Employee Gifting Ideas | Effective Employee Gifting Strategies
Improve Employee Retention and Increase Productivity through Effective Employee Gifting
A 2022 Coresight Research report found estimates that the US corporate gifting market will grow to more than $300 billion by the year 2025. In the same study, they estimate that internal corporate gifting or employee gifting will account for 42% of that total or $1.26 billion. With so much money spent on employee gifting, what can companies do to ensure they are maximizing the ROI of their gifting campaigns?
The Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) estimates that it will cost an organization six to nine months of an employee's salary to find hire and train an employee's replacement. Additional studies have found that the true cost might be much higher, up to three times an employee's annual salary when you factor in soft costs like the loss of productivity by managers and leaders as they partner with HR throughout the replacement process.
When you factor in the actual costs of replacing an employee, it doesn't take long to figure out that even incremental improvements in retention can provide significant savings to an organization. While there are many factors that contribute to employee satisfaction and retention, in this article we will focus on the impact of employee gifting on employee satisfaction.
Employee gifting is a great form of employee engagement and is an increasingly popular strategy used by organizations to increase employee productivity and retention. It can be a great way to show appreciation for your employees, as well as a powerful tool for motivating them to do their best work. However, it's important to have an effective plan in place in order to ensure that the gifts you give are given at the right times, are meaningful, and are appreciated by your team members. In this article, we will discuss the benefits of employee gifting strategies, how they can improve retention and boost productivity, and provide tips on creating an effective gifting program for your organization. We'll also explore some creative ideas for employee gifts so you can get started right away!
Employee Gifting throughout the Employee Life Cycle
While employee holiday gifting consumes the greatest percentage of most organizations' internal gifting budgets, it often has the least impact on employees' satisfaction and productivity. There are a couple of reasons for this. One, most people receive multiple gifts during the holiday season so it is hard to make your corporate gifts stand out from all of the gifting noise. Two, when the same gifts are given to multiple people at the same time, it can take away from the sense of appreciation that a gift should convey.
While holiday gifts for employees may continue to be one of the mores many companies adhere to, we want to focus on employee gifting opportunities at other phases of the employee life cycle that will have a greater impact on employee satisfaction.
Four Key Reasons to Give Gifts to Employees
We have identified four corporate gift giving opportunities that will give you the greatest return on your gift giving budget.
- New Hire Gifts / Onboarding Gifts
- Employee Anniversary Gifts
- Employee Birthday Gifts
- Employee Appreciation Gifts / Recognition Gifts
1) New Hire Gifts for Employees
Starting a new job can be tough. In fact, it often rates near the top of the stressful events most people will experience throughout their life. For remote workers or those working in a hybrid model, that stress can be even great as they have fewer interactions with co-workers.
A new hire gift or onboarding gift can be a great way to welcome a new employee to the organization and is one of the first chances a company has to show its appreciation.
The best new hire gifts include a mix of practical items as well as fun and creative items. Consider a new hire gift box with the following items:
SWAG for New Hires
After a few years with a company, most employees will have a collection of branded SWAG (stuff we all get) like t shirts, hats, mugs, notebooks, pens, a stress ball, etc., and may not be too excited to receive more. However, a new employee who is excited to be working for a new company will love to get a few branded items with the company logo that make them feel like they are a part of the team.
Practical Gifts for New Employees
Your onboarding gifts should include office essentials like coffee mugs, notebooks, pens, a power bank, a wireless speaker, or other items the new employee will use in their new job. This is especially important for employees working from home that don't have access to a stocked closet with office supplies. This is also a good time to include any management, leadership, or motivational books that your company might want a new employee to read.
Personalized Onboarding Gifts
When you include personalized gifts in your new hire gift box, it shows that you have made this gift just for them. A gift with their name engraved on a water bottle or printed on a desk coaster helps them to feel less like a number and more like a valued member of the team.
Snack Gifts for New Hires
In addition to the items above, consider including a few snacks in your new hire corporate snack gift baskets or boxes. Popular savory snacks or sweet treats include cookies, chocolates, popcorn, nuts, crackers, and more. Coffee or tea samplers also make great gifts for new employees.
Personalized Card
A personalized card from the employee's manager and co-workers welcoming him/her to the team will go a long way to make them feel welcome.
Your new hire gifts don't need to break the bank but keep in mind that this is your first chance to make a great impression on your new team members.
Employee Anniversary Gifts
Another key employee gift giving opportunity is for employee work anniversaries. Anniversary business gifts are a great way to show appreciation and motivate employees.
Companies don't need to send gifts for every anniversary but should consider giving a meaningful gift on milestone anniversaries like 1-year, 5-years, 10-years, and 20-years.
1-Year Anniversary Employee Gifts
Studies have shown that 40% of employees who have left jobs voluntarily did so within the first six months of their hire date. An additional 16% leave before the end of the first year. While the number is higher for hourly employees versus salaried employees, it should be a concern for all employers. Companies with a company culture of nurturing and developing employees during the first year can help reduce that percentage.
By the end of the first year, most employees have a solid understanding of their jobs and are starting to produce at higher levels. Companies should express gratitude with corporate gifts that make employees feel valued. Just like the new hire gifts, these 1-year anniversary gifts don't need to be expensive corporate gifts. The best gifts are those that will help the employees feel valued and should your appreciation for their loyalty.
Some 1-year anniversary corporate gift ideas might include; a personalized gift like a happy hour gift box with personalized glasses, a care package with delicious treats you know they'll love. By now you should know the employee well enough to stay away from impersonal gifts that won't motivate employees.
5-Year Employee Anniversary Business Gifts
The median tenure for employees in the private sector is 4.1 years. To make it five years with the same company is a great achievement. Gift ideas for employees celebrating a 5-year anniversary might include, a wine of the month subscription box, a luxury gift basket with high quality sweets, or personal items like a nice carry-on suitcase with a luggage tag with the company's logo.
While the 1-year anniversary gifts may have been in the $50 to $100 range, these 5-year employee anniversary gifts will probably be in the $100 to $150 range.
Image Source: Zippia
10-Year Employee Anniversary Gifts
By year 10 with your company, employees should now have mastered their jobs and should be producing at high levels. In a study posted in the Harvard Business Review, researchers found that businesses with employees who build tenure — are competitively advantaged relative to organizations that opt for alternatives such as contract, gig, and platform workers. These organizations miss out on the business value that tenure and longevity with an employer bring.
In a 2022 study by the Bureau of Labor Statistics found that only 28% of men had 10 or more years with their current employer. That number was even smaller for women at 26%.
Corporate gifts for employees celebrating 10-year anniversaries should be unique gifts with a personal touch. The best corporate gifts for this cohort might include a weekend getaway for the employee and their partner, premium event tickets to a concert or show, or tech accessories like Apple Air Pods. It would also be appropriate to celebrate the 10-year anniversary with a special luncheon or for small companies an all-hands event for the entire company where you can express gratitude to the employee for their contributions.
20-Year Anniversary Corporate Gifts for Employees
20 years with the same company is a major achievement and deserves to be celebrated. Over 20 years, employees spend more than 40,000 hours in the office or workplace. Gift ideas for employees celebrating a 20-year anniversary might include more expensive tech accessories like an iPad or laptop, a massage chair, experience gifts like cooking classes with a well-known chef, a set of golf clubs, etc.
The perfect gift will be personalized for his/her hobbies and interests and recognition for their outstanding performance and loyalty
Image Source: Zippia
Gifts for Employee Birthdays
Employee birthdays are one of those special occasions for gift giving. Since they come every year for every employee, you should choose an inexpensive corporate gift. A cute birthday card wishing them a happy birthday may be enough but if you are looking for something a little extra you might consider a small sweet treat, a Starbucks gift card, or another small token that wishes them a happy birthday and let's them know they are appreciated.
It's okay for these gifts to be inexpensive gifts. In this case, it is really the thought that counts. A birthday is just another chance to have touchpoint with your entire team once a year. This is even more important for remote employees who don't have as much interaction employees working from the office.
For large companies, you might be sending multiple birthday employee gifts every day which can require a lot of administrative time. We strongly suggest you outsource these corporate gifts to a corporate gifting company that will handle everything for you.
Employee Appreciation and Recognition Gifts
Employee Appreciation Day Gifts
Employee Appreciation Day falls on the first Friday in March each year. This is a great opportunity to get the entire team a gift. A go to gift for Employee Appreciation Day might include a snack gift basket for employees with a sweet tooth, self care gift sets with items to help employees relax or you might even consider an experience gift for the whole team like renting a movie theater for your company or a catered lunch in the break room on that day.
Administrative Professional Day Gifts
Administrative Professionals Day occurs each year on the last Wednesday of the last full week in April. This is a perfect time to show appreciation to your administrative staff, executive assistants, HR staff, secretaries, and more.
Popular Administrative Professionals Day gifts include spa gift baskets, succulent gifts, fresh flowers, snack gifts, dinner or movie gift cards, etc. Make sure you include all those in your organization who play a support role so you don't miss anyone.
Employee Recognition Gifts
One of the goals of sending employee gifts is to increase performance and productivity. One of the best ways to do that is with a recognition gift for outstanding performance. Some of those gift giving opportunities might include:
- Recognizing an employee or team that went above and beyond on a project
- Employee rewards for someone who strengthened client relationships or who provided outstanding service to a customer or client
- Team gifts for a team that met a goal or hit a key objective
- A gift for someone who identified a market opportunity or a cost savings opportunity
- Thank you corporate gifts for someone who referred new employees or clients
- A gift for someone who was just promoted
These are just a few ideas and there are many more that may be applicable to your organization. Employee recognition gifts work best when the gift giver provides specific details about the performance and gives a great gift that is on par with the contribution made by the employee.
Employee gifts are an important part of any successful business. They help to recognize and reward hard work, maintain employee morale, and keep employees motivated. Whether it's for Employee Appreciation Day or Administrative Professionals Day, a small token of appreciation can go a long way in making your team feel valued. For recognition awards that honor outstanding performance, make sure you give the right gift at the right time with specific details about what made their achievement so special. With these strategies in mind, you'll be able to show your employees how much they mean to you while also driving productivity and success within your organization.
Corporate Gift Ideas
To help get your creative juices flowing, we will share some of our favorite corporate gifts by price range. It is easy to customize gifts in any price range to make sure you are giving quality gifts that they'll appreciate.
Corporate Gifts Under $25
Each of these corporate gifts is under $25 and includes free personalization.
Personalized Photo Coasters
Individual 4" round ceramic coasters with full-color printing and a cork backing to protect furniture.
The coasters can be printed with a company name, company logo, or any photo and make great personalized gifts.
Branded and/or Personalized Notebooks
Available in multiple colors these faux leather notebooks can be printed in full color. Print a loco, name, text, or even an image.
Bulk pricing is available when you order these employee gifts in quantities of 10 or more.
Personalized or Branded Wine Glasses Employee Gifts
Available in multiple sizes and styles, the personalized wine glasses are perfect for corporate happy hour or toasting a job well done.
Glasses are laser etched with a monogram, a company name, a logo, or custom text.
Personalized or Branded Beer Mugs
Available in multiple styles and sizes, these personalized or branded beer mugs make a great gift for employed and clients. Laser etched with your logo, company name, employee name other text or design.
The mugs also are great for rootbeer floats or paired with a fun unique soda bottle.
Personalized or Branded Insulated Tumbler
Available in multiple colors, these insulated tumblers will keep your favorite beverage hot or cold for hours.
Laser engraved with a logo, name, custom text, or other design. Bulk pricing is available.
4-Pack Personalized or Branded Cork Coasters
A set of four custom-branded cork coasters. Your logo, text, name, or other design is laser engraved into the coaster. In addition to being great employee gifts, these coasters also make great corporate gifts for company events or tradeshows.
Bulk pricing and same-day customization are available.
Personalized Insulated Water Bottles
Insulated custom water bottles with built-in straw lids These bottles keep your water or favorite beverage cold for hours.
Engrave a logo, business name, custom text, or design. Bulk pricing is available.
Personalized Cocktail Shakers
These 28-ounce cocktail shakers are laser etched with your logo, name, custom text, or design.
The perfect gift when it is time to "Shake Things Up" in your organization.
Custom Street Signs
These large 24" x 6" aluminum street signs can be printed in full color.
Print your logo, a name, a team name, or more. These unique gifts make great decor for the office or home.
Corporate Gifts Under $50
All of these employee gifts are $50 or less.
On Cloud Wine - Personalized Wine Glasses Gift Box
This gift includes two personalized wine glasses and a heart-shaped bottle stopper.
Pair it with your employee's favorite bottle of wine to add a nice personal touch.
Soak Your Worries Away - Bath Gift Set
These fun bath gift sets include three fizzy bath bombs, a rubber ducky soap, a soft loofah, and Berries N Cream premium popcorn.
Add a custom logo for free when you upgrade your gift packaging to one of our premium packaging options.
H2 Oh So Good Corporate Gifts - Insulated Tumbler and Popcorn Gifts
This is perfect for bulk gifting to employees or clients. Our delicious premium popcorn is paired with a branded or personalized insulated water bottle.
Bulk pricing is available on this employee gift and multiple packaging options are also available
The Daily Grind - Corporate Gift for Coffee Lovers
This coffee-themed gift includes a personalized or branded insulated tumbler and five unique flavors of coffee. Each pack of coffee makes a full pot.
Replace the "A Gift Just for You" on the gift box with your logo for free when you purchase in bulk.
Time to Par-Tea - Gift for Tea Lovers
This fun corporate gift includes a personalized or insulated tumbler with a lid to keep your tea warm, 12 flavors of tea, a honey bear, and a tea bag squeezer.
Buy in bulk and we will personalize the gift box with your logo, name, or image.
Personalized Italian Glass Decanter
The glass decanters make great corporate gift ideas. Each decanter is laser etched with a logo, name, text, or other design.
The air-tight stopper will keep your favorite spirit fresh for months.
Personalized Slate Trays
Real natural slate trays laser engraved with text, logos, names, or other designs.
Available in both 12" x 12" square or 12" round styles. Bulk pricing is available.
Corporate Gift Ideas Under $100
There's Trouble Brewing - Coffee Gift Set
With two flavors of premium coffee, a stylish mug, stroopwafels, and a 4-pk of flavored coffee syrups, this is a coffee lover's great gift.
Coffee gifts are always great gift ideas for employees.
Amazing - Thank You Gift for Employees
Show your onsite staff or remote employees how amazing you think they are with this fun gift box.
This gift includes coffee, an insulated mug, a "Your Make Amazing Look Easy" coaster, "You are Amazing" mints, a scented candle, and matches.
Cheers to You - Personalized Glasses and Marble Coasters
Raise a glass to your team with this corporate gift. This gift includes personalized wine glasses with your name, logo, brand, or other design as well as matching personalized marble stone coasters.
Available in two sizes with either two glasses and coasters or four glasses and coasters.
My Space - Gift for the Office
Corporate gift giving is best when the gift includes personalized items that your recipient will use.
This gift for the office or home office includes an insulated water bottle, a personalized notebook, a personalized rosewood pen in a case, and a living succulent in a white hexagon pot with a drip tray.
My Inner Tranquili-TEA - Tea Gift
This tea lover's dream gift includes a personalized insulated tumbler, a glass tea mug, three boxes of tea, honey sticks, a teapot, a tea bag squeezer, and tea candy.
Add your logo to help build brand awareness with clients.
Let the Fun Begin - Cocktail Corporate Gift
The best gift for your next virtual corporate cocktail hour. These employee gifts include two personalized cocktail glasses, a personalized cocktail shaker, "The New Cocktail Hour" hardcover book, a stainless steel jigger, and cocktail classics Jelly Bellys.
Corporate gift giving is a great way to strengthen client relationships and give employee rewards.
You're Tea-rific - Premium Tea Gift
Looking for corporate gift ideas? One of our best-selling, this corporate gift includes two stylish mugs, a teapot, Earl Grey tea, honey, honey candies, and two wooden honey dipper sticks.
Choose the pine crate or sealed crate packaging options and we will add your custom logo for free.
Best Sweet in the House - Snack Gift Box
Sometimes the right gifts are those built to share. This fun snack gift with treats from around the world will satisfy the entire team.
Available in three sizes, you can pick the size that best fits your budget.
Ooh Spa La - Self-Care Corporate Gift for Employees
Packed with spa and beauty gift ideas, this gift is a great way to celebrate employees' special occasions a wedding, the birth of a baby, a get-well gift, or a new house.
This personalized gift includes a tumbler engraved with your logo, name, or other text.
Oil I Need - Olive Oil Gift Set
When you are looking for gift ideas for an employee but aren't sure what they like, this classic, timeless Italian-themed gift is the right choice. With olive oil, balsamic vinegar, Tuscan Crisps, Italian toasts, a wooden dipping bowl, and dripping herbs, you ca get a little taste of Italy without leaving the office.
Relax - Relaxation Gift Box
One purpose of corporate gift giving is to build brand awareness. This self-care gift for clients and employees is a great way to do that. With a branded or personalized weather bottle, a scented candle, two fizzy bath bombs, three mini-soaps, and some delicious cookies, this corporate gift is built for relaxation.
For a nice personal touch, add your logo or name to the gift box.
Get to the Meat of It - Meat and Cheese Gift Set
With two flavors of cheese in cute tins, two flavors of delicious salami, crackers and a faux olive wood cheese board they will use for years to come, this is a great corporate gift for the carnivores on your team.
You're a Gem - Employee Recognition Gift
Looking for corporate gift ideas to say Thank You to an employee or team? Look no further. This cute thank-you gift basket includes a diamond pen, a scented candle, two flavors of popcorn, roasted mixed nuts, and an insulated water bottle with your logo or the employees' name.
Choose our diamond keepsake packaging to take the "Gem" theme to the next level.
SheEO - Office Gift for Women
Looking for gift ideas for female employees? This fun gift for the office is perfect for both in-house staff and remote workers. With a personalized desk name plaque, a personalized tumbler, a cute notebook and pen, trendy gold jars with gold office supplies, and a tasty treat, you're employees will love this gift.
Corporate Gift Ideas Under $150
These corporate gifts in the $100 to $150 are built to impress and make a lasting impression.
Spill The Beans - Premium Coffee Corporate Gifts
With enough caffeine and goodies to keep your team humming during the whole day, this gift includes a double-walled coffee mug, an electric mug warmer to keep your coffee warm all day, two flavors of coffee, stroopwafels, snickerdoodle cookies, and a 4-pk of flavored coffee syrups.
These employee gifts are perfect for any coffee lovers.
Losing Touch with Reali-TEA - Executive Tea Gift
A Tea lover's dream, these unique gifts include two flavors of tea (one black and one herbal), honey, a double-walled tea mug, an electric mug warmer, a teapot, honey, and a wooden honey stick.
These gifts are also great for clients and partners.
On the Road Again - Corporate Gift Ideas for Travelers
This fun travel gift for men includes a premium leather travel bag with a custom logo or personalization, masculine body wash, a shave brush and shave soap and, a leather key chain.
Corporate gift giving is most successful when you include a personalized message from the giver. Shadow Breeze includes free cards with all of our corporate gifts.
Don't Worry, Be Hoppy - Beer Lover's Gift for Employees
These unique gifts for beer lovers include two personalized beer mug with handles, four beer coasters, a bullet bottle opener, spicy snack mix, Chicago mix popcorn, and roasted almonds.
You Look SPAtacular - Artisan Spa Corporate Gifts
One of our best-selling employee spa gifts, this set includes a 3-pk of Egyptian loofahs, almond body lotion, almond honey oatmeal soap, recovery bath salts, almond hair and body butter, a pink clay mask, and lip balm.
This is a great gift to send to an employee who is under the weather or just had a baby.
Night Writer - Premium Leather Journal Gift
The keepsake top-grain leather writer's log is the star of this gift but your employees will also receive a rosewood pen in a rosewood case, fine-lined colored pens, and some tasty caramel popcorn.
These keepsake journals will last a lifetime.
Cheese the Day - Home Gifts for Employees
The perfect gift for the employee who loves to entertain. This best-selling corporate gift includes a personalized cutting board, a slate serving tray, a 4-pk of cheese knives, two personalized wine glasses, three flavors of cheese, and crackers.
Add their favorite wine and you have an amazing wine and cheese employee gift.
Love Snack, Baby Love Snack - Premium Snack Gift Basket
With everything but the kitchen sink, these corporate gifts have a little bit of everything for the whole team.
This gift is packed full of crackers, popcorn, meats, cheese, treats, nuts, dips, and much more.
No ReSPAnsabilities - Premium Spa Gift Crate
What else could you want? This corporate gift includes an electric essential oils diffuser, a 3-pk of essential oils, lotion, soaps, a large candle, bath salts, a personalized wine tumbler, and more.
This git is consistently one of our best holiday gifts for female employees.
Corporate Gift Ideas Over $150
When only the best will do, these employee gifts over $150 are going be their new favorite gift.
You Put the Cute in Charcuterie - Charcuterie Gift Set
These trendy employee gifts include everything you want to host your first charcuterie party.
With a teak serving platter, charcuterie spreads, wooden charcuterie bowls, and all the meats, cheese, dips, and snacks you could want, this gift is built to impress.
Make Pour Decisions - Luxury Wine Gift for Employees
This luxury wine gift is perfect for managers, executives, or any other employee who loves wine. This set includes a wine decanter, four double-walled hand-blown wine glasses, an electric bottle opener, and a premium bottle stopper.
The perfect gifts for the home bar.
Binge Worthy - Employee Move Night Gift
Nothing beats a night at home curled up on the couch with your favorite person catching up on all your favorite streaming services.
This movie-night corporate gift includes two personalized tumblers with matching straws, a large Turkish blanket, a silicone popcorn popper bowl, and enough snacks and popcorn to stream the entire season.
Spa Day - Luxury Spa Gift
When only the best will do, give this home spa day corporate gift to a lucky employee in your organization. This gift has everything she needs for a day of rest, relaxation, and rejuvenation at home.
These corporate gifts include an electric diffuser, lavender essential oil, Warmies heated slippers, a personalized tumbler, a silky soft eye mask/scrunchie set, recovery bath salts, lotion, soap, and a scented candle. Our favorite gift packaging for this gift is our seagrass basket.
Heart of the Home - Corporate Gifts for the Home Chef
Looking for a corporate gift ideas for an employee who purchased a new home or loves to cook, this is just what you were looking for.
This gift includes wooden spice bowls, a teak spoon, wooden salt and pepper grinders, an electric candle warmer, a scented candle, soy wax melts, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and a Turkish handle towel for the kitchen.
Looking for more gift ideas for employees? Visit Shadow Breeze where you will find hundreds of corporate gift ideas for any budget. Looking for something a little more custom? Reach out to our gifting experts to build the perfect corporate gifting campaign for your company.
Employee Gifting Portals
Shadow Breeze makes it easy for you to give gifts to your employees. With our free employee gifting portals, you will have your own branded pages where your employees can select their own gifts. Perfect for corporate holiday gifting, employee anniversary gifting, and more.
Internal Corporate Gifting Portals
Our internal gifting portals make gifting easy for organizations of any size. Internal portals are designed for managers, supervisors, administrative professionals, HR staff, or any other approved member of your organization to give gifts on demand to employees.
Internal gifting portals are a great solution when you have a selection of gifts that you send on a regular basis such as new hire gifts, employee anniversary gifts, get well gifts, birthday gifts, etc.
Create multiple groups of gifts in your portal to make it easy to send the right gift at the right price to the right person. There are no minimums for gifts in your portal so you can send one gift or 1,000 gifts.
Easily add any of our existing curated gifts to your selection or work with our gifting experts to create custom gifts just for your organization. All gifts in your portal can include branded gift packaging and branded gift contents where applicable.
External Corporate Gifting Portals
Our external gifting portals are designed to be used directly by your employees. When you are ready to send a gift, just send an email to your employee (or we can do it for you) with a link to your portal and they will be able to select their gift from a selection of gifts you have set up for them.
Set up multiple external portals to offer gifts at various price points for various occasions. For example, an employee celebrating their first anniversary might be sent to one portal, while an employee celebrating their 20th anniversary is sent to another.
Your custom external gifting portals are designed and built to promote your brand. We can include logos, pictures, videos, and much more.
External portals make it easy to send gifts with only an email and there is no need to track down street addresses from the HR database since your team will enter their own shipping address when they select their gift.
At the end of each month, Shadow Breeze will provide a detailed report of gifts claimed. We only charge for the gifts we ship.
Check out more corporate gifting suggestions:
Unique Corporate Holiday Gifts Your Employees Will Love
Custom Corporate Gift Baskets and Boxes
Strengthen Client Relationships with Effective Client Gifting Strategies