Startups add a personal touch to staff’s Diwali gifts

KOLKATA | BENGALURU: In a year when Diwali gifting has been laid low by the pandemic, a handful of startups such as upGrad, MoneyTap, Cashfree, CoinSwitch Kuber, HomeLane and Wingify are going the extra mile to make the festival special for employees.

Given the challenges of the past few months, these organisations want to invest in making staff happy and are focusing on more personalised and meaningful gifts.

Startups want to make this process as contactless and digital as possible, said Sumit Khandelwal, CEO of Xoxoday, a tech platform for rewards, incentives and engagement.


“We’re seeing a lot of interest around gifting virtual experiences, like online cookery courses, online tours, as well as philanthropic gifting options,” said Khandelwal. “Digital gift cards, work-from-home (WFH) gifts like furniture, electronics and wellness kits are popular. With mental wellness a priority, employees are being gifted counselling sessions as well.”

Edtech company upGrad has decided to give customised gifts to family members instead of employees, managing director Mayank Kumar said.

Depending on whether the gifts are for parents, spouses or kids, the company is giving out Carvaan audio players, Fitbits and superhero T-shirts along with chocolates and a personal note detailing the employee’s contribution.

Gifting budgets go up
“Our budgets have increased and because all are working from home, we want them to feel special,” Kumar said. “We need to thank family members who are our extended employee base.”

At several other startups too, gifting budgets have gone up and they are exploring options that employees can enjoy with their families. Payment gateway startup Cashfree has given employees Bluetooth speakers, Kindles and premium chocolates, said HR head Sapna Sukumar.

MoneyTap has gifted French press coffee makers to all employees as well as Marriott gift hampers to the more long-standing ones. It sent personalised thank you cards, goodie bags and custom-made crystal mementos to those who have completed five years with the company.

For Diwali, CoinSwitch Kuber, a cryptocurrency investment platform, plans to give its employees a gift card using which they can invest in the cryptocurrency of their choice. Employees will also receive a basket of healthy snacks and a mini Saregama Carvaan, said cofounder Ashish Singhal.

Sparsh Gupta, CEO of Wingify, which had earlier granted a home office budget of 35,000 to all employees, said it’s sending out books, sweets and Amazon vouchers.

Even startups that have pared budgets are trying to hand out gifts that will be useful. HomeLane for instance is sending out personalised nameplates and home decor items as well as WFH accessories such as an attachment that allows one to use an indoor cycle while working, said cofounder Srikanth Iyer.