All Inclusive Corporate Gifting
Alcohol through the ages has been held in high regard. In our culture, alcohol is associated with celebration, rewards, and a specialness. Not only in our personal lives, where we socialize with friends and family, but in the workplace. Perhaps this year, Corporate America, we can consider the negative impact of corporate gifting that centralizes alcohol and instead gift an inclusive, healthier offering as token of appreciation this holiday season and beyond.
Corporate gifting is projected to reach $306 billion by 2024 year-end. Although gifting is year-round for businesses, the season of popular corporate gifting that runs from Thanksgiving through New Year’s and into January comprises about 60% of annual corporate gifting in America (Forbes). Simply by the nature of the time of year and how people are gathering, alcohol often comes to mind as an easy, readily consumable gift to give. It is also viewed as a shareable gift, which 76% of employees say they prefer when it comes to receiving kudos from their company.
Revisiting Your Corporate Gifting
If gifting alcohol is on your company agenda, the present is a great time to revisit that plan. Often times, gifting alcohol is a tradition or tied to your company culture of celebration and reward. If this is your company practice or what you’re drawn to gifting, it can be challenging to set that aside and consider a new gifting strategy that decentralizes alcohol.
Options are to either do away with it as a gift entirely, or at least offer a nonalcoholic option. If you are confident of each employee’s alcohol vs nonalcohol choice, i.e. if your company is small enough (or you know your client well), you could send alcoholic wine or nonalcoholic wine accordingly. In today’s culture, that practice is still a slippery slope. Knowing that 34% of Americans now consider themselves mindful drinkers with more shifting into that every day and especially during sober challenge months like Dry January (celebrating 12 years in January 2025), corporate gifters should understand that gifting alcohol is not the sure bet it might have been in the past.
Alcohol Gifting Awareness
Gifting alcohol can be detrimental, especially to someone on a newly sober necessary or recovery journey (watch my TEDx Talk for more insight on drinking in Corporate America). In my experience since going alcohol-free ten years ago, receiving alcohol as a gift achieves the exact opposite effect of what I’m sure the giver intended. Contrary to its intention, receiving alcohol as a gift makes me feel disconnected, on edge (like I don’t want this in my home), and disheartened that this gesture was even made, given what it says about the culture and how enamored we continue to be with alcohol.
When I’ve kindly thanked the giver for the gesture, I let them know I don’t drink (if they don’t know that already; and by the way, many of them do). Often the response is apologetic, and their thought is that I’d just re-gift it. However, for many, having alcohol in the home and readily available, is potential for a harmful onset of a return to use or it’s the reason someone gets derailed during their Dry January commitment. Both are valid reasons to steer completely clear of gifting alcohol.
Creating Belonging for a Remote Workplace
One look at corporate giving since the onset of the pandemic shows a rise in gifting alcohol to entice employees to connect. There were work happy hours 2020-2021 where employees would receive cocktail kits in advance to mix at home and hop into virtually connect and cheers. And coming out of Covid, having shifted to a largely remote workforce, companies continue to cling tightly to alcohol-centric happy hours, for example, to draw employees together.
Bringing employees together and celebrating them in today’s workplace has a whole new host of challenges and realities. Statistics show that corporate gifting can boost employee retention by 20% and enhance employee satisfaction by 40% through recognition and rewards. That feels like human nature and a topic that any company should lean into understanding in 2024+. Consider that because we’re largely remote, the in-person touchpoints and connections built in past aren’t occurring. Gifting and recognition need to go even further in their impact, i.e. provide a gift and an experience. Also know that Gen Z is drinking less than ever – not just moderating their alcohol intake, but not drinking it at all – and more people are choosing to go alcohol-free for numerous reasons from health to religion.
Modern and Experiential Gifting Solutions
In 2024, there are so many great corporate gifting solutions and companies offering customization and fulfillment — gifts that are not rooted in alcohol consumption. Aligning your gift of choice with your brand and a social good mission can be a good starting point.
This corporate gifting season, I’m partnering with Equal Parts Cocktail Co. and founder Simeon Priest to offer turnkey corporate gifting curation and fulfillment. I love their company vision, how they embrace what’s shifting in drinking culture right now (the option to choose alcoholic or nonalcoholic), and how they educate by crafting nonalcoholic excellence via their in-person and virtual cocktail classes. Sustainability bonus: for every kit ordered, they plant a tree.
Their creations and cocktail kits are all-inclusive and a choose-your-own adventure. Kits include nonalcoholic cocktail syrups, citrates, bitters, tinctures and garnishes and alcohol-free or alcohol-add recipes. It’s shareable, festive, and with nonalc and alcoholic options, it’s an experience that creates belonging and offers individuals choice and perhaps a nonalcoholic adventure that encourages a healthier relationship with alcohol.
Reach out to Simeon at cheers@equalpartsco.com to inquire and get your company gifting wrapped up!
— NA cheers to happy and healthy corporate gifting! — Jen Veralle, in collaboration with Simeon Priest of Equal Parts Cocktail Co (on LinkedIn too!)
