Holidays, Anniversaries, Incentives - Corporate Gifts for Employees
Corporate gifts for employees are generally given as a holiday or year-end marker. And while these gifts are a thoughtful and appreciated gesture, if you’re only giving them once a year, you’re missing out on 11 other months of opportunities to show your appreciation, build loyalty with the team and create a better company culture for you and them!
So whether they’re given to your entire staff all at once for a holiday or special occasion, granted to a specific staff member for a personal celebration like an anniversary or their birthday or awarded to staff members of a certain team or department as an accomplishment-based incentive, they’re bound to be a hit with everyone! And while sheer staff numbers and organization may make the task seem overwhelming, it doesn’t have to be overly expensive or overwhelming — especially with some help from the sock fairies! We’re all about thoughtful, on-brand gestures, and we can tell you all about corporate gifts that employees actually like so you can find the perfect present!
why there’s no celebration too small
Your employees are essential when it comes to the success of your business, and while spoiling them may seem costly at first glance, the most expensive thing you could actually do is lose those valuable workers. Luckily, you don’t actually have to spoil them to keep them from leaving. Employee gifts and incentives are easier and more affordable to nail than you may think, and they are a worthwhile investment when it comes to employee satisfaction. Through simple gifts and gestures that display your appreciation, your employees will gain a feeling of importance and motivation to continue doing good work. From this morale boost, you’re also bound to see a boost in productivity from employees who genuinely want to reach the next goal. This cycle will create an improved company culture and sense of happiness within it, which will also create more loyal employees!
When your loyal employees do have to leave, they will be much more likely to give your company good reviews, which will help you to recruit the best and most fitting new members. Recognizing employees for all the hard work they do will make a major impact on continued quality work.
Browse Our Corporate Gifts to Find Ones for Your Teamholidays
There’s no time like the holidays for coming together and showing how much we care for each other. With the right gift, it can be possible to show your employees your appreciation for them, boost the holiday cheer, lift spirits around the workplace and instill a feeling of family and fun amongst the team. When the holidays roll around, no matter how big or small, consider giving your team gifts that are happy, relaxing and encourage unity like:
- special socks. Everybody gets socks from their family during the holidays, so consider gifting them to your employees to show them that you consider them to be family! Whether they be festive holiday prints, seasonal colors, soft fabrics, celebratory tall socks or customized socks with your company branding — there’s no wrong answer here! Socks are affordable, available in a size and style for everyone, and easy to ship, plus they allow for some very creative presentation!
- stress relief. Seasonal goodies, soft wearables, warm drinks in wonderful mugs (or warming drinks in wine and drink glasses!) and cozy candles are the epitome of the holidays outside of work, but why not at work, too? Gifting your employees a cool and comforting mug, a soft pair of socks as mentioned above or a versatile tin candle that can be used anywhere but smells like Christmas will not only be special for the holidays but will bring everyone together. It can make them feel like family thanks to the personal connections they will undoubtedly create.
- holiday work supplies. Whether you aim for naughty and hilarious novelty supplies or sincere and exciting seasonal supplies, this is a gift that's sure to warm the mood in the workplace for the entire season! Even a few simple but significant items, such as our naughty or nice holiday pencils for Christmas combined with sparkly stickers, red and green sticky notes and maybe even a Christmas or winter patterned mask, will be guaranteed to add some charm and excitement to the daily reminders and tasks — even if your team is remote!
birthdays
It may be tricky to really spend the time that you'd like getting to know each and every employee and their personal interests. That being said, you want to show each and every employee that they are important to the company, the team and to you. Consider funny and thoughtful novelty gifts for employees’ birthdays that bring them back to birthday parties with their friends through feelings of joy, laughter and belonging, like:
- a nice journal/writing book. With a new age and year comes the perfect time to reflect and plan! The best part about an idea like this is the fact that you can even use the gift itself (the first or last page of the journal is recommended!) as the birthday card to express your appreciation of them or even the whole teams’ appreciation if you get everyone to sign it! If they don't use it to reflect or plan, they will almost undoubtedly use it for work — and smile every time they open it and see your/the team’s note.
- funny mugs. Depending on the choice, funny mugs, like our office yoga mug, can check all the boxes for employee birthday gifts by combining joy, laughter and a serious feeling of belonging. Not only will this encourage a feeling of belonging, but it could potentially encourage new friendships to form when colleagues discover shared interests with these and other displays of creative expression.
- gifts for giggles. Sometimes (especially at work) it's not only appropriate but straight-up important to get silly! Yes, your company is a place of business, but it also acts as a second home to the people who do the business there with you. Make sure it’s not an all-business no-play environment they have to live in. Light and funny gifts like fake award ribbons, sassy stickers and even temporary tattoos encourage your employees to express themselves in fun ways while they're at work, which can be contagious and help you to create a more fun company culture and overall environment, too!
anniversaries
We mentioned above how important employee retention is, and making sure that your employees feel appreciated and recognized is a tried-and-true retention strategy. And while the holidays and birthday celebrations are a great time to show your employees how much you appreciate them, the anniversary date of their onboarding is the ultimate occasion to show them what they mean to you, the team and the business. So whether you and your employee have reached your first anniversary together or your 10th, celebrating is essential, and so is a more personal, warm and special approach as compared to any other occasion. Consider:
- customized clothing. Customized company clothing is the perfect way to let your employee know that you're proud to have them on the team and be affiliated with them, along with helping them to feel proud of their own work and accomplishments and be a part of something bigger. As an added bonus, something like an embroidered company jacket or sweater with their name on it will keep your employee looking professional and publicly acknowledged. And who can forget custom branded socks donning the company logo and color scheme!
- useful desk accessories. Show your employee that the years gone by have been valued and that having them around for more is worth a lot. From setting them up with weird desk organizers and accessories that would show them you notice them on the daily to getting them a personalized name plate for their desk to show that you consider the desk to be permanently theirs. Make their second home one that they’ll never want to leave!
- a personal touch. Cards are an overlooked and underutilized gesture, but they never go underappreciated! You don’t need anything overly sappy or sentimental for the sentiment itself to be huge, either! You and your employees probably don't get the opportunity to chat as much as you'd like (let alone to tell them how great of a job they're doing every single day or how much you’ve appreciated them since the first day), so any glimpse into their value to you will be worth a lot! On its own, as an addition to another gift or in a set with something like a gift card to their favorite coffee shop or restaurant — the options are endless and easy to tailor to your employees’ tastes!
incentives
Employee incentive gifts can be any item, experience or gesture of value that encourages your employees to go above and beyond what they normally would or what’s been asked of them. And while experiences and gestures like bonuses, profit sharing and paid time off are always warmly received, you may want to thank and praise your employees further or more personally — which is where reward and incentive gifts come in! The best employee gift ideas and incentives are sought after above all else, but because of this, they could vary a lot depending on your team! Simple items that could be customized to any style could include:
- tote bag. A tote bag covered in cute cartoon versions of their favorite animal, in their favorite colors, with a sassy saying that suits their personality or something symbolic of their accomplishment is sure to make them smile. If you’re unsure of what your employees will like best, consider company colors and branding! While it may not seem like much, this will be something your employees will see the use in and love the look of!
- water bottle. Give them continued and on-the-go support and appreciation with a style-suiting reusable water bottle! This will show them that you're not only rewarding them for something but are doing so because you have their best interests in mind! With that being said, your efforts and thoughtfulness will pay off for you, too, thanks to your employees' boosted motivation and hydration to support it!
bundling bountiful packages
When it comes to creating gift boxes, baskets and bouquets, you'll want to make it easy on yourself and the best that it can be for your employees by aiming for the same feelings expressed above for each occasion and by incorporating any of the same gift ideas. If you're still having a hard time from there, though, consider more than just the occasion and choose a more relevant theme or a color palette to go by. For instance, is your crew super proud of your company colors? Is your office full of animal lovers? Does everybody order ramen at lunch? Are you all big music buffs?
Finding common ground can help you set a theme, find the perfect gifts that go together and get everybody on the team gifts that complement instead of compete or clash with each other!