you can make it as crazy as you want – as the Dutch would say. Or you can stick to handing out pens with your company’s logo. Gift cards are always a good option, because it lets your employees pick what they really want. There are even specialized businesses out there that will let you (for a compensation, of course) create a website with your company’s own gift shop, where your employees can take their pick from the selection of gifts you have previously approved. Consider carefully your budget and scout the preferences of your employees. Giving a gift is thoughtful, but much more so if you first make the effort to find out what they really want.

There are a couple of things you should keep in mind while you are being generous. Although gift cards are generally not a problem, gifts in the form of cash are considered a wage; thereforethe tax office might like to see some income tax paid over it. And nothing takes the joy out of getting a present faster than having to pay for it. Other taxes may apply too. As an employer, you may have to pay the so-called eindheffing tax, if you have used up your entire werkkostenregelingbudget. Check the tax office regulations to prevent any unwelcomed surprises.


Veronika Bacova

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