This is a festive time of year. Whether you celebrate Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, the New Year, or if you’re just excited that it might snow soon, we wish you and your loved ones all the best.
The other day, I was talking with a few other entrepreneurs about how how we handle holiday gifts for employees. I’m proud of the answer I gave and figured I’d share it.
Tim and I select personal, meaningful gifts for each of our employees. We try to give our employees something they will really enjoy and perhaps something they wouldn’t normally treat themselves to. It’s hard and it takes some work, but it’s worth it.
So, what did we get this year:
Brian, the rabid Tennessee Titans fan, will be taking his family to the sold out final home game against the Steelers.
David, the disc golf pro, will get his own disc golf goal at the office for coffee break practice sessions. He’s also getting a book on toilet paper origami since he has a reputation for never replacing the roll.
Joe, the Xbox fanatic, is getting the complete Guitar Hero world tour set. He will also get a new fleece pullover to replace the one he constantly wears to work that bears the logo of his former employer.
John, the newly born do-it-yourselfer, will get a power tool shopping spree at Lowe’s.
Eric and Troy, the two employees competing for the title of corporate brewmaster, will get kegging kits and kegerators for storing their home brewed beer. (Yes, this might be a subtle hint to share the spoils.)
Kevin and Jean, our cultured crew, are getting season tickets to the Tennessee Performing Arts Center.
Rustici Software is very much a lifestyle company. We strive to create an environment where we want to work and where others will want to work. That goal is often in conflict with growth. We have no ambition to be a large blockbuster company. We intentionally want to stay small. But how big is too big? I think the answer might be defined by our gift policy. I want to always know our employees well enough that we can give them a thoughtful and personal gift.
