Healthy Gifts for a Healthy Workplace
The workplace is an advanced study in gift giving because it can be observed at all levels of the practice. There, one can witness amateurs giving gifts individually, and professionals giving gifts corporately. Every skill level of gift is also on display, from the truly awful to the truly great.
Occasions for giving corporate gifts range from the company holiday party to corporate awards and honors. In B2B situations, it is often the secretary or executive assistant who is tasked to come up with the perfect gift for occasions ranging from important business meetings to contract signings.
When it comes to gift giving, the workplace is a minefield of challenges. You know people professionally, but not personally. You don’t want to be too extravagant or too familiar with your gift. Also, you don’t want to cross any cultural or religious taboos.
Because food items are a popular gift, you want to be sure to avoid health issues with your choice of gift. The last thing you want to do is give a box of chocolates to a person who is allergic to chocolate. Here are a few suggestions for giving healthier gifts that will hit just the right note:
Healthy Gift Baskets
Before giving any food-related gift, take a moment to do a little research. What is healthy for one person may be poison for another. Before you give healthy gift baskets full of dried fruit and nuts, be certain that the recipient is not allergic to nuts. A gift basket geared toward heart health may be more appreciated. Gluten-free is definitely the right choice for a person with celiacs.
Gift baskets are almost universally beloved gifts to receive. Besides the thoughtful packaging, there is always a variety of interesting treats. There are plenty of healthy choices. So do a tiny bit of research before offering this healthy gift.
Gift Certificate for Activewear
Healthy food is not the only healthy gift you can offer. There are also healthy activities you can encourage. Try to avoid memberships to gyms. That can easily come off the wrong way. Offering a gym membership to a person with weight issues is more an insult than a gift. Also, you never know who might already have a gym membership.
However, even an avid runner could always use a new pair of shoes. They literally run through them. A person who prefers to exercise by walking can choose walking shoes. A hiker or camper is free to choose activewear suitable for the activities about which they are passionate. And a person not very active at all can still find something to wear.
The point is that the gift is specific enough without being restrictive. Everyone gets the encouragement for the activity best for them. And no one feels insulted by a gesture that, when done right, has nothing but upside.
Fitness Trackers
Even if a person has the latest and greatest GPS-enabled Apple Watch, they still may be a candidate for a dedicated fitness tracker. One of the things the Apple Watch can’t do well is track sleep. That is because it needs to be charged every night to be ready for the following day. Many of the best stand-alone fitness trackers are also great for sleep tracking.
Before giving this gift, be aware of the recipient’s personal platform preferences. A device running Android Wear is not ideally suited for an iOS user. So be sure that the device is fully supported by both iOS and Android. Take a little more care for the Windows Phone and Blackberry user in your life.
There is no end to the healthy gifts you can give as an individual or as a company. One of the all-time best is a good book: one that stimulates the mind, and inspires a person to improve something about themselves. To go with a healthy mind, give the gift of healthy snacks, activewear, and a way to keep track of all that fitness.