50+ Always Welcome Appreciation Gifts for Employees

 

Desk Accessories

Help employees create a workspace they enjoy spending time in each day. Desk accessories can be used to personalize or organize their area. Improve functionality by giving employees a desktop organizer, ergonomic mouse pad, cable management solution, or monitor stand. If you want to tailor your employee appreciation gifts to the individual, you might find a pen holder that fits their unique tastes or invest in personalized nameplates.

 

Gym Membership

Use your employee recognition efforts to double down on your commitment to employee well-being with a membership to a local gym. Consider what features matter most - Do employees need a childcare center to drop off their kids? Are many people interested in perks like a spa or sauna? What kind of hours would work for the majority of people?

Once you've gathered information about what your employees are really looking for, dive into the features that your local gyms offer and choose one that checks most of the boxes.

 

Personalized Art

You can take this employee appreciation gift in a thousand directions depending on your budget, intentions, and the interests of your workers.

Commission a watercolor painting of Susan's beloved Fluffy or have Jim inserted in a fun personalized comic strip. Hire a caricature artist to come into the office for a few hours and draw the accounting department. Create custom typography prints that feature employees' favorite quotes. The versatility of art makes it a great gift for any employee.

 

Catered Food

A free - and especially tasty - lunch is a tried and true way to express gratitude. Survey employees to find out their favorite spots and then have it delivered. Give everyone a heads up so they don't eat their packed lunch only to find out they could have enjoyed a delicious catered option in the company breakroom.

You may even collaborate with local food trucks and schedule one or two to set up in your parking lot so employees can head outside and order their favorite from that vendor. Be sure to account for the mixture of dietary preferences in your office to ensure that everyone is able to enjoy this employee appreciation gift.

As an added bonus, this is a great time for team building, since chances are everyone will stay and eat together. If you want to guarantee that people will spend their lunch together, set up a dessert bar so they can grab something sweet once they're done eating.

 

Coffee

Depending on the size and location of your organization, there are several options to give your employees a caffeine boost. Choose from:

• Gift card to a local coffee shop
• Morning coffee delivery
• Coffee delivery subscription
• Office espresso machine

Of course, don't neglect your non-coffee drinkers. Include decaf, tea, and other tasty drink options so that everyone can partake.

 

Books or Audiobook Credits

Find out what your employees have on their TBR list and treat them to a new paperback, or send them credit to listen to the latest release on Audible.

It may be tempting to 'treat' employees to a professional development book you'd think they could learn from, but this defeats the point of an employee appreciation gift. Keep the focus on what the recipient would enjoy, and keep the work-related reading to their 9-5 tasks.

 

Company Clubs

 

Help cultivate stronger relationships between co-workers by allocating funds to company clubs. This might look like buying snacks for a book club or purchasing supplies for an art club. Ask employees what ideas they have for hobbyist groups and then invest in those clubs as part of your employee appreciation efforts.

 

Home Services

Give your employees the gift of rest by simplifying their after-hours routine. Home services are an ideal employee appreciation gift idea because you can utilize options for both local employees and remote workers who don't live nearby.

Here are a few ideas for home service gifts:

• Meal kit subscriptions
• Grocery delivery subscriptions
• House cleaning services
• Laundry services
• Virtual personal training

You may also consider certain points when it may be helpful to gift employees with a specific service. For example, home organization services could be part of a relocation package for new employees, while you may offer meal delivery or laundry services to employees who just had their world rocked with a new baby.

 

New Tech

Fun gadgets are almost always a welcome surprise. Let employees know how appreciated they are with some new tech like:

• Wireless charging stations
• Noise canceling headphones
• Bluetooth trackers
• Smart plugs
• Smart notebooks
• Portable projectors

Office Games

Demonstrate your appreciation to an entire department or team by investing in a few office games. Board and table games help foster a deeper bond between employees as they spend time together in friendly competition, outside of their typical work tasks. It also shows your commitment to developing an office culture that prioritizes balance.

The budget for office games can be as much or as little as you're ready to spend. Ready for a splurge? Add a foosball or ping pong table to your workplace. Need to keep it on the frugal side? Stick a deck of Uno cards and a box of Clue in the breakroom. Either way, employees are going to have a little fun in the workplace and get a creative break when they can't stand to look at one more Excel sheet.

 

Handwritten Notes

 

Need to make a huge impact with a not-so-huge budget? Handwritten notes are the way to go.

You will need to invest a little time and energy in planning what to say. You might even go crazy and spend a little bit on nicer stationery (though printer paper will also work just fine). Ultimately, the cost-to-influence ratio is insanely high for a short and sweet thank you card.

Help other employee appreciation gifts include a personal touch by pairing them with a handwritten note as well. A new stainless steel cup with your corporate logo + a note of appreciation from the CEO = a gift your employees will long remember and treasure.

 

Experience Vouchers

An experience voucher is a great gift for the simple fact that it's extremely customizable. Introverted employees will enjoy movie or concert tickets, while an adventurous worker might love a hot air balloon ride or the chance to take their child white water rafting. Here are some memorable activities you can treat an employee to:

• Gourmet dining experiences
• Wine or brewery tours
• Art classes
• Museum or gallery passes
• Spa vouchers
• City tours
• Sailing excursions

You might even earn bonus points by gifting experience vouchers for a limited-time opportunity, such as a concert for a popular artist who's coming to town or a production that has a short run at your local theatre.

 

Charitable Donations

Some people don't love the idea of getting more 'stuff' and may even be resistant to the gift of an experience. Although you want to demonstrate your appreciation for those employees, you still want to respect their wishes. Charitable donations make an ideal middle ground.

Donations are also great employee appreciation gifts because they emphasize your commitment to certain values and encourage a culture of social responsibility within your organization.

Get a sense of which causes your employees care about through surveys or informal conversations. There is no shortage of charities to connect with, and some options include:

• Environmental causes
• Animal welfare
• Scholarships
• Clean water
• Food poverty
• Medical procedures
• Disaster relief
• Medical research

Subscription Boxes

Reward workers with a running supply of their favorite items catered to their specific interests with a subscription box. This employee appreciation gift is customizable and caters to an array of budgets depending on the quality of items and frequency of delivery that you choose.

 

Standing Desk Converters

The average office employee sits for 15 hours every day. Standing desk converters are the perfect gifts to combat that statistic and help workers stay active while they're at their computers.

 

Walking Pad

See above.

But seriously, a walking pad is a beautiful marriage between a desk and a treadmill. It can enable your employees to stay active while maintaining their productivity - a win-win for our outrageously sedentary present day.

 

Travel Vouchers

 

 

Help employees make the most of their PTO with travel vouchers for hotels, flights, or car rentals anywhere in the world. If you know with absolute certainty where someone might like to travel, you can gift them vouchers for a specific trip, but most of the time, a general certificate will be well received.

Travel Accessories

For positions that come with quite a bit of time on the road, travel accessories may help make the trips go a little more smoothly and demonstrate your commitment to creating an ideal work environment, even when that environment spans six different states.

Travel accessories can also be great employee appreciation gift ideas for those people who are always planning their next vacation or sharing pictures from their most recent trip. It demonstrates the care you have for the individual and the fact that you're paying attention to what interests them. Here are just a few gift ideas you might consider:

• Luggage tags
• Packing cubes
• Travel adapters
• Travel toiletry kits
• Foldable backpack
• Power banks
• Compact blanket

Luxury Self-Care Items

 

Emphasize your commitment to employee well-being and work-life balance by gifting workers with luxury self-care items. We're not talking lotion they could grab from the nearest Target, but deluxe products they would probably never treat themselves to.

Here are a few great ideas for goodies that employees will be thrilled to use after a long workday:

• High-end skincare sets
• Eye massager
• Facial steamers
• Hand-poured scented candles
• Luxury bathrobes
• Aromatherapy diffusers and high-grade essential oils
• Cashmere blankets

Outdoor Gear

LL Bean and Patagonia aren't the only companies that can encourage their employees' love of the outdoors. Help your outdoorsy workers feel appreciated with gear they can utilize in their next hiking or camping trip with:

• Camping chairs
• Hiking backpacks
• Portable hammocks
• Picnic blankets
• Portable solar chargers

Treats from Local Vendors

We especially love this employee appreciation gift idea because it benefits your employees and your community. It's also the perfect way to introduce employees to local shops and restaurants they may have not stumbled on yet.

Team up with local bakeries, artisans, florists, specialty food shops, and other community members to surprise employees with treats they're sure to love.

 

Team experiences

Celebrate the hard work and contributions of an entire department by scheduling team experiences. Invite the whole team to attend a sporting event, outdoor adventure, escape room, or workshop.

Gifting employees with team experiences not only provides an opportunity to celebrate the success of a group, but it helps create or strengthen a bond between colleagues.

 

Corporate Retreats

Corporate retreats combine many of the benefits associated with travel and team experiences. It enables co-workers to connect outside of the day-to-day constraints of their respective jobs and even meet new friends within the workplace.

Cost is typically the deciding factor when it comes to planning a retreat, but with the right planning, you can turn even a staycation in your home city into a memorable experience that the entire team enjoys.

 

Public Recognition

Research shows that public recognition is one of the most memorable forms of employee appreciation. Workers want to hear that they're good at their jobs, and it's an added bonus when their colleagues hear it too.

You can combine public employee recognition with employee appreciation gifts by using a recognition platform like Terryberry. With Terryberry, employees can share peer to peer recognition in a company feed and you can offer employee incentives such as:

• Home goods from top brands
• Electronics
• Fashion and jewelry items
• Outdoor gear
• Charitable contributions
• Travel passes

Tips for Giving the Best Employee Appreciation Gifts

 

Here's our tried and true advice to help maximize the success of your employee recognition efforts.

 

Send a Survey

One of the easiest ways to make sure you're giving employees gifts they'll really love is to take note of their preferences. Ask your team about their hobbies and interests, favorite snacks and drinks, where they like to spend gift cards, when their birthday is, and other personal (but not intrusive) questions.

Use responses to send quick treats that don't cost much (think candy bars and drinks from their favorite coffee shop) and to choose larger personalized gifts you customize based on their individual preferences.

 

Choose Quality Over Quantity

We can't speak for everyone, but most people would prefer one $20 gift card over four $5 gift cards. It's okay to space out your employee appreciation gifts in order to provide high-quality items instead of constantly providing an inexpensive but low-quality item.

 

Align Your Gifts with Company Values

Choose employee appreciation gifts that reflect your organization's values and cultures. For example, if you emphasize sustainability, you might treat workers to a reusable shopping bag, stainless steel water bottle, or wildflower seeds for your local area.

 

Be Inclusive

Take into consideration cultural, dietary, and personal differences. Gift-giving shouldn't exclude a team member. If part of the team works in-office while the other part is remote, look for equitable employee appreciation gifts that you can share with both.

 

Consider Practicality

Choose employee appreciation gifts that are thoughtful and useful in the recipient's daily life. Trophies and medals look nice, but gift cards and tasty treats will get a lot more use.