The stage was set. Festive holiday lights. Sharply dressed CEO- a middle-aged white man with a booming voice, cracking jokes he laughed at, so his workers knew when to laugh too. Staff- all Latina women working at or just above minimum wage cleaning hotel rooms, taking English classes twice a week at varying levels of understanding, all knowing enough to laugh when the CEO gave his cue.
He showed up unannounced to present them with their holiday bonuses, pulling them out of their English class to surprise them, and of course, document the moment for multiple social media outlets and shareholder newsletters. A magnanimous display of holiday generosity and cheer. I stayed in the mini-conference room where we held our class, listening to the rhythm of the show. Big booming proclamation, big booming laugh, a chorus of follow-up laughter, rinse and repeat.
After twenty minutes or so, the students returned, laughing and talking at a pace my intermediate Spanish did not allow me to follow. “So,” I asked in English, “What did you get?”
“A $10 coupon”, the strongest English speaker responded. I was sure she had mixed up her numbers.
“Not $10?” I gently led, waiting for her to correct her mistake.
“Yes,” she said confidently, unable to hide her laughter, “A $10 coupon to a restaurant”.
“Is that on top of another bonus?” I asked, trying to give this guy the benefit of the doubt. I mean, this was quite a spectacle, and not a small hotel chain, either.
“No,” she answered, and then elaborated in Spanish to her colleagues, laughing, I imagine with the same incredulousness that I was feeling. “This is all we get every year.”
“Interesting,” was all I could muster, because what could I muster? What could I say? It was truly unbelievable. Something I would not believe if I had not borne witness myself.
We often say that something is better than nothing, but in this case, in many cases, I wonder if this is true. If it is really the thought that counts. If a gesture has any substance in and of itself or if there needs to be something that gives it that substance. Like my cousin coming into the kitchen at 9:00 on Thanksgiving evening to ask- for the first time- if I needed any help.
Gift giving is tricky and office giving particularly so. It can be costly and time-consuming and difficult to know what people want. Buying something to unwrap is fun but getting something individually is challenging and getting the same thing for everyone can feel impersonal.
Giving people money seems like a crowd pleaser but how much is enough? With everyone making different amounts, should everyone get the same amount?
Quickly, what seems like a nice way to show appreciation during the holidays becomes a stressful exercise that will undoubtedly get scrutinized and blogged about by people like me who argue that sometimes nothing is better than something.
But am I right?
I am not sure.
Because doing nothing will certainly get scrutinized too. It seems like one of many cases in management where you’re damned if you do and damned if you don’t.
So, what do you do?
As much as it would be nice to say, here is the solution- buy everyone THIS (click here), we know it does not work that way. But we also know the premise of leadership and what our teams want from us and expect from us: to be upfront about what is realistic, involve them in the decision-making, treat them like human beings, and show our appreciation.
What that looks like on your team and to each member of your team will necessarily differ from someone else’s team. Chances are you won’t get it perfectly “right” each time, but by following the same principles you do all year long, the gesture, the thought, the something, will matter, as you get closer to providing something that your staff really want.
In almost all cases, some version of time off and money will be most appreciated (as is food) and company swag is not on the top of everyone’s list (though companies sure do love giving it out). But if you are doing right by your team throughout the year, this time should truly be an extra- an important extra- but an extra opportunity to show them just how much you appreciate them in way that is meaningful and definitely better than nothing.
