4 Warm Weather Employee Appreciation Items

Even though COVID-19 means this summer will start off a little different than usual, warm weather and outdoor activities are still right around the corner. Showing your employees how much you appreciate them in times like these can help you retain good talent. The items below are great warm weather employee appreciation items that can help you say “thank you” for keepin’ on keepin’ on during this trying time.

Insulated Water Bottles

Summertime can get hot and humid, especially in the mid-Atlantic. Lately, health and safety have played a more dominant role in the news than ever due to COVID-19 – but that’s not the only thing that you should be focusing on when taking care of yourself.

Staying hydrated can help you prevent heat-related illness and recover more quickly from illnesses that include fevers. By providing refillable, insulated water bottles, you can help keep your employees hydrated and healthy throughout the hot summer months.

Company Branded T-Shirt

You may have seen on our social media this past week that the average person owns 27 t-shirts. That may seem like a lot of t-shirts. But the truth is, you can never have enough. They’re the perfect casual go-to in the summer months.

For people who are working remotely, a comfortable company t-shirt with sweats is the ideal outfit for a team Zoom meeting. Then, when things start to open back up, these t-shirts work both as ideal weekend apparel and a walking company advertisement.

Coolers

Spending time outside can help with cabin fever and dealing with any leftover winter blues. Many people enjoy going for long hikes or camping trips when the weather warms up, which makes a good cooler an important piece of summer equipment.

There are a number of different types of coolers that you can choose from for warm weather employee appreciation items:

·         Simple cooler lunch bags

·         Roll up cooler bags

·         Flap cooler bags

·         Cooler tote bags

If you know that your employees are outdoorsy or enjoy spending time poolside, these make great gifts as the summer months set in.

Can or Bottle Koozies

There’s nothing like knocking back a cold one in the summer months. Whether that means water, soda, or an adult beverage, keeping it cool makes it all that more enjoyable. Branded koozies are classic for keeping drinks cold in the summer months. In fact, brides have even started giving them away as favors during the wedding season.

There are a few different types of koozies you can choose from. Classic can and bottle koozies are made from the scuba fabric that you’re used to. However, in the past year or so, stainless steel koozies have started to explode in popularity. Whichever route you go, you can customize color and add branding!

Get Your Summer Employee Appreciation Items

With Memorial Day coming in just a few weeks and the official start of summer on June 20^th, there’s no better time to order your summer employee appreciation items than right now.

Looking for more recommendations or wondering about current order times? Current clients can contact their sales reps directly. If you’re new to Skylight, you can give us a call at 410.879.8401 or contact us on the website.

How to Help Your Employees Tackle Remote Work

Right now, people across the globe are working remotely. They’re screen sharing, calling in for meetings, and making sure deliverables still get to clients and customers on time. While working remotely can sometimes feel isolating, it doesn’t have to be miserable or uncomfortable for your employees - and there’s no better time to show how much you appreciate them than during this time of uncertainty.

Help Them Create a Productive Work Space

One of the biggest misconceptions of telework is that it’s easy to work from your couch in pajama pants every day. While that usually works for a couple of days, it doesn’t lend itself well to long-term productivity.

Creating a separate space away from the couch, TV, or bedroom can make it much easier to focus on the task at hand and get work done efficiently. So what makes a good work space? Generally, a desk or dining room table set up with all of the office must-haves is the best bet. 

This is a great time to provide your employees with some company-branded items to show them your appreciation. Some favorites for creating an effective workspace include:

• Wireless Headphones for Conference Calls
• USB Hub for Charging Devices
• Large Journal for Keeping Notes at Home

Consider setting up a group chat for your employees where they can share their tips for productivity, too. Putting everyone’s brain power together is a great way to help your whole team improve their ability to work remotely.

Encourage Your Employees to Engage in Self Care

As plugged in as we are as a society, it’s hard not to hear about what’s happening 24/7. But it can quickly take a toll on your employees’ mental health. Additionally, many people may be feeling isolated during this time.

Make sure you’re supporting your employees by encouraging them to take care of their physical, emotional, and mental health. It’s important to continue exercising and getting fresh air. Technology also makes it possible for people to spend time with loved ones virtually, even if they can’t currently visit in person.

Recommending that your employees take time to socialize and encouraging socialization during the work day can go a long way for improving mental health while we wait for everything to return to normal. 

Help Them to Stay Positive

You don’t have to limit gifts to your employees to items that encourage productivity. In fact, there has never been a better time to provide them with items like stress balls or coffee cups. It’s also a good time to send some funny non-virus related memes out to elicit a smile or a laugh from everyone. 

We’re all in this together as a global community right now, and the easier we make it on each other, the happier we’ll all be in the long run. Make sure that your employees know that you appreciate them and their continued efforts even when they can’t physically make it into the office. 

At Skylight, we care about our clients and want to make sure that you’re taking care of yourself, too. Make sure that you’re staying in contact with the people you care about and getting fresh air regularly. Please also know that if you have questions about our products or an order, we’re still available via phone at 410.879.8401.

The Importance of Rewarding Employees

Employee recognition is one of the simplest, yet effective ways to keep your employees motivated and working hard. Everyone likes to be acknowledged and appreciated. especially when working long hours each day to get the job done. 

While you may think that rewarding employees is just something to make them feel good, it actually has an outstanding impact on your overall quality of business. Here’s why rewarding your employees is so important.

Business Productivity

When a person is praised for the behavior, they are more likely to repeat it. Praising your employees and rewarding them for their hard work keeps them motivated to continue putting in the same effort. 

Maintaining a high quality of work, in turn, increases overall productivity in the workplace.

Higher Retention Rates

When employees are regularly recognized and rewarded for their work, they feel more valued and comfortable as employees. 

An employee that feels that their presence in the workplace is valued is a lot more likely to stick around for the long term. 

Employee recognition also improves communication in the workplace, making people feel more comfortable voicing their opinions to one another. 

A happy staff means a lower turnover rate, which saves your company the cost and trouble of constantly looking for new staff.

Employee Satisfaction

Overall satisfaction in the workplace starts from the top. It is your responsibility as an employer to make your employees feel happy in their workplace. 

Employees that are overworked and underappreciated will eventually burn out and be unable to produce quality work or simply won’t want to. 

Employee recognition helps to ensure that your employees stay happy, which results in a better work environment overall. 

Studies show that employees who receive recognition are less likely to complain, better at working with the team, and genuinely want their company to prosper. 

Happy employees spill over onto clients and customers, increasing customer satisfaction as well because they are interacting with genuine, positive employees.

Contact Skylight Creative Ideas Today for Your Employee Recognition Awards!

Skylight Creative Ideas, Inc. has been a leader in the promotional products industry since

1977. Our goal is to provide top-notch customer service, innovative ideas, and high quality

products to help our clients exceed their marketing objectives.

Located in Bel Air, MD, we have access to over 750,000 promotional products and can help

your business with anything from awards to corporate apparel.

For more information, contact us at (410)-879-8401 or visit our website www.skylightcreativeideas.com to see all of the products we have to offer!