What’s the connection between employee retention and a custom windbreaker? We’ll give you a hint: it’s a lot bigger than most companies realize! There are serious benefits available to businesses that invest in their employees, and that includes outfitting them with high-quality branded gear! Let’s take a look at three of the reasons behind these benefits.
1: The average person spends more than a full decade of their life at work.
According to Payscale.com, “On average, people now spend approximately 13 years and two months of their lives at work. If you often put in overtime, you can factor in an additional year and two months. The average worker spends nearly a quarter of their time on the job during a typical 50-year stint of employment.”
That’s a lot. Considering the average person’s lifespan, that’s about one-seventh of a whole lifetime spent working. It’s also one of the biggest chunks of activity people will do. The only thing people spend more time on than work is sleeping!
Work beats out entertainment of all kinds, and the combined total time spent on meals, vacations, romance, socializing, and education only almost match our working time. With that in mind, employers should be very conscious of the sacrifice that their employees make every day. Life is short, and we spend most of our waking hours at work. Those hours ought to be as enjoyable as possible, no?
When a workplace shows its employees that they and their efforts matter and are appreciated, it makes a huge difference. A business that makes this sort of employee appreciation a priority enjoys better culture and leads to greater job satisfaction, and thus employee retention. When people enjoy their work, the amount of time they spend doing it doesn’t concern them so much. But what does that have to do with custom windbreakers?
2: High-quality company gear keeps an employee around!
One of the best ways to help employees enjoy their work is to make it worth their while! Wages, salaries, and other financial benefits are just one component of that, though. Everyone expects to get paid. It’s a given. What people don’t expect are the little things, the extras that aren’t included in their contract.
Those extras can include fun events, but what people really like best is getting free stuff. Events can be an extra burden, but free company-branded gear does something almost magical: it shows employees how much you care about them. If the gear really makes their lives better in some way, it shows genuine consideration of the employee’s wants and needs. It shows them how much you’re willing to invest in their individual success as part of your team.
Now, consider this: what demonstrates that kind of thought and investment more: a plastic pen with the company logo printed on it, or an attractive custom windbreaker built from high-quality textiles and available in any size? The answer is obvious, right?
And the answer makes a difference because the cheap pen, while useful, is in no way memorable. It doesn’t show the employee that you’re thinking about them as an individual. The custom windbreaker definitely does. All else being equal, which company is a talented employee more likely to stay with for the long haul? Will it be the one that gives out pens, or the one that provides each employee with excellent clothing that helps them feel included and cared for?
3: First impressions are the most important.
These principles bring up the critical question of when you should give out this kind of swag. The prudent manager’s first instinct may be to reserve it only as a reward for top performers, but beware! The idea is to show every employee that they are valued. Everyone expects the most successful members of a team to get extra rewards, but that’s not what company swag is for.
The best moment to give a team member their custom company gear is right when they join the team and complete the onboarding process. Doing so immediately helps them see that they’re not just a number to you. They’re a real person who’s using a huge chunk of their irreplaceable time to help you succeed in business. Giving them swag right from the get-go helps them feel at ease about that, and shows them what kind of company you are.
That’s another reason it’s so important to aim for high quality. A well-constructed jacket or a rubber-logo hat says much better things than a plastic pen does. Even basic items like company t-shirts can differ in quality in ways that make a difference.
Count on VOX MG for the best custom windbreakers and other branded gear!
Your employees are giving you a very significant part of their lives. Does your company make them wish they were doing something else, or grateful to be working for you? The way you bring them onboard isn’t the whole picture, but it certainly sets the tone. The swag you give them is a huge part of that process.
That’s exactly why you should trust VOX MG to supply your company’s branded gear. We’ve mentioned custom windbreakers as an example since we’re heading into winter now. We design and manufacture custom jackets and puff coats, too, along with just about any other type of product you can think of. Hats, backpacks, water bottles, sunglasses, headphones, and even pens (but good ones!)
Get in touch with us today to make sure your onboarding swag is giving new team members the kind of impression that makes them stick with you!
