How to reward from afar

June 30, 2008 6:00 AM

What is a good gift for a bunch of web developers in India?

My US-based company is about to launch a site that has taken many many months and jumped way beyond the initial scope. The site has been developed by a firm in Dehli and I would like to send the team a gift. Ultimately, I'd like to make sure the team knows that we appreciated their hard work and I want them to be recognized by their senior management?

posted by pencroft to work & money (5 comments total)

A gift bucket full of steaks and elephant trunks.

Seriously, how about something distinctly from you, like two framed copies of a photo of your team and a nice thank-you letter? (That way the team gets a photo, the boss gets a photo and the VP gets a letter, see?) There's nothing cheesy about being able to look over and say "wow, those guys really did like our work."

It doesn't have to be gold-plated to be a sign of appreciation.
posted by electronslave at 6:27 AM on June 30, 2008

I sent my Costa Rican developers Guitar Hero II after they did a great job for me on a project. We have a long-standing relationship with these guys and we know they play StarCraft and other games in the office during down time (or, after hours, since they are all friends). If you dont have a personal relationship w/ them, it might make more sense to do something more like electronslave says. Our guys loved their Guitar Hero though.
posted by Medieval Maven at 7:18 AM on June 30, 2008

I think they would probably most appreciate referrals to your friends and contacts...

That being said - would you MeFiMail me their info? I'm in the market for an off-shore development team, and it sounds like you're pretty pleased with this one!

(Or, a more traditionally-gift-like, how about a plaque/framed copy of the site's homepage screenshot along with the thank you/picture? Maybe a gift certificate for office furniture? An account for some premium webapp? A stereo/music? Plants for the office - [card: "thanks for growing our site...]
posted by prophetsearcher at 8:17 AM on June 30, 2008

I'd suggest against software / digital media - it is free in India. :) The picture / letter / referral ideas are all good ones.
posted by Meatbomb at 1:28 PM on June 30, 2008

I happen to have a book about Indian culture sitting on my desk right now. It doesn't give a lot of gift suggestions that really apply to your situation (other than, "Red and green or yellow gifts will be positively received, as these are lucky colors in India") but there is a paragraph on what NOT to give that might help:

"Gifts to be avoided include frangipani (used in funerals) and anything black or white (note this when choosing wrapping paper), which are regarded as unlucky colors. If you are giving money, it should always be an uneven number, for example 101, not 100 rupees. Don't give cowhide products to Hindus. Muslims consider pigs, dogs, and amphibians unclean, so don't give them toys resembling these, or pigskin or lizardskin products, or pictures of these animals."

- Culture Smart! India page 108
posted by Jacqueline at 5:42 PM on June 30, 2008