Giving a gift for long-time help is always timely
QI'm president and owner of a small company where we have a great culture and do quite well for ourselves. I am not far from retirement age. I want to personally thank employees who have been with the company for a while, but I am pretty certain I am not going to be around when most of them have their 20- or 30-year anniversaries. Accordingly, I have given team members a very nice watch as they reach their 10-year anniversaries. I like the idea of giving a watch, as a throwback to an older, more protective company culture like our dads used to work at. The company would not be where it is without the team and its leadership, so I have no qualms about continuing the practice.
My question pertains to women as they reach their anniversaries. I feel strange about giving a woman something that can be construed as jewelry, in a professional context. Also, women's watches are not typically as consistent in appearance as men's watches and I feel like there are lots of ways the choice could go sideways. An alternative could be a gift certificate to a nice jewelry store, but then I feel like I'd have to take the same approach with the men, too. Part of the appeal of this practice, for me, is thanking someone by giving them something they would not necessarily have purchased for themselves.
How can I weave my way through this, or is the idea just too “1963” to be continuing in 2023?
It is wonderful that you want to recognize long-term employees with a meaningful token like a watch. The gesture isn't necessarily “too 1963,” though it is, certainly, a practice from a bygone era. We could all stand to be more generous, so I encourage you to honor the spirit of what you're trying to do.
You have options in terms of how you go about doing so. What you do for one you should do for all. By that I mean it is somewhat sexist to worry about giving a woman a watch. You aren't worried about giving men jewelry because you know you're doing so in a professional context. The same holds true for women. If this is a known practice in your company, your employees should know there is nothing untoward going on.
That said, I do understand your concern. While you want to give your employees something they wouldn't necessarily buy for themselves, a watch may not be the preferred gift of every employee, regardless of gender. A generous gift certificate to a jewelry store is a great idea; that way the employees can choose something lovely for themselves that they actually want. It's more personal than, say, a Visa gift card.
You also could present employees with options: a watch of their choosing within a given budget, a charitable contribution to the nonprofit they select, or something of similar significance and value. Whatever you decide, do continue this practice. It is all too rare for employers to value the people who make their success possible.