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So with just a week until Christmas, have you remembered to buy gifts for your colleagues and business partners? And what about your team?
A recent survey by Morgan McKinley of secretarial and support staff working in London’s financial services industry has found that a 71 percent of bosses have either never, or only occasionally, shown their appreciation for their hard work.

77 percent of the respondents to the survey said that they would be more enthusiastic about their work if their boss showed their appreciation more often – and I am guessing less likely to resign as research into retention consistently show that people leave jobs not usually because of financial reward or career progression, but because of the relationships – or should I say poor relationships with their boss.

And when it comes to Christmas gifts, 56 percent of the respondents either didn’t like the gift they received from their bosses last Christmas or didn’t receive one at all.

So what do you buy your administration assistant? Well the respondents to the survey indicated that the most wanted gifts were:

• Dinner for two at a top restaurant
• Luxury accessories or gift ‘experience’ vouchers
• Pampering/grooming products.

And the three Christmas gifts to avoid were:

• Chocolates
• Designer stationery
• Flowers/plants.

Taking a little time and thinking through what would really inspire your people and connect to their interests and passions as a Christmas gift takes little time and perhaps a little more effort than a job lot of hampers or buying a case of wine. However it will mean that your team realise that they are valued as individuals.

I always find that selecting a gift that is something that I know a member of my team would really enjoy and perhaps is something that they would not indulge or invest in themselves goes down a treat.

So if you haven’t finished your Christmas shopping you have just about enough time to find a gift that will inspire and excite your team.