Holiday gifts & entertainment: the disclosures stress test

Episode summary

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In this holiday-themed episode of SpeakUp Talks, host Travis is joined by Claire Dossett to discuss the annual spike in gifts-and-entertainment (G&E) activity—and the practical steps that help teams handle it smoothly. The conversation starts with a familiar truth: employees may complete training earlier in the year, only to forget the details when invitations and packages arrive in November and December. Rather than re-run courses, Claire recommends timely, friendly reminders that point people to the essentials—limits, processes, and where to ask quick questions—so it’s easy to do the right thing under time pressure.

A major theme is partnership. Sales teams want to build relationships, while compliance ensures those relationships are fair, transparent, and aligned to policy. Keeping communication lines open—internally and even with customers (“Here’s our plan; does this align with your program?”)—signals professionalism and trust. It also prevents “eleventh-hour” surprises that can jeopardize deals or force rushed decisions at contract stage.

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Operationally, the episode calls out the limits of spreadsheets when volumes surge. With regulators expecting fast, reliable reporting, manual registries create risk: scattered files, missing context, and slow retrieval. Claire highlights how modern tools simplify the workflow: clear submission paths, automatic time-stamped trails, notifications to the right approvers, and dashboards that answer board-level questions (“How many submissions? Approval rates? Reasons for declines?”). The result is less bottlenecked work and better situational awareness—especially for under-resourced teams facing hundreds of seasonal disclosures.

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Another practical tactic: empower local managers within set thresholds. People are more responsive to their direct leaders, and routing borderline approvals to managers reduces load on a central team. Pair that with an accessible channel for quick questions—an FAQ, a monitored inbox, or even an automated assistant—so employees can check, for example, whether a €45 gift falls below a €50 limit without opening a full case. These small design choices reduce friction, errors, and rework.

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Finally, the holidays are a built-in “stress test.” Expect the spike, instrument the process, and learn from it. Use this period to validate communication tactics, measure effectiveness, and build a wishlist for 2026—especially if you’re still on spreadsheets. Clear reminders, simple routes to disclose, local approvals, and real-time reporting turn a chaotic season into a moment of credibility for your program and culture.

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