Back in 2019, our founder, Ricardo, wrote a post on the DOs and DON'Ts of holiday gift-giving reminders (and debuted “Return to Sweaterton”).
(Hallmark never took the bait,
but that doesn’t mean it’s not a great idea.)
Since the holiday season is right around the corner, we figured what better way to get you in the annual communicate-about-gift-policies mood than to share this timeless advice?
But, let’s be real: the more holiday gift reminders you write throughout the years, the more you *might* dread writing them. And your employees probably don’t love getting them. Nobody really enjoys getting rules about giving gifts.
So how do you write a holiday gifts communication that your employees will actually read? 🎁
The Basics
The first rule of thumb is: If you want people to do something for you, make it easy. In this situation, you want your employees to follow the gift-giving policy without actually having to read the policy itself (‘cause snoozefest, amirite?). To keep it easy for them, make sure your message is:
🍭 Short and sweet. The longer the email, the less likely people will read it. If they do read it, the chance of them internalizing what you’re trying to tell them is slim.
🎯 Specific. Avoid using legal jargon or vague language. Simply tell them what you want them to do, and what isn’t allowed.
💎 Clear. Tell them everything they need to know without making them click through to additional content. In other words, no “check our policy here” or “visit the Code of Conduct.”
Now that the groundwork is laid, let’s dive into the three essentials of your holiday gifts communication.
The Essentials
1. Get to the point.
Start your email by letting people know that they need to follow your gifts policy … and make it short and sweet. This intro can be simple as you want, but be sure to include a few words about why following the gifts policy is important to them.
Tell me whyyyy 🎶 | Source: Backstreet Boys - I want it that way official video on YouTube via Giphy.com
By narrowing the focus to exactly what they need to know, and how it benefits them, you immediately draw their attention and get their buy-in.
2. Use a chart.
Follow up your short intro with a chart that explains what they can and can’t do, and a call to action in case they need help. And as mentioned in v1.0 of this blog post, do not include a bulleted list of principles or a five-factor balancing test that belongs on a law school exam. Because regular people (like us!) use charts, and that’s exactly who this message is for.
Wondering what this looks like? We've got our Business courtesies: What can you do or our Business gratuities: What can you give or receive charts you can download if you’re a member. (So join now if you haven't yet!)
3. No attachments, no links.
Don’t link to your policy and tell your employees to read it for more info. All that will do is send the message that everything you just said didn’t matter, and all you care about is CYA (not a good look).
Likewise, don’t scan a PDF of your policy or a message from your GC saying everything that you just said. It’s hard to read and goes against everything we covered above.
The Basics and Essentials in Practice
We took a sample “before” message, and added a little Broadcat editing ✨spice✨ to it:
Hi Team, Dear valued colleagues and suppliers,
The holiday season is As we approach approaching, so we want to highlight our company’s gift policy, which ensures transparency and compliance with company policies. the festive season in many parts of the world, it is natural for gifts and other business courtesies to be exchanged. We are grateful for these business partnerships and appreciate the opportunity to celebrate this season by showing our mutual respect and esteem.
To make this easy for you, we’ve put everything you need to know in one chart. Reference this before giving or receiving any gifts, and let us know if you have any questions by responding to this email or calling us at the number below.At the same time, as an organization committed to upholding the highest standards of integrity in our business practices, it is imperative that we avoid any situation where it could even appear that we are showing favoritism, requesting or accepting any kind of improper advantage, or otherwise engaging in conduct that is inconsistent with our values.
To that end, we want to take this opportunity to remind you of the guidelines set out in OmniCorp Consumer Products’ gifts and entertainment policy, a key way in which we safeguard the values that make us New Detroit’s most-trusted supplier of police robots.
Here are a few key principles:
- We may not exchange cash or cash equivalents such as gift cards
- All gifts must be provided only to reflect esteem or gratitude
- Gifts must be reasonable and appropriate and never lavish
- Gifts must be permitted under local law
Of course, we cannot cover every situation in an email, so we encourage you to read our gifts and entertainment policy, available at http://www.omnicorpconsumerproducts.com/backslash/garbagefile.htm, for even more guidance and regional variations.
Thank you and happy holidays!
The Broadcat Compliance Team
Now that you have everything you need to send your employees the annual gift-giving reminder (and a beautiful template above), I’ll leave you with some final thoughts:
❌ If an employee or third party doesn’t care about your policy, the holiday reminder is not going to change that.
✅ If they do care about your policy, they’ll appreciate the conscientious reminder.
Most importantly, don’t confuse these two groups. The first one is unreachable. The second one just needs to know what to do. In the words of our founder: Keep it simple, keep it visual, and you’ll be good.