Corporate gifts companies should avoid giving: eight kinds that backfire in India, and what to give insteadCorporate gifts companies should avoid giving: eight kinds that backfire in India, and what to give instead

Eight corporate gifts that tend to backfire

A bad corporate gift is rarely a cheap one. It is a gift that makes the receiver uncomfortable, creates work, or says the company did not think. The kinds to avoid in an Indian office:

1. Merchandise that is mostly logo. A bottle or T-shirt covered in your brand is advertising. People use it at the gym, not as a gift they remember.
2. Alcohol. Many employees and clients do not drink, for religious, health or personal reasons, and some company policies bar it. It is a gift that excludes.
3. Leather, meat or non-vegetarian food for a mixed list. Leather goods and non-veg hampers can offend vegetarian, Jain or religious households. If you do not know every recipient, leave them out.
4. Items that need a size. Apparel, shoes or rings in guessed sizes end up given away.
5. Gifts with a single religion's symbols, sent to everyone. A Lakshmi coin or an idol is a lovely Diwali gift for a family that celebrates it and an awkward one for a colleague who does not.
6. Anything too expensive for the receiver's rules. Clients, especially in government, banks and large companies, often have gift caps. A gift over the line goes back or causes trouble.
7. Food near its expiry, or that melts in transit. A box that arrives late or soft is worse than no box.
8. Gimmicky gadgets. Cheap power banks and earphones fail early and say exactly what they cost.

What to give instead: four safer kinds

• A good consumable people share at home, such as quality sweets or dry fruits, for festivals, when you know the diet.
• A small plant, for an office that wants something green.
• A thoughtful voucher or experience, where the receiver chooses.
• One well-made, neutral object. This is where Raajkosh fits: hand-poured soy wax candles made in Jalandhar, with your logo on the tag, the note card or a wax seal rather than on the piece. Neutral designs suit a mixed team: the Blossom Candle at Rs 299, Sunflower Tealights at Rs 449 for ten, and Spiral Pillar Candles at Rs 179 for one spiral.

A quick test before you sign off the gift

Run every option through five questions:

• Would a vegetarian, a non-drinker and someone of another faith all be comfortable receiving it?
• Is the logo smaller than the gift?
• Does it fit everyone without a size?
• Is its value clearly within your clients' gift policies?
• Will it arrive in the condition it left?

Gifts to avoid and their safer swaps

Our own limits, honestly

A candle is also a gift some offices should avoid. If your office or a client's office bans open flames, a candle can only be decor; choose it for looks or choose something else. Vanilla Reverie, at Rs 549, is our one scented candle; skip it for a team where fragrance bothers people, and choose one of our shaped pieces, which are sold without a fragrance. Our diya, lotus and shankh designs are lovely for teams that celebrate Diwali, and the wrong choice for an all-faith list.

What we can offer, as set out on our corporate gifting answer page: from 10 gifts with no minimum order value; logo on tag, card or wax seal with options confirmed in the quote; a GST invoice with your GSTIN (ours is 03AEMPG4934K1ZF); delivery to one office or every address; prepaid as set out in the quote, no cash on delivery. We never promise a delivery date. We are new; here is who makes our candles.

For anyone who lights theirs: never leave it burning alone, trim the wick to about 5 mm, and keep each burn to 3 to 4 hours.

Tell us the team, the occasion and the budget at raajkosh.com/corporate, or WhatsApp +91 85958 24586, and we will suggest neutral pieces.