Corporate gifts are a great way to encourage loyalty and to foster a spirit of gratitude and other positive feelings in both employees and in customers, making them the ideal way to make that personal connection with just about anyone with whom you do business in any way. Certain gifts, like nice desk clocks or leather bound planners, are great for just about anyone, and can be handed out at any time for any reason without worrying about problems arising because of the gift, but some corporate gifts are less safe.



Handing out beer mugs, especially nice crystal or fancy glass mugs can be a great way to show your gratitude and thankfulness to employees and clients, but it can also send the wrong idea. It is important to keep up appearances, and handing out glasses meant to hold alcohol at work is not exactly the image that most employers wish to send. Beer mugs, wine glasses, and other such gifts can be toned down by pre-filling these beverage containers with something a little bit more innocuous, such as a handful of small hard candies or confetti with other small, cheaper gifts on top. This should make it clear that although the mug is the gift, it is for looks only as long as it is on the premises.

Giving alcohol, though, is a good way to get yourself in trouble if you do not do so very cautiously and with a high awareness of the potential trouble that it could get you and your employees into. A gift of alcohol must be given deliberately and carefully to avoid pitfalls, and certain guidelines should be followed to ensure that these corporate gifts do not get abused.

For one thing, the corporate gift of alcohol should be given at the end of the day for your own employees, or at the end of a meeting for clients with whom you have face to face contact. If you are mailing a gift of alcohol, be sure to package it carefully – there is not really anything you can do about when the client receives it. When you are packaging the alcohol, be sure to include a thank you note or congratulatory card, and make sure that you include a few words on how much you hope that they will enjoy the gift once they get home. They should take the hint that the bottle is not to be opened at work!

Alcohol can be a great way to thank clients for their work with you, and a great way to celebrate with your employees, but it is a gift that can bite you back if you are not careful. Be sure that it is a gift given in private so that no one else is expecting a similar gift if no such gift is forthcoming, and encourage your employees to put the bottles away once they are received – keeping them out of sight out of mind, and away from temptation!