Diversify Your Offerings with Must-Have Swag from Minority-Owned Businesses

As future office environments continue to evolve, the hybrid work model is gaining traction. A hybrid working environment is the combination of office and remote work to create a productive work environment. With many organizations planning for local employees to come back into the office a few days per week and some allowing employees to remain virtual, finding a blend to maintain employee productivity as well as create a successful future landscape has been very successful.The pandemic has proven that now more ever remote work is possible. However, to maintain productivity and ensure team cohesiveness, face-to-face and in person environment are being brought back into the mix. If your team is planning on splitting their time and creating a hybrid model, one key component to ensuring success is to setup an environment both at work and at home to develop consistency and ensure that your team has everything at the ready. As we head back to this new model, here are a few of our must top 10 must haves: 1) Keep an office bag packed with all essentials where you just need to insert your laptop and go is a the absolute trick. Here are a few of our top favorite bag ideas that keep your essentials and the kitchen sink at the ready: 2) We may be old school, but there is no way that we would leave our mouse and mousepad behind. We keep one in our bag so that we can remain productive no matter where we go. 3) Blue light glasses – with all of the screen time, we are still using ours all the time and keeping an extra pair in our bag to ensure that we are ready for all of those fun hybrid meetings. 4) Chargers and cords – Are you always fighting to find the right plug, the right cord? And then when you do, they are a tangled mess? These are genius ideas that we keep packed and at the ready for just such an emergency! 5) Headphones – Getting creative with sounds has been a skill that we have all developed in working from home – kids, dogs, spouses, Amazon deliveries. Coming into the office will be no different. These noise canceling headphones are a few of our favorites with branding all over or more subtle options. 6) Never know what the office temperature will be? Don’t forget your favorite cardigan or pullover that is office chic, but can also handle being folded into a bag to grab and go. 7) Heading into the office is a definite need for coffee! This ember travel mug is perfect for hybrid working! It keeps your coffee warm on the way into the office as well as during (and for refills). We have also included a few more of our favorite caffeinated vessels!   8) Staying hydrated and keeping snacks at the ready is also key to maximize your office time. We love these cute snack bags, utensils and bento boxes to make bringing your snacks to the office a treat. 9) Needing to jot down a note, to-do lists, meeting notes? We love all of these paper products and our favorite pens!   10) And for the office on the go, let’s not forget all of the little necessities to keep us organized!

Top Summer Brand Ideas Summer is here and with all the enjoyment that vacations, cookouts and picnics bring.  It is the perfect opportunity to reward your team, relax, and reconnect.  And definitely, an opportunity to promote your brand and vision.  Just think of the employee goodwill and word-of-mouth that these events bring! So check out our top branded products that are making this summer hot and trendy! Staying Safe & Hydrated this Summer  With all the fun that comes with summertime it is also important that your team is set with products that keep them safe throughout these hot summer months. There are many products that can improve your team’s safety while preventing the effects of the summer heat. Staying hydrated is always important but it becomes even more so during the summer as the temperatures rise. Dehydration a danger to not only your team’s productivity and work performance, but also to their health.        Whether in need of big gulp or keeping water on your desk, these are just two of new favorites that launched this season.  H2GO Eco Water Bottle Big Bubba Half Gallon Water Bottle   Or check out the entire collection here. We are obsessed with this Sun Bum sunblock and kit. They smell delicious, and is perfect for anyone on the go, keeping in the car, or in your beach bag. No matter what time of year it is SPF is a necessity, especially during the summer. And for those days where it’s still just too hot outside, have your team prepared with these cooling towels. Outdoor Fun Activities Who wants to be inside when it’s this beautiful and warm outside? Fun outdoor activities are a great way to create team building at events. Keep your employees cool with a custom tent while playing fun games such as Flying Saucer or connect 4. Create a tournament with any activity you choose to bring some friendly competition to the team.  Add some comfort with custom chairs for your team to enjoy during the event. From your backyard to your office’s activities room, outdoor games are a fun and exciting way to bring the team together.   Travel and Beach Ideas As your team heads to the beach, the pool or the lake, keep your employees smiling and thankful to bring their gear with them to all their summer adventures. Whether it’s the beach or the lake these products will be used all summer by your employees. Schooner Bag     Did you know that the average beach towel stays with its owner on average for over 7 years?! And let’s not forget a holder for your drink  -Bay City Beach Cup Holder   Picnics, BBQ, and Get Togethers There is nothing better than a grilled hamburger, corn-on-the-cob and if you are from the South, a glass of sweet tea! Check out a few of our favorite employee gift ideas!     Who doesn’t need or love an extra BBQ set? This set includes its own bamboo case to keep all items include.   Or give them a set with this easy-to-carry case to keep everything at hand and nearby - 5 Piece Bamboo BBQ Set   The perfect picnic always starts with a cute blanket - Oversized Striped Picnic Blanket   And let’s not forget an easy to carry picnic set - Modesto Picnic Carrier Set And we all need a can cooler to keep our drinks hot on cool days.  Our favorite is from Corkcicle with a full collection, one is bound to be the perfect fit for your team - Corkcicle Classic Arctican So there you a have it! The perfect gift collection to make it through the dog days of summer, incentivize your team, and bring everyone back together!  

Trying to come up with fun summer themed events for your team? Here are a few of our favorites for your team to come together, connect, and enjoy this awesome summer weather. When employees feel happy and don’t dread a day in the office, it contributes to a healthier workplace and has a positive impact on productivity.   With so many employees feeling disconnected, this is the perfect opportunity to bring everyone back together in an open environment. Check out some of our fun ideas for summer events! I scream, you scream, we all scream for ice cream! Create an ice Cream Social with picnic blankets for your team to sit on along with custom ice cream scoopsand cups. An ice cream social is the perfect event for these hot summer days. Planning an ice cream social at work is a great way to spend time unwinding with co-workers and getting to know one another better. Through the hustle and bustle in the office an ice cream social will be the perfect event for your team to take a step back and cool off with some ice cream.   Summer relax and refresh party. Sometimes it takes taking a step back to have a clear mind in the office. With a clear mind your teams moral is more likely to increase along with productivity in the office. Provide your team with the time to refresh their mind with a relax and refresh party. One idea for this event would be to get your team together for a wine and charcuterie board party. This is a great event for companies wanting their employees to take a step back and enjoy their coworkers away from the stress of the office.   Keep it simple with an outdoor picnic! Provide everything for your team from custom chairs, speakers, picnic baskets, bento boxes and more! An outdoor picnic at a local park allows team members to socialize outside of the workplace in a way that is less structured. It’s a great way for people to come and go in their own time. This is the perfect event to let your employees come together in a relaxed environment and improve your their moral when having events.  Old-fashioned BBQ.  Having an event like this is a fun way for everyone to be encouraged to engage with their team. With the smell of fresh burgers and hot dogs on the grill, watermelon, coleslaw and all your favorite fixings, this is one lunch that is hard to top. Provide the best grilling accessories that are custom to your companies branding and have your team bring the sides for the event. As the BBQ is winding down get everyone to crown the grill master of your team!