For me, it seems like summer just decided to grace us with its presence here in West Michigan. While summer's rolling in, Baudville has been busy rolling out fabulous new products. A specific new set of products we are really excited about is the new Gift Sets.

Although Gifts Sets as a whole are not a new concept, we have launched two new Gift Set options. The new Journal, Pen, and Tote Gift Set includes a 100 page journal, coordinating pen, and a poly-canvas tote. The new Office Gift Set includes a 575-sheet note cube with coordinating pen, a 14 oz travel mug, and a kraft bag with tissue paper creating an outstanding gift presentation.  With the many Gift Sets available, you can mix and match providing an array of Gift Sets to recognize your employees and coworkers.

This week at Baudville we just got word of our company picnic  taking place in early August. If your company is having a picnic or company gathering this summer, field games are a great way to bring people together. Gift Sets are fantastic prizes for the winning team or individual. If you have 3-legged race, don't miss out on awarding the winning team with our new Teamwork Journal, Pen, and Tote Gift Set, or our new TEAM Office Gift Set . For an egg-dash, (set an egg on a spoon and run up and down a marked area, whoever still has the egg on the spoon and finishes first wins!) award the individual winner with our You are Truly Appreciated Journal, Pen, and Tote Gift Set, or our Making a Difference Office Gift Set.

Gift Sets have tons of practical uses for your employees and coworkers to use in the office or at home. At Baudville people like to bring tennis shoes to work and walk during lunch, totes make a perfect carrying case for their tennis shoes. I like to bring my totes to the beach, out for picnics, and to the grocery store as an extra reusable bag! Who doesn't need an extra pen and note cube or journal; I love to keep one by the phone in case I need to jot something down quickly. At Baudville, everyone has a travel mug or water bottle on their desk. Travel Mugs are great for coffee enthusiast, tea lovers, and just plain H2O aficionados, all of whom can use a mug on the go and at work.

Don't worry I saved the best news for last. By bundling and buying a gift set you save yourself or the company $4! Don't miss this practical summer steal!

*Don't forget to vote for your favorite summer team event stories on Facebook. The winning team receives Gifts Sets for the whole team! Vote now by visiting our Facebook page and like your favorite story (the team with the most likes wins).

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Kendra is the newest Baudvillian. She is currently an advertising intellectual at Grand Valley State University, and is ecstatic about the change of atmosphere as Baudville’s web marketing intern. Watch out because this young professional just touched down at Baudville.

Even if you love your job, you probably still spend a little time Sunday night in denial that Monday is just a few hours away. I do and I do.

But last Monday was different, because several of us in Baudville’s creative group were looking forward to an afternoon field trip to a letterpress studio in downtown Grand Rapids. One of our design interns has a small setup called Not Design and she was more than happy to let us invade her space for a few hours to learn about old-school printmaking—a very hands-on process that’s a far cry from the high-tech computerized graphic design and desktop publishing tools we use today.

I had such a great time that I really wanted to tell everyone about it; but, before you think I’ve hijacked the Baudville blog for my own personal agenda, let me illustrate the many tangible business benefits of such an excursion:

Building Camaraderie. Also known as teamwork’s kissing cousin, camaraderie is as much about working together as it is about working nicely together. Let’s face it, when you see the same people every day, you tend to take them for granted. Engaging with your coworkers “out in the wild” can rekindle your appreciation for their contributions and unique talents.  

Offering Growth and Fulfillment. Learning opportunities can be a part of an employer’s total rewards package. In addition to compensation and benefits, many companies offer different educational activities as a way to sweeten the pot, so to speak. Even a modest field trip can have a profound impact on job satisfaction and, in turn, morale. (the fact that I’m so eager to tell you about it is proof right there.)

Inspiring Innovation. Magical things very often come out of these experiences. They’re called ideas. Whether it’s a training conference, or a seminar, or a tour of a local business, if it’s relevant to the work you do (and even if it’s not), something is bound to create a spark. We’ve seen it first hand at Baudville, which is why we usually kick off a new product development cycle with some kind of off-site brainstorming session to take our minds out of the familiar. (By the way, you can check out all the new products that came out of our last session here!)

Put all of these benefits together and you have the makings of a great place to work. In fact, there’s a web site called Great Place to Work®, which describes the five fundamentals of a great place to work (hence, the name). You can learn more here.   

And, finally, here we are, creating our masterpieces:

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Allison is a self-proclaimed Copywriting Diva and has the certificate to prove it! She’s been writing for Baudville for two years and has worked in a variety of business settings for more than 17 years. Before becoming a professional writer 10 years ago, Allison worked as a department manager where she used Baudville products to motivate her team. She’s what we call a true believer!

When it’s time to give an employee reward, a tangible gift along with your recognition, deciding what that something should be can be tricky. You want the reward to be memorable and motivating, but how do you achieve that?

We recently posted a poll on our website asking, what is your favorite employee reward to receive, and the results are in:

Gift card – 39%
Handwritten note – 39%
Personal gift – 20%
Ecard – 2%

Now compare these results to your assumptions of what rewards people give most often. They probably don’t match up, do they? I would guess you receive a lot more ecards than handwritten notes.

For the most effective employee rewards, do what we did: ask your employees about their preferences. Then act on the information you learn.

Regardless of what employee reward you are giving, always give the reward with specific recognition. If you don’t tell the employee what they did to receive the recognition, they won’t be able to repeat it.

Tip: Combine the top two rewards by giving a handwritten note, complete with your specific recognition, with a gift card as a motivating employee reward.

Give your employees the kind of employee reward they truly want...it may not be your traditional trophy cup.

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Cori is a Certified Recognition Professional at Baudville and a member of the Millennial generation.