New Use For Survival Kits -- As Holiday Gifts For Valued Employees

(LosAngeles.CityRegions.Com, November 14, 2013 ) Irvine, California -- EmergencyPlanGuide.org, a grass-roots organization aimed at helping families and communities prepare for emergencies, is suggesting that businesses change their gift list for employees to feature survival kits.

"It's a new and meaningful way of recognizing employees," says Virginia Nicols, co-founder of the organization. "Rather than waste money on an impersonal gift, we encourage employers to show they really care by providing employees with a survival kit – something long-lasting and valuable."

For the holidays, EmergencyPlanGuide.org has reduced the cost of its Build Your Custom Survival Kit to $25 to meet the IRS limit for business gift deductibility.

"We want to help more people prepare for emergencies," says Nicols. "With fewer than 50% of families having made any preparations, businesses can make a big difference in the equation."

For the employer, a survival kit gift makes sense on a number of levels.

• It demonstrates an employer concern for the employee's wellbeing outside of the workplace.
• A survival kit is an investment with an extended life and a clearcut purpose.
• Kits can be augmented with popular, individual pieces of survival gear, such as an emergency radio, hand-crank battery charger for phone and tablet, LED flashlight, etc.
• Focusing on the employees' wellbeing also gives the business itself a better chance of recovering after a disaster. Only when employees are sure their families are safe can they turn their attention back to work. Recent events have shown that even First Responders may not show up until their own family situations have been sorted out.

A new approach to holiday gifts may be justified given problems with some traditional gifts. For example, gifts of food may represent wasted money when items are tossed because the recipient is allergic, doesn't care for that flavor, etc. Custom logo apparel, another traditional – and expensive -- item, runs the risk of appearing to be more for the company's benefit than for the recipient. And the classic "holiday office party" has achieved a well-deserved reputation for being lame -- or problematic.

"A survival kit is a thoughtful and unusual gift," says Nicols. "And it gives the business the chance to take another look at all areas of emergency preparedness. Survival for people and for businesses depends on taking steps in advance of anything happening. Afterwards, it's too late."

About Emergency Plan Guide

Virginia Nicols and Joseph Krueger, founders of Emergency Plan Guide, head up their neighborhood Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) and publish regular tips, reviews and planning ideas for neighborhood and business groups. Their recommendations and insights come from real-life experiences drawn from 20 years in emergency preparedness planning. EmergencyPlanGuide.org has reviews of survival kits along with suggestions for incorporating them into a family or business team training activity.

Emergency Plan Guide

Virginia Nicols

949 733-3778

Virginia@EmergencyPlanGuide.org

Source: EmailWire.Com