It’s no surprise that many studies have found a positive correlation between employee recognition and retention. When people get a shout-out for doing a great job, they are more likely to keep up the good work.
Corporate gifting is a great way to recognize and reward your employees for their hard work and dedication. Thanking your employees is important year-round, but especially during the holiday season. Nowadays, many employees have come to expect some sort of gift or reward from their employers during the holidays… so don’t leave them hanging!
In the sections below, we’ll share some helpful tips and lots of ideas for employee appreciation gifts that will actually be appreciated.
What Makes Some Holiday Corporate Gift Ideas Better Than Others?
If you’re going to spend time and money on holiday gifts for your employees, you’ll want to make the investment worth it with something truly special that won’t end up in the trash.
Below are some tips to keep in mind as you shop around:
- Be sure to keep your gifts workplace appropriate. Avoid anything that could be perceived as too intimate or personal and definitely steer clear from anything with romantic or sexual undertones. Typically, this means you should avoid buying nice jewelry, clothing, perfume/cologne, or similar gifts.
- Don’t buy your employees gag gifts or anything that could be possibly perceived as offensive. Remember, not everyone has the same sense of humor!
- When it comes to the question of how much to spend, aim for balance. Avoid gifts that are overly expensive as they could leave your employees feeling uncomfortable or indebted. At the same time, you don’t want to buy a cheap gift that could make them feel under appreciated.
- Rather than unnecessary clutter, try to find a gift that is useful or consumable.
- Try to find something that really shows that you care about your employees. There’s nothing like a personalized or custom gift to make them feel noticed and valued. A really thoughtful gift can actually help your employees feel more loyal and connected to the company.
- Company-branded gifts can work well if they’re actually useful, but are not generally preferred by employees. A survey found that almost 3 in 4 employees would prefer to get a gift without their company logo on it.
- Try to create a story when creating a gift box or package, or at the very least pick a loose theme to help make things feel more cohesive.
A Few Of Our Favorite Corporate Holiday Gift Ideas
With years of experience curating custom corporate gifts, we’ve learned what employees actually want and appreciate from their employers for the holidays. Below are five of our favorite holiday gift ideas to help get you inspired:
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Focus on Self-Care: It’s widely recognized that promoting self-care in the workplace can help prevent employee burnout and improve retention, so why not give your employees a curated gift to help them care for their health and wellbeing? For a self-care gift box, choose products that focus on the mind, body, and spirit such as botanical bath salts, aromatherapy, essential oils, candles, skin care products, a Fitbit, etc.
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Give the Gift of Productivity: For the workaholics in your office, or those working from home, we love the idea of creating an office or home office upgrade package like this one. You could include some beautiful stationery products (planners, notebooks, pens, etc.), local treats to fuel their workday, coasters for their coffee or tea, or anything else that could help boost their productivity.
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Start the Day Off Right: For many people, caffeine and productivity go hand in hand. We love the idea of creating a morning rituals gift box featuring some local coffee or tea to help get your employees’ workday off to a great start. Complete the gift with a ceramic mug and some breakfast goodies and they’ll come into work with a smile on their face!
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Put Your Best Food Forward: Food-themed gift baskets are almost always appreciated and will rarely go to waste, especially around the holidays when people are hosting more events and parties. However, it’s important to be cognizant of the fact that some of your employees may have food allergies or dietary restrictions.
- Shop Local: Last but not least, it’s a nice idea to support local businesses and artisans whenever possible. Your employees are sure to appreciate the effort too! Try curating a holiday gift basket that features some of your favorite local products, like these Northern and Southern California gift boxes.
These ideas above are just the tip of the iceberg; there are endless ways to show your appreciation for your employees, especially when you put some careful thought and effort into it. If you need more ideas, we’re here to help!
Show Your Appreciation With a Personalized Corporate Christmas Gift
What’s even better than one of the pre-packaged gift basket ideas highlighted in the section above? A thoughtful, curated gift that really expresses care and appreciation for your employees.
Of course, hand-selecting all the products for your employee gifts takes up valuable time and resources. Don’t stress yourself out about finding the perfect gift on top of everything else you have going on at work! Hiring someone to help out with your custom employee gifts will save you time and allow you to focus on your other duties.
Need More Holiday Corporate Gift Ideas?
Now that you’ve got some ideas and inspiration for your employee holiday gifting, take some time to brainstorm what would be best for you team and then let us help you bring it all together.
With our carefully-curated vendor list and full-service design studio, we can create a custom gift box around almost any theme and then package it beautifully to make a stunning first impression. To make your corporate gifting even easier, we can fulfill your product, store it, and send it out, insured, nationwide! Whether you are buying holiday gifts for a team of 30 or 3,000, we’ve got you covered.
Don’t procrastinate and let the holidays sneak up on you this year – fill out the contact form on our website today to get a head start!