Tag: employee birthday cards

Business Thank You Cards: Even More Important When the Economy Is Tough

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.

An Employee Birthday Card Finally Made This Worker Feel Appreciated!

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.

Welcome Cards Put New Employees at Ease

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.

Birthday Cards Temperature: Cold or Warm?

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!

Business Congratulations Cards Inspired by My Cousin

In the business world, congratulations are often rare while negative comments are more common. Every once in a while, I ask myself “Why do you stay at this job?” when my hard work seemingly goes unnoticed. I mean, I don’t want flowers or gifts, nor do I expect a raise every time I achieve something at the office. But it would be nice to receive business congratulations cards for my better efforts. Small gestures can mean a lot.

Other companies give congratulations cards to their employees. I know this because my cousin flaunts her corporate greeting cards every time she gets one from her boss. She keeps the greeting cards in a scrapbook for Pete’s sake! Obviously, receiving these greeting cards gives her a sense of pride.

The last time I hinted to my boss that there was such a thing as business congratulations cards, he looked at me as if I had two heads. I persevered, however, adding that my cousin had a whole collection of business greeting cards that were given to her by her supervisor and that she confided to me that she works a little harder each time she gets a greeting card. OK, maybe that last statement was a slight exaggeration.

Well, needless to say, when I had an important company inventory report completed a week before it was due, I was totally blown away when I found two greeting cards on my desk. Were they congratulations cards? You bet they were! One was from my boss and another from our production manager. When I thanked my boss for the greeting card, he smiled and said, “I am glad you like my idea!”

I held my tongue because it really didn’t matter that the idea for business congratulations cards was mine. What mattered was that I could now buy a scrapbook for my own collection of greeting cards. Maybe I’ll display all of my employee birthday cards in this scrapbook too!