Keep the motivation levels up

Jappreet Sethi

With the economy continuing to show signs of stress and moving downhill at a faster pace, Indian corporates across the board are tightening their purse strings to conserve cash. Corporate gifting was considerably down this Diwali season. The first item to be stuck off the expense list is employee gifting. Even though the companies are pushing employees to go the extra mile for surviving through these hard times, Diwali gifts seem to be the last priority this season.

Thus, as a team manager, you may be left with very few choices, what do you tell your employees? Why is the company breaking away from the decades old practice of gifting? Here are some ways to handle the situation:

The bitter reality

World economic forum in its report painted a very gloomy picture of the job scene in the next five years globally. Indian industry experts predict that technology will take away over half the jobs that are repetitive and don’t add value in the next five years. Permanent employment and bonuses will be a thing of past; you would need to earn every assignment.

Replace money with “love”

Gifting in the recent years has come to symbolise opulence and money, gifting is all about conveying love and greetings, money has little to do with it. A handwritten card, a small painting, or a collage of old photo memories will be a cherished possession for many of your colleagues and clients. Spend time in crafting something that conveys your emotions to the receiver of your gift.

Get used to frugality

With the business environment in flux, the new reality of slowing down economy is here to stay. Get used to the new normal, every penny counts and your company will ask you to do more with less in times to come. You must get your team ready to face and live with the new reality without feeling demotivated or short charged. When money is tight, buying gifts can cause a lot of stress! I think it is vital that you give a heads up to your colleagues that money is tight this year, and the company will be channelising the budgets for your immediate clients first, their business keeps the clock ticking.

Time for office get together

It’s rare to see employees being served food by their managers or member of the senior management team. It will be a good idea for all the managers to come together and collectively do a home cooked lunch or dinner for all the employees. Make sure that the food is prepared at home and you or your family is serving them the food. Show your appreciation or gratitude for the efforts being put in by them.

Remember Diwali is not about money alone, it about expressing your gratitude and there are more than one ways to do it. Wish all of you a very happy and prosperous Diwali!

Compensate with personal touch 

Do you have a board game lover at your house? Well, Then invite your colleagues and clients for a board game marathon at your house. Lace it up with home cooked food pooled by everyone. It’s about creating memories, and you don’t need to spend a lot of money to do that necessarily. Your colleagues and clients will remember this for years to come.

— The writer is an HR & Strategy consultant