6 Handy Holiday Gifts to Treat Your Tech Staff
Ideas for gifts your technical staff can actually use.
The Leatherman Squirt ES4.
It is hard to believe another year of SSI publication (and your readership) has gone by. This will make 14 years of sharing old and new tech topics with you here at the Tech Talk outpost.
This year’s topics included a mix of life safety, installation tips, alarms and sensors, tech management ideas, and new DIY/mobile technology. The most impressive segment of activity this year continues to be the DIY/MIY market.
However, the bite of this competition is beginning to be tempered with creative programs such as the DragonFly dealer RMR enhancement project from Videofied. In case you may have missed the memo, Videofied was recently purchased by Honeywell, so something must have caught the big guys’ eyes.
If you want to learn more on this you will notice that it was one of my Top 30 Technology picks this year.
6 Ideas for Personal Thank You Toolkit Toys
To change the subject a little, this is also the holiday season and I would like to take some time to suggest some tech strategies that I have always enjoyed this time of the year.
Earlier in 2016 I had discussed some techniques you can use as a technical support manager to motivate your technical staff. Now let me add one more item to your tech manager resources kit.
The holiday period is a good opportunity to reward your staff with a little something extra for a job well done during the year. Now, I know that many companies will give bonuses to their staffs. However, it is also a good time for you, as their immediate manager, to offer a personal gift for their hard work, and in many ways making your managerial life easier.
Below are some suggested holiday items that you may want to consider as that extra thank you gift to your people.
Some of these I have actually given and others seemed like a nice and nifty choice; your technicians are sure to appreciate a new addition to their tookit.
Swiss Army Knife – The Classic Limited Edition by Victorinox is a traditional gift. The product is of fine quality and reasonably priced. I like the fact that you can order them personalized with your staff’s names. Its small profile is great for the pocket or key chain. I’ll vouch for these as a crowd pleaser.
Leatherman Squirt ES4 – A more robust small pocket knife with features that can back up as a temporary service tool as well. The Squirt ES4 is nine tools in one and can also be personalized.
Hold Everything Pouch – A small but rugged pouch from the famous Duluth Trading Co.. It is made from the vendor’s tough Fire Hose canvas with rugged leather. A real quality gift, it comes with Duluth’s “No Bull” guarantee.
TrackR Bravo – A handy high-tech item from TrackR. This very small tracking device can help your staff from losing important personal and professional items. It works with all smartphones.
NanoLite – This is the smallest flashlight in the world, from TrueUtility. It’s a mini, unique gift that won’t bust your budget. This is not one of those cheap, plastic keychain lights. Everyone could use a quality, very small, rugged key-ring light.
Wallet Ninja – Imagine, 18 tools that fit into a device the size of a credit card! Wallet Ninja) provides some handy tools to keep in your wallet – this one’s truly a unique
gift.
READ NEXT: The 30 Top Technology Innovations of 2016
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About the Author
Bob Dolph, SSI Contributor
Bob is currently a Security Sales & Integration "Tech Talk" columnist and a contributing technical writer. Bob installed his first DIY home intercom system at the age of 13, and formally started his technology career as a Navy communication electronics technician during the Vietnam War. He then attended the Milwaukee School of Engineering and went on to complete a Security Management program at Milwaukee Area Technical College. Since 1976, Bob has served in a variety of technical, training and project management positions with organizations such ADT, Rollins, National Guardian, Lockheed Martin, American Alarm Supply, Sonitrol and Ingersoll Rand. Early in his career, Bob started and operated his own alarm dealership. He has also served as treasurer of the Wisconsin Burglar and Fire Alarm Association and on Security Industry Association (SIA) standards committees. Bob also provides media and training consulting to the security industry.
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