If you are a boss what do you do for your employees over the holidays?

[Anonymous]

We don't get our company bonuses until March so I always feel I need to give something to my employees (6) around the holidays. This comes from me personally and I have 3 kids (7 daycare providers total!!!) and a ton of holiday related expenses so I don't ever want to come across as cheap but I also really need to watch my holiday budget. Last year I did 100 dollar visa gift cards and a lunch catered by Honey Baked Ham. This cost me around 7400 dollars. I would like to cut that down to more like 650 if possible...leaving me only 50 bucks for the meal. I still want to give out the 100 dollar gift cards but was thinking maybe just ordering pizza for lunch or doing donuts and bagels as a breakfast? I always let them leave after the lunch for the rest of the day so maybe this year if I did a breakfast it would be an added bonus to leave right around 10 am and have the rest of the day off? Would that make up for me skimping out on the actual meal part? Ive taken them out to lunch in years past which I think is most enjoyed by all but if I did that I would have to cut down the gift cards to 75 each and I don't really want to do that. Thoughts? Or any other ideas in general?

[Anonymous]

The Visa cards are nice. Since this is coming out of your pocket, the breakfast idea sounds more budget friendly and you could still let them leave at noon. Switching up on lunch or breakfast would still be celebratory.

The idea is to provide a meal of some sort, now that you have set the bar. Wish more bosses were like you!

[Anonymous]

I'm a GS-14 in the federal government with a staff of 3 and just take them out to lunch for the holidays.

Having 2 kids of my on in daycare doesn't afford me to do too much more.

[Anonymous]

I wouldn't particularly want to come into work for some bagels and then leave. I'd prefer the one hundred dollar gift cards and a day off.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm a GS-14 in the federal government with a staff of 3 and just take them out to lunch for the holidays.

Having 2 kids of my on in daycare doesn't afford me to do too much more.

This. You don't need expensive gift cards and a fancy catered meal. A nice meal and if you are inclined an $25-50 gift card or even something simple like flowers or a plant. I'd rather go out a few times a year to something cheaper than a fancy expensive catered meal.

[Anonymous]

The gift card sounds nice. I honk if you do breakfast and then send everyone home that's nice too but some will of course complain that they had to come in at all if they were just going to be sent home.

[Anonymous]

A gift card to amazon and a card thanking them for all their contributions to the team. I don't do a meal because it is hard to schedule and we already have a company wide holiday party and a bunch of other events with food.

[Anonymous]

Wow, I wish I had some of these bosses. My GS-15 boss (whose kids in their early 30s) gives us each a $2-5 bag of cookies or candy. There are 5 of us in the department.

My colleagues and I always give the departmental secretary something more generous.

[Anonymous]

Op here. Thanks for the ideas. I like the amazon GC idea but I have one employee in her 70s who would think its super complicated to use even though it obviously isn't. I do not have the authority to give them a full day off (without them using their PTO) but I can send home early so thats why they would have to come in for at least breakfast/brunch. So do ppl prefer pizza and salad or bagels and donuts? Anything else in my food budget Im missing?

[Anonymous]

Would rather have the time off than the food for sure!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Op here. Thanks for the ideas. I like the amazon GC idea but I have one employee in her 70s who would think its super complicated to use even though it obviously isn't. I do not have the authority to give them a full day off (without them using their PTO) but I can send home early so thats why they would have to come in for at least breakfast/brunch. So do ppl prefer pizza and salad or bagels and donuts? Anything else in my food budget Im missing?

Bagels, cream cheese, fresh fruit is nice. I would have no interest in pizza.

[Anonymous]

I think you should really try and up it to 200. You can still get the job done for a little over 1k and people would be much happier. You mention daycare workers but IMO you owe your employees a bigger gift, daycare workers get a gift from every single parent and your employees only get a gift from you.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Op here. Thanks for the ideas. I like the amazon GC idea but I have one employee in her 70s who would think its super complicated to use even though it obviously isn't. I do not have the authority to give them a full day off (without them using their PTO) but I can send home early so thats why they would have to come in for at least breakfast/brunch. So do ppl prefer pizza and salad or bagels and donuts? Anything else in my food budget Im missing?

Bagels, fruit. Tell them ahead of time so they come to work hungry (if people already had breakfast, they probably wouldn't eat the bagels, then you'd feel like you wasted your money and efforts ) . And I definitely think you should give the $100 visa card. That amount is really appreciated around the holidays.

Oh and the rest of the day off is awesome. I would NOT be upset that I had to come in for a bit in the morning.

[Anonymous]

I think you could do a lovely breakfast with your budget and send everyone home right after (and can you tell them ahead of time that you are doing that?). I would love to go home after breakfast!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think you should really try and up it to 200. You can still get the job done for a little over 1k and people would be much happier. You mention daycare workers but IMO you owe your employees a bigger gift, daycare workers get a gift from every single parent and your employees only get a gift from you.

I think $100 is fine. Don't forget pp, this is in addition to their bonus.