Enhance Your Company's Employee Communications
Hallmark Business Expressions Offers Tips for Strengthening
Company-Employee Relationships
(KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Feb. 13, 2007) " With e-mail and instant messaging becoming the norm in today's office, communication is moving at a furious pace. As a result, employee communication becomes more impersonal with every passing day. The superficial interactions that regularly take place in a professional context can sadly leave employees at any level feeling unimportant and disengaged.
"When it comes to employee communication, a personalized greeting card goes a long way in a world filled with email, phone calls and text messages, said Marc Wagenheim, product marketing director of Hallmark Business Expressions. A personalized greeting card adds a special touch to your company's employee communication, making each team member feel valued and appreciated.
To help you know when and how to send a greeting card to strengthen your relationships with employees, Wagenheim offers the following tips:
Make Special Occasions Special Again. Everyone appreciates having their special days acknowledged. Remember specific days and events throughout the year, such as work anniversaries, birthdays and holidays. Employees will appreciate a congratulatory card for achievements such as a promotion, big sale or winning a new client, or for life events such as a marriage or the birth of a baby.
Say 'Thank You' Often. Do you have a great employee who regularly goes the extra mile? Then be sure to thank them. Sending a thank you card to express how much their effort or loyalty means to you and the company will make employees feel more valued than a quick 'thank you' at the water cooler.
Include a Reward. Greeting cards offer a host of options for sending rewards to employees. Send a birthday wish or reward employees who are doing a great job with a Hallmark Business Expressions greeting card and include a gift voucher to a favorite restaurant or shopping center. Employees will feel reaffirmed of their hard work and will be grateful for the kind gesture.
Add a Personal Touch. Make an extra effort to rise above and beyond the expected and personalize your card. Write a personal note when acknowledging a special day, a job well done or a business milestone. Even if your name is pre-printed on the card, make sure to sign your name personally. Your employees will appreciate that you took the extra time.
Don't Intrude. In personal matters such as family or marital issues, illness or other problems be very cautious and considerate in how you address a situation. While some employees may be very open with their personal lives, many still need their privacy to be respected. A simple 'Thinking of You' card lets the employee know you care without crossing a sensitive and thin line.
Timing is Everything. Business rules are less forgiving than social ones when it comes to timing, even when communicating with your employees. The three-day rule applies strongly in this case, so send cards within three days of the event. A business greeting card done right, and sent at the right time, provides an authentic way to connect with employees.
"Companies that personally communicate to their employees on a regular basis experience the benefits of a more engaged and productive workforce," Wagenheim added.
About Hallmark Business Expressions
Hallmark Business Expressions helps businesses cultivate relationships using greeting cards to communicate with key customers, prospects, employees and donors. Serving a wide variety of companies, from the Fortune 100 to small businesses, Hallmark Business Expressions provides distinctive ways to stay in touch and make a lasting impression. The company offers a full line of Everyday and Holiday greeting cards for businesses and a variety of personalization and mailing services at http://www.BusinessGreetings.com. The company also offers custom design services for customers who require a unique card to meet a specific business objective.
Created by the company that has helped people express themselves for nearly a century, Hallmark Business Expressions offers businesses that same knowledge and expertise in business greeting cards. Hallmark Business Expressions is a subsidiary of Hallmark Cards, Inc., headquartered in Kansas City, Mo.