Do you know your staff?

Well how are you on this fine Thursday morning? Of course, you may well be reading this on a completely different day - it's not like I'm typing this "live" - it's really difficult to keep up. Never the less, whatever day it is, I hope that the day finds you well.

Right now, I find myself working on a brief that's rather interesting. Now I cannot name the client as it would be unfair but let's just say that if you haven't heard of them, then you have not left your home in the last 20 years, listened to a radio, watched a telly or read a newspaper. Bottom line - they're massive.

Now this client wants to put a particular piece of merchandise into each of its office's staff rooms. They want something that the staff can use but at the same time, shows them that their head office appreciates them - which is nice.

Now here's the kicker - we've already presented quite a few ideas but on each occasion, the client has found a reason to say no. That's fine, they have a perfect right to be fussy. I decided it would be a good idea to actually ask a manager working in one of their branches what they would like if they could have anything at all.

Their response? Nothing thanks - we've actually already got everything that we need. How wonderful, a team so content that they want for absolutely nothing! I wanted to hand over my CV right then and there, but the truth is that this person really didn't take the time to give it that much thought and had he done so, he probably would have come up with a shopping list that would frighten Santa Claus himself.

It got me thinking though. At this time of year a lot of companies start thinking about ways to show their staff a little gratitude for the year of work that they've just put in. Let's face it, if you're still in business then you really should be thanking the people that helped you get there. I've spoken about thanking your customers, but don't forget to thank your staff too.

Now if you were to ask your team what they would like, most of them would opt for a few extra days off and for the office to simply close over Christmas. Putting that Utopian idea aside, do you know what they could really use?

You see, when you think about buying 'giveaways', the factors that you consider are price, relevance, return on investment and so on. Now when you buy a gift, surely the only think you need to consider is whether or not the recipient is actually going to like it.

When you're thinking of a birthday gift for a relative, sometimes it's just easier to ask them if there's something that they would really like. Well why not do the same for your staff? I'm not suggesting that you go out and buy hundreds of plasma tellies - God bless you if you can afford to, but at least see if you can get a feel for something that your team will appreciate.

Incidentally, if you're planning to send gifts to your favourite suppliers, I am in the market for a new Rado watch. Doesn't hurt to ask does it?

Oh alright, just a dozen Krispy Kremes then please.