6 Unique Employee Appreciation Ideas and Gifts

For employees, being appreciated for their performance can transform their job from work into a passion. Whether a small gift or a big reward, recognition matters.

In fact, research has shown just how important employee recognition is in increasing employee engagement, decreasing employee turnover, and creating a healthy workplace where individuals thrive.

So, how should you show your employees appreciation? Here are some unique employee appreciation ideas and gifts to get you started.

Employee Appreciation Ideas

Some of the most common corporate gifts include water bottles, gift cards, coupons, apparel, and food. These gifts are common for a reason - people like them. The key is ensuring they're not cookie-cutter or impersonal.

Let’s put a few thoughts into these categories to make them unique and reasonable.

Custom Theme-Based Gift Box

Everyone has some kind of hobby or interest outside of work. They may be an artist or a sports fan. They may love movies or a particular band. Use their hobbies and interests to create a gift box.

For instance, if it’s a sports fan may have a favorite player. Adding their signature on the box or printing the player's team takes the gift from corporate to unique. It also shows that your gift is well thought out.

You don’t have to buy expensive or elaborate gifts, but rather customize the gifts to make a real impact.

A Throwback Memento

Do you have a great memory with your employees? If you have been working on the same team for an extended period, you've likely shared many moments and created beautiful memories together.

Your favorite moments might be during business trips, vacations, off-site work hours, or even fun work events.

A souvenir from these trips or item that represents an inside joke is not only unique, but incredibly thoughtful.

Gift Card

Gift cards are worth a mention because they're so popular. Gift cards can be one of the best options for appreciation due to their ease and popularity.

However it's important to remember that a gift card alone can come across as impersonal and forgetful.

Avoid this by pairing a gift card with one of the more creative options above. Or, give a gift card to a store or for an experience that they've mentioned being interested in trying. This shows you've paid attention to who they are as a person - not just an employee.

Requested Gift

It may sound counterintuitive, but research shows that gift recipients are more appreciative of gifts they explicitly request than those they do not. This means, simply asking your employees what kinds of gifts they enjoy will be more appreciated than guessing.

So, during a casual catch-up or 1-on-1 session ask them what's something they'd mean a lot to them.

Doing so could save time and money, as well as ensure the gift you give will be appreciated. If you want to spice it up, you can surprise them with a present at any time of the year or on their birthday.

Leverage Social Media

Social media is important in promoting business and recording significant events and activities during work hours. As an act of appreciation, assign your social media team to create a video montage of an employee, where you capture and highlight their best moments at work.

To beautifully set the stage, you can surprise your employee with this video during company announcements or meetings. This will show your gratitude and appreciation towards your employees and help build a positive work culture within your team.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Do employees perform better when they are appreciated?

In, short - yes!

Companies with employee recognition strategies show a 14% increase in productivity, employee engagement, and performance than organizations without recognition. (Deloitte)
When employees believe they’ll be recognized for their work, they’re 2.7 times more likely to be highly engaged. (Quantum Workplace)
The single most important driver for employees to do “great work” is employee recognition. (Great Place to Work)

Appreciation motivates employees, keeps them engaged, boosts morale, performance, and well-being, and benefits the company.

What are some of common employee appreciation ideas?

Some common appreciation ideas include:

Offer lunch on management
Start meetings with positivity
Recognize personal achievements
Consider investing in your high-potential employees' development
Celebrate birthdays
Utilize social media
Have an employee appreciation day
Start using employee recognition software
Give a day off
Send a care package

What are the benefits of appreciating employees at work?

Appreciation means a lot to your employees and it has ripple effects in multiple streams of your organization. By appreciating your employees, you

Reduce employee turnover
Make their jobs meaningful
Make them happy and feel valued
Increase their confidence levels
Help them focus on their work and face new challenges
Create a significant impact on their performance.

RELATED: 10 Employee Recognition Ideas

Appreciate Employees With an Element of Surprise

Looking for more ways to show your employees appreciation? Terryberry provides solutions to help build a thriving work culture through effective employee engagement.

These solutions include:

Service Awards and Performance Awards: Recognize and reward employees based on years of service awards, anniversaries, or performance.
Social Recognition: Empower your employees and managers to recognize their peers and celebrate successes with an easy-to-use social recognition software.
Feedback and Communication: Unlock improved feedback and communications with employee and customer feedback solutions.
Wellness Programs: We make it easy to run wellness programs and activity challenges that increase engagement, expand corporate health, and build team camaraderie.

Ready to learn more? Schedule a demo with our team to get a hands-on walkthrough of how Terryberry can transform the culture of your workplace.