When I first started my business I didn’t send out company birthday cards to my clients or my employees. That all changed the day I received one from my doctor. Although the card was a few days early and very simple, it put a genuine smile on my face. The card reminded me of the wonderful care I receive and all of the amusing moments that have occurred at his office because of the great attitude that he and his employees have.

Realizing the impact that this card had on me, I decided to invest the time and money to make sure that each of my clients and employees received a birthday card. I wanted my clients to know that I value their loyalty. I also wanted them to understand that we care about their happiness and our relationship. A few weeks after I started sending the cards I received a call from one of my clients. She wasn’t calling to place an order, but instead it was to thank me for the card. At that moment I knew I had made the right choice in initiating this tradition. Since then, I have received several calls from clients just to express gratitude for remembering the one day that is theirs.

The snowball effect that the employee birthday cards had on the workplace environment was amazing. Employees started to actually do things for each other’s birthdays and everyone always seemed to be in good spirits for those special days. Usually it would be something small such as cutting a birthday cake during lunch or making plans to celebrate after work. Currently the team mentality is the strongest it has ever been and I have no doubt in my mind that this is all due to taking the time to remember each of our employee’s birthdays.

Design # 453AE, Birthday Surprise Greeting Card, will be a welcome surprise for anyone who receives this design. When it comes to sending employee birthday cards to your staff, you want your cards to extend joyful wishes but not be too flowery or extravagant; Birthday Surprise is the ideal card for this purpose. Blue foil balloons, accompanied by blue and silver confetti float out of a decorated blue box that is bedecked in an elegant silver and blue ribbon. A “Happy Birthday” sentiment is engraved in lustrous silver foil. This unique design is printed and embossed on glossy white stock. The balloons, box, and bow seem to pop off the paper. It is a happy design that will bring joy to your employees.

Design #453AE - Birthday Surprise Greeting Card

Sending employee birthday cards is important. Your employees are the back bone of your company. A dedicated, hard-working staff can make a business successful. As an employer, if you show your appreciation of your staff members’ services to you, they will become more enthusiastic about their job, benefiting your company as a whole. A business birthday card is the perfect way to show your employees that you care about them personally and recognize that they are an integral part of your business.

Although I don’t look forward to getting older each time my birthday rolls around, I must confess that I look forward to getting birthday cards. I especially like to read what my fellow employees have to say. In my department, many of us are in the same age group (29 and holding if we are all to be believed). Because of this, many of the entries are about age. My fellow office mates try to be “gentle” as they know that when their birthdays roll around, they may be reading some of the same comments. This is all done in good fun, of course, as we don’t want to offend. For a few moments I get to have a good chuckle as I read the little pearls of wisdom that my co-workers have entered.

By sending out employee birthday cards you are sure to brighten the day of your recipients! When I come into work and find a stack of birthday cards on my desk, I know my whole day becomes brighter. I always know that they will be there, because they have been there for the last seven years. I almost forget that with these birthday cards, I am now another year older. I’ve decided that although I can’t do anything about that, I can certainly appreciate that my co-workers have taken the time to acknowledge my day. Oh yeah, and I’m not going there alone!

Design #590AR - Rainbow Ribbons Birthday Card

Design #590AR, Rainbow Ribbons Birthday Card, has curly colorful ribbons on the front. The beautiful pastel colors stand out and make it a perfect choice to convey your message. Because the wording on the front says “Best Wishes,” this card is not limited to a birthday greeting, but can be used for anniversaries or other occasions where you want to send best wishes.

Design #667AT - Birthday Reflections Greeting Card

Design #667AT, Birthday Reflections Greeting Card, is a buff colored card with a royal blue gift box icon, a cake with candles, and balloons that make the card pop with all things birthday. “Happy Birthday” in the same blue is done in script, just below. This card holds the promise of all the good things that come with birthday greetings.

No matter which card you choose, and whether or not it is being sent to a fellow employee or to a business associate, the recipient will be pleased to know that you took the time to acknowledge their special day.

I work for a company that sells employee birthday cards, so it is only appropriate that its workers would get a birthday card from those who employ them. The cards we receive are very familiar to us since they come from our own line of birthday greeting cards. It is what is written inside that makes these cards unique. In our situation, four key people in the company sign the birthday cards every year: the owner, the president, the department manager and one’s direct supervisor. In the beginning, the comments were nice, but basically, generic. Expressions such as “Have a great day,” “All the best,” or just “Happy Birthday” are common on most of these employee birthday cards. During the course of my 13 years of employment here, the once generic sentiments have changed somewhat in recent years.

Perhaps I have been working here too long, but the words I now receive seem to be a lot more personal and not always so “nice.” Some examples include: “You are looking fabulous at 60!” (I was only in my 40s); “Eat some cake, you are making the rest of us look bad” (after having lost a few pounds); “Enjoy, but no gloating over the Yankee defeats” (after my favorite Red Sox team won their second World Series). Am I upset by these comments? Not at all, because not only do I have thick skin, I like to dish it out as well. The people I work with have become my family over the years, sharing all my ups and downs. It makes me feel good knowing that they feel comfortable giving me the business. But keep in mind, when their birthdays roll around, I also can send out birthday cards to my fellow employees. So watch out!

Times are tough and it may be difficult to give the raises and bonuses to the dependable and hardworking employees whose productivity you need to stay afloat. Employee birthday cards, especially those of premium quality, send an important personal message to your valued employees. Even those who joke, “I’m not having any more birthdays!” appreciate having their birthdays remembered and acknowledged with birthday cards.

We tend to share a lot about our personal lives with co-workers with whom we spend so much of our time. Even so, in our professional atmosphere, we are more likely to “put on a happy face” rather than share some deeply personal worries and disappointments. The simple gesture of giving birthday cards may provide a needed emotional lift, even when you didn’t know it was needed.

When you send premium quality birthday cards, you’re making a statement about the high value you place on your relationship with your employee. A card that is proudly displayed says volumes over an easily deletable e-card or flimsy overstock item. And, don’t forget the importance of taking time to jot a salutation with the celebrant’s name, along with a short note and your own signature.

This gesture of respect for your employees will add to their respect for you and for the business that sustains you both. As a bonus, you’re more likely to find your own birthday remembered and celebrated with an impressive number of birthday cards!

There are so many beautiful birthday cards to choose from in The Gallery Collection line but design #464AE, Birthday Balloon Glitter Greeting Card, is definitely on the top of my list when deciding which design to pick for my employee birthday cards. The single balloon floating in the sky reminds me of my childhood. I’m sure you can recall how you felt the first time you let go of that balloon and followed it up, up and away until it was out of sight as tears started welling in your eyes because you knew you couldn’t get it back. Ah, to be able to go back to the simpler times of childhood. But I digress…

Design #464AE - Birthday Balloon Glitter
Greeting Card

This design’s beautiful blue balloon sprinkled with silver star accents in front of a blue sky backdrop is the perfect choice for employee birthday cards. The blue color of the balloon and background on the crisp white card works for both your male and female employees. And let’s face it, who doesn’t like balloons? It’s also both whimsical and professional which is not something you can say about all birthday cards. So you needn’t worry about whether it’s professional enough to send to your executives and yet it still has a fun quality that makes you think of celebrations and happy times.

On the surface, corporate thank you cards may appear to be a line item you can cut from your budget when the economy dips and you need to toughen things out. After all, if someone doesn’t get thank you cards from you, how would they even know to “miss” the greeting cards? Well, try putting yourself in their place.

Let’s say that you’re a client. Your business is being competitively solicited all the time. You tend to take your current suppliers for granted. You’re also looking for ways to keep your budget lean and your profits robust. What does it take for you to remain loyal? I’ll bet that a small, personal gesture may be all it takes. Maybe thank you cards, with a brief personal note, will be just enough to maintain loyalty!

Let’s say that you’re a vendor. You have a healthy number of steady clients and you’re always looking to expand your client base. Of course, each of them wants to be treated as your top priority. If one of them exercises the habit of sending you corporate thank you cards, letting you know that they really appreciate your service, wouldn’t you tend to favor their needs when the chips are down?

Let’s say that you’re an employee. If you’re a valuable staff member, odds are that other employment overtures are made to you. What keeps you pouring your efforts into this company? Perhaps it’s as simple as knowing that your talents are truly appreciated. Wouldn’t you like to see and save that appreciation, in writing, on premium quality corporate thank you cards or maybe even employee birthday cards?

Let’s say that you’re a volunteer, one of a shrinking pool of dedicated individuals able and willing to serve without recompense. How do you choose where to donate your time and talents, and how diligent do you feel when it’s your turn to show up? Wouldn’t beautiful and sincere thank you cards help to bolster your enthusiasm?

Whether it’s done with greeting cards or in other ways, extending thanks – frequently, sincerely, and solidly – that’s the one item that must never be cut if you hope to truly succeed in any business, at any time.

Employers may wonder whether it is a good idea to send employee birthday cards to their workers. I’d like to relate the tale of the first time I received one of these birthday greeting cards and how much it was appreciated.

To begin with, let me state that my previous employment history consisted of less-than-stellar circumstances. It started in high school when I was employed as an indoor helper in a large garden center. The store micro-manager would stand with his hands on his hips analyzing my floor sweeping technique, occasionally snatching the broom himself to show me the “right” way to sweep the floor – from the perimeter to the center of the store in a symmetrical pattern. You can trust that he never cared enough to give me an employee birthday card!

Then there was the summer job I held in college at the office headquarters of a large grocery store chain. The executive that I worked under spoke to me three times all summer and called me “Byron” instead of “Brandon” each time. And finally, there was the rather sadistic pharmacist I worked for whose only interaction was to thrust a feather-duster into your hands if he saw that you didn’t have any work to do for all of five seconds, or to run outside screaming and shaking his fist at you if you returned from deliveries after 32 minutes when he thought that you should have been back after 28.

After these experiences, you can imagine my surprise and delight when I received a personalized birthday card on the occasion of my first birthday with my current employer. The employee birthday card was signed by my manager as well as all of the members of the executive committee. And best of all, everyone got my name right! What I learned is that my company gives birthday cards as a classy way to show appreciation to their employees. So I would say to any employer that it is well worth the time, money and effort to send employee birthday cards. Your thoughtfulness is likely to be paid back many times over.

I was signing some welcome cards for the new staff that would be joining our department the following week. I wanted to make sure I had them ready prior to their actual start day. Remembering how I felt on my first day working at GalleryCollection.com, I recalled how nice it was to have a welcome card waiting for me at my desk. I was very nervous, as you tend to be on your first day at a new job, and I thought the employee welcome cards they hand out signed by fellow staff members added a nice, personal touch.

My first day, which involved quite a bit of training, went extremely well. Everyone was friendly and helpful and I was truly enjoying myself as I learned about the world of greeting cards. I had met so many people that day; I knew I would never remember all of their names! I was carpooling with another staff member that afternoon, so I decided to wait by her desk at the end of the day.

A gentleman was walking through the department saying hello to everyone and asking how their day was going. He had a little twinkle in his eye and a smile that could warm up any room. He paused for a moment at the desk I was sitting in front of and gave me a huge smile. “You must be Lily,” he said. I was slightly taken aback that he knew my name. He shook my hand and I gave him a big smile in return. He welcomed me to the company and introduced himself as the owner of GalleryCollection.com. I had heard he was nice but I honestly didn’t expect such a warm welcome. He knew who I was before I knew who he was! That had never been the case at previous companies I worked for. I couldn’t believe how lucky I was to find a job at such a friendly company. I knew right then and there that I would enjoy my new position working with greeting cards.

Since the welcome card I received on my first day made me feel so much more at ease, I try to do the same for new staff members we hire in our department. The employee welcome cards and employee birthday cards we distribute throughout the year are lovely gestures but more importantly, the warm, friendly courteous workplace we offer is really what makes our staff feel comfortable.

Are business birthday cards more like business cards or more like birthday cards: discuss amongst yourselves.

But seriously, if you get a birthday card from someone with whom you do business, let’s say a vendor, are they sending you an advertisement or genuine focused-on-you good wishes? Do you care? It’s great to have your personal special day remembered and acknowledged with a birthday card. Whether they’re personal birthday cards from friends and family or business birthday cards from associates, you can’t help but feel good that these people think of you highly enough to send birthday cards.

With that said, I do note the differences in the styles of business birthday cards. There are so many different types of birthday cards available, some casual and others more formal, and the styles of the greeting cards can sometimes make a difference in how well the sentiment is acknowledged by the recipient. If I get a greeting card picturing a cartoon tow truck hauling a smashed sedan, I don’t feel all warm and fuzzy when I open it to see “Joe’s Garage” reminding me of their location and phone number and, by the way, “Have a nice birthday!” If I get a birthday card, from let’s say my doctor or financial advisor, and if it pictures something actually nice to look at and maybe wishes me good health and success, it does give me a bright “maybe you really do like me” feeling.

When my co-workers and company executives take the time to handwrite little personal notes to me on employee birthday cards, that really does give me a warm and fuzzy feeling! And, not to forget one birthday card that I especially like – my favorite local restaurant sends a lovely birthday card every year, with a wonderful discount coupon enclosed! Guess where I like to enjoy my birthday dinner with family and friends? There’s that warm and fuzzy feeling again!