Is your team the best around? Heck yeah, they are!
First, they’ve got you. And because you’ve made your way to this blog post, that probably means you’re researching getting some premium gifts for your employees. So you’re clearly already cooler than a lot of other bosses. (We’re just saying.) Second, your team is totally killing it — and you all deserve to celebrate that!
But before you plan a pizza party, we want to let you in on a little secret: Your employees don’t want a pizza party. It’s true. They also don’t want a swag bag full of branded stuff left over from that nixed 2020 conference. (We’re sorry … OK, we’re not really sorry.)
So, what DO employees want? We’re so glad you asked! We’ll share a few of our favorite employee gift box ideas. We’ve brought these ideas to life for tons of awesome companies looking for ways to thank their teams in a unique, thoughtful way. In fact, we’ll give you the whole rundown:
- Check out nine gift ideas for employee appreciation.
- Learn why employee gifting and celebrating success at work are important (and what’s in it for you).
- Get expert tips on corporate gifting dos and donts.
Ready? Let’s jump in! 👇
9 Awesome Employee Appreciation Gift Ideas
Get inspired for your next staff gifting project with these fun, unique corporate gift ideas for employee appreciation!
Gift Idea #1: Movie Night
Holiday Gifts for Evernote
We loved creating these awesome corporate holiday gifts for Evernote’s employees this past Christmas!
They wanted all the cozy vibes, so we designed a fun gift packed with everything they needed for a perfect winter night in:
- Table Topics
- A popcorn kit
- Yatzy
- A lush custom logo blanket (a custom sweatshirt would also make a great addition!)
- A branded insert with warm wishes from the CEO
You know, this is one of our favorite corporate holiday gift ideas, but it’s perfect for all year-round, too! If you’re looking for premium gifts for SaaS employees, check out our Corporate Gifting Catalog.
Gift Idea #2: Magic
Magical Unicorn Gifts for Vendr
Vendr, a software-as-a-service company based in Boston, recently achieved unicorn status with its $150 million Series B funding round and $1 billion valuation! Cue the confetti!
Naturally, the Vendr team needed unicorn-themed corporate gift boxes for the occasion.
And when they approached us with this whimsical project in mind, we could barely wait to bring these gifts to life. What better way to celebrate such a magical milestone with your employees than with out-of-this-world gifts, like a custom logo blanket and custom t-shirt?
But hey, maybe unicorn-themed gifts aren’t really your thing. That’s cool!
Just remember that no theme is out of reach — and our team loves bringing your unique corporate gift ideas to life!
Intrigued? Learn more about how we make corporate gifting a breeze. We can help you create custom gifts for software engineers, gifts for product managers, personalized gifts for tech executives, and everyone on your team!
Gift Idea #3: Self-Care
Employee Wellness Gifts for Samsung
The Samsung team believes employees’ health and well-being are crucial to the company’s success.
In fact, Samsung has a top-rated employee benefits program, SmartHealth for comprehensive health care, flexible schedules for a great work-life balance, financial wellness plans and generous family-first perks.
So wellness-themed employee gift boxes seemed like an obvious choice to us! Plus, they’re one of the most popular gift box trends right now.
Our team crafted these beautiful wellness gifts for Samsung’s team to boost employee engagement in the benefits program.
As you can see, we followed a definite theme:
- A branded notebook
- A branded water bottle
- A Beverly & 3rd custom logo candle
- Other mindfulness-inspiring items
Gift Idea #4: Welcome Gifts
New Hire Gifts for Celtra
A tech company, Celtra specializes in creative advertising and marketing automation. Its team is growing fast, and we were thrilled to help them create the ultimate new hire gift box!
This stunning gift features office essentials:
- A custom Appointed Co. branded notebook
- A branded pocket folder
- A branded mug sporting the Celtra logo
- A jar of Slovenian honey with a honey dipper (a nod to the founder’s home country)
- “Setting the Table” by Danny Meyer, an excellent book featuring life and business lessons from a hospitality perspective
Imagine receiving this employee gift box right before you start at a new company! Prettttty cool, right?
Gift Idea #5: Fitness
Team-Building Workout Kits for Zendesk
We’ve helped Zendesk with fun gifting projects over the years.
That said, we truly loved flexing our creative muscles when the Zendesk team came to us to create a fun wellness kit for their employees.
One of their teams was planning a group workout event. The goal was to create an experience employees would enjoy — and that would shine as a memorable team-building get-together.
No sweat! We crafted a custom event gift basket that the team could use during and after their heart-pumping reps.
Although we didn’t get photographic evidence, we heard our Zendesk friends had a blast! They worked out as a team and then refueled with protein-packed snacks.
Pro tip: Looking to create your own wellness-themed gift box? Consider including custom t-shirts and branded headphones so your team can work out in style — that’s what we like to call cool company swag!
Gift Idea #6: Office Gifts
Office-Themed Holiday Gifts for LINQ
Another up-and-coming tech company, LINQ offers a suite of tools that streamline K-12 district operations and communications.
The LINQ team came to us looking for holiday corporate gifts filled with useful items for their hardworking employees!
They chose this design directly from our corporate catalog, but they added a few branded bits, including a branded notebook and branded tumbler, to make the gift extra personal.
Want a version of this corporate gift box that you can send today? You’re in luck!
We’ve created The Home Office gift full of favorite office essentials. And it’s ready to ship when you’re ready to order! Pro tip: This also makes a great custom gift for tech executives.
Gift Idea #7: Employee Appreciation Day
Self-Care Gifts for Chicken of the Sea
In March, we created hundreds of nautical swag boxes for Chicken of the Sea’s employees in honor of Employee Appreciation Day!
These sea-blue employee gift boxes were ultra on-brand. We included a variety of items to instill a sense of calm and encourage self-care among employees:
- Cozy custom socks
- A box of Rishi green tea
- Our signature The Sea scented custom logo candle
With custom branded packaging to tie it all together, we feel zen just looking at these gifts!
Gift Idea #8: Celebration Gifts
IPO Celebration Gifts for System1
A global marketing tech company, System1 went public on the NYSE in early 2022!
To get ready for their IPO, the System1 team contacted us for celebration gifts to send employees. It wasn’t simple on the surface — they had a 300-plus employee team working across the globe.
But we were elated to create a gift designed to help those employees celebrate together, even while miles apart!
We made sure the employee gift box was party perfection:
- Branded champagne tumblers
- A pinata puzzle
- Sparklers
- Gourmet dark chocolate popcorn
- Even more good-time goodies
Looking for luxe gifts for SaaS employees?
Gift Idea #9: Virtual Photo Booth
Awards Ceremony Gifts for MITRE
We have a soft spot for nonprofits out there doing good work!
MITRE is a not-for-profit organization that operates federally funded research and development centers. It helps the U.S. government with scientific research, development and systems engineering.
The MITRE team hosts an annual employee awards ceremony: The Program Recognition Awards.
They held the event virtually this year. And that can be a bit of a downer. As a fix, they wanted a way to get employees excited about the awards and make it extra interactive.
Recognition programs are fully worthwhile!
We love helping our clients come up with the perfect corporate gifting solutions. Needless to say, we were jazzed when MITRE went for our virtual photo booth suggestion!
And of course, we went all out to make these gift boxes for employees celebratory and fun:
- A disco puzzle
- Silly photo booth props
- A selfie light
- Confetti
- More groovy goodies
Why Is Employee Appreciation Important?
Ultimately, corporate gifting is an important part of creating a culture of appreciation and recognition!
When people feel their company values and appreciates their work, employee engagement, loyalty and productivity levels skyrocket!
But how often do you show your employees that you appreciate all their hard work?
The truth is that employees often don’t feel valued and appreciated. That’s difficult for many leaders to wrap their heads around because it feels so obvious … to them.
But because there’s usually one boss to multiple employees, it can be challenging for people to feel real recognition. And that’s especially true when business gets busy!
Yes, employees know they won’t get a pat on the back every time they hit a goal (and they shouldn’t — it’s their job, after all). That said, we all know the happy, bubbly feelings we get when someone goes out of their way to recognize our efforts!
Because so many of us now work remotely or in hybrid office models, expressing employee appreciation has gotten more complicated!
Without a shared office space, those little “nice work” remarks and “good job” moments happen less frequently.
So, what’s the solution?
In part, great employee gift boxes are a fantastic way to bridge the gap.
Gifts can recreate that “pat-on-the-back” feeling when your boss notes your work during a big meeting. They can also reinforce the sense of belonging and camaraderie you feel when your team hits a major goal.
Gifts offer employees the chance to feel that rush of recognition.
And as we all know, experiences like these genuinely matter!
What's In It For You?
Well, here’s a hot take. Employee gift boxes are sound investments.
We know what you’re thinking. To be honest, you’re not wrong — we’re a corporate gifting company. Fine, we’re a tad biased.
But hear us out!
Research shows companies that invest in employee recognition efforts are 12 times more likely to have outstanding business results. And as you know, strong outcomes lead to greater revenue.
The reason’s crystal clear. Like we noted earlier, when people feel valued and appreciated at work, employee engagement, loyalty and productivity levels soar. That means less turnover, saving businesses millions of dollars in hiring costs.
A little employee appreciation and recognition go a long way! The numbers don’t lie:
53%
of employees feel more inspired to stay at their company when they receive recognition
58%
of employees say getting recognition from leadership amplifies engagement
72%
of businesses say appreciation and recognition efforts boost employee engagement
Employee Gifting Do's and Don'ts
When it comes to creating gift boxes for employees, you want to make sure you get it right! Here are a few corporate gifting dos and donts from the experts:
DO…
- Create a gift that’s cohesive, feels relevant and tells a story.
- Show off your company culture by highlighting your core values.
- Add a personal touch, like a thoughtful note or a QR code that leads employees to a personal video from the CEO (or you).
- Do your research on gift box companies to find the right gifting partner for your needs!
DON’T…
- Default to boring swag (here are unique corporate gift ideas that might help!).
- Go overboard with your logo — tasteful branded products do the trick (here’s how to avoid common swag mistakes).
- Assume one size fits all — send inclusive, gender-neutral gifts.
- Imagine a gift card or generic gift basket is the best solution for everyone.
- Skimp on packaging and presentation (they’re important).
Wrapping It Up: Employee Appreciation Gifts
Did we just hear someone say, “BEST BOSS EVER”?
Yes, it feels great to be a snazzy boss. But your team won’t just be totally obsessed with you (that’s a big bonus). Giving employees meaningful gifts and recognition also brings companies better business results. That’s because gifts are an extremely effective tool to motivate your team and enhance your company culture!
After all, gifts let you show (not just tell) your team members how much you appreciate them. Gift-giving is a tradition as old as time — they simply make people feel good! It’s as plain as that. Going out of your way to think through gift ideas for employee appreciation shows you care and pay attention. When you follow through, employees see it. And that care they feel can make a real difference in workplace satisfaction!
Remember — happy employees mean happy customers, and that means more revenue. And of course, you’ll make people feel good! You’ll certainly feel good in return.
Stay tuned for more employee gift box ideas for 2024 and beyond!
Written by Lisa Cox. Updated Jan. 2024.
Gift Sets and Corporate Options
There are endless options for celebrating the season in style! Check out the full collection of holiday gift sets for a Christmas gift or a glitzy gift perfect for ringing in the New Year.
And if you’re looking for bulk options for employees or clients, learn more about our corporate gifting capabilities. Our team of gifting pros will curate a custom gift for your company or event. Picture unique products with branded packaging and even branded swag your recipients will love!
