30 August, 2023

Top 13 Employee Gifting Opportunities

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Gift Ideas
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Written by
Micha Berkuz
It had been less than 90 days since I started at my previous position, yet I found myself presenting in front of all our investors. My boss was on a business trip so I am represented our team.

I held my voice from shaking as I spoke about our work, slipping in a joke or two while the audience stared at their phones. It turned out that they liked my presentation the most! Hearing that positive response felt amazing, especially as a “newbie,” but getting a “job well done” gift card to a day spa felt even better.

You can always find something to celebrate, appreciate, or support. There are a few key opportunities to give gifts, each bringing a subtle message to the recipient. Let’s explore these moments for employee gifting opportunities, from the obvious to the ingenious, to boost your employees’ morale, productivity, and satisfaction.

Read more: Employee Gift Application

1. Epiphany Moments

Significant events occurring inside and out of the office have people reevaluating their life choices. A firstborn baby gets the new parent thinking about the role they want to play in their child’s life. A personal relationship change can spark a whole new outlook on life. Use these events to remind employees that they made a good decision to join your team. Each pivotal moment comes with authentic gifting ideas. A new child warrants a gift card for Amazon (hello diaper deliveries!) or a much-needed massage from Gilt. A wedding deserves some home decor from Wayfair. Use these employee gifting opportunities to guide your employees through their thought processes. You can play a bigger part in their narrative with a simple e-mail — and a fun present as if you’re friends or family.

2. Work Anniversaries

Similar to epiphany moments, work anniversaries specifically have employees evaluating their impact, goals, and dedication to their organization; this crucial moment leads to a 6% increase in job-hunting. Sending a gift won’t be the main factor when making the next big life decision. Still, it will remind your employee that they are with a caring, human-centric organization and leave them feeling favorably toward where they spend most of their time.

3. Support

When your employee has trouble keeping up her usual work persona because she recently experienced a loss, tell her it’s okay to be human. They can lose confidence at work if they take longer to make certain appointments and feel overloaded when they return. Your employee might need to get around a little more when there’s an emotional matter (loss, accident, illness). A gift card for Uber, Airbnb, or Hello Fresh services helps them cover extra costs and cut them a break from an exhausting commute home.

4. Holidays (That Aren’t Christmas) 

You don’t have to give a gift on every holiday…that gets expensive and becomes an expectation rather than a surprise. But you can switch up the holidays that your company sends gifts — one year on Independence Day, another on Valentine’s, another during Easter/Passover weekend, etc.

If your company isn’t able to grant vacation days for holidays, gift-giving has an even greater impact. Your staff will feel festive with a present they can use during other free time. It creates positivity in the work environment throughout the working holiday and beyond.

5. Birthdays 

Another candle on the cake leads to a 12% jump in job hunting. That’s not the main reason to celebrate an employee’s birthday, but it does mark the day as an annual moment of reflection. Gifting your employee with a meal at their favorite restaurant or an Airbnb experience tells them to relax from work and enjoy themselves. These thoughtful employee birthday gifts remind them of your appreciation and make their special day more memorable.

You can choose special birthday gifts for employees from our thoughtful options, such as The Ackermann Breakfast Box Gift Set, Perfect Happy Hour Kit, and Traditional Chocolate Assortment.

6. Job Well Done

Managers have set expectations for their employees. Many employees meet those expectations, and some continue to go above and beyond, regardless of the circumstance. Recognizing your employee’s latest feat encourages their behavior and leads them to future success. Be sure to accompany the gift with a personal note of what they did well; besides a fun voucher, they’ve also gained a stronger work relationship with you. This goes back to my personal story — I knew exactly what I did well and knew that I was truly seen in the company. Now, I don’t expect a gift for every big thing I do, but the confidence that comes with the gift allows me to accomplish even bigger tasks that I might never have taken on.

7. EmployeeAppreciation Day

Don’t forget about Employee Appreciation Day, which falls on the first Friday of March every year! We agree that you don’t need a single day to show your gratitude to every hard-working employee. It can be shown any day and on several occasions. However, celebrating a special day to recognize their contribution to the organization can go a long way.  

With different gift ideas for employee appreciation, you can directly honor the team members, which is valuable for your business, too. Honoring and appreciating employees is a kind of synergistic relationship. As employees get recognized for their invaluable contributions to the company, it boosts their morale and makes them more productive, which benefits your brand.

Give away exclusive gift sets or luxurious items that make them feel acknowledged and appreciated for contributing to the company. These could be tech items like a wireless charger, Bluetooth speaker, or something grand like a Turntable with wireless connectivity. If the budget is restricted, gift items like insulated tumblers, gardening items, gourmet items, or confectionaries.

8. Welcoming New Hires

We mean it when we say you don’t need a reason to gift your employees! Gifting new hires is a prominent instance. While starting a new job is a stressful or anxious experience for an employee, make their onboarding refreshing and welcoming by gifting them.

Onboarding gifts also send a positive impression about your organization and show them how you are excited to have them on your team. No gifts can be better than corporate swag for new hires. It will help promote your company’s values while appreciating their decision to join your team. You can include useful items like a t-shirt, coffee mug or tumbler, insulated bottle, wireless charger, spiral journal, and laptop sleeve – everything printed with your company's logo.

9. Long-Service Awards

Appreciation gifts, birthday gifts, or holiday gifts for employees are common. Surprise your long-term employees with loyalty awards for their continued and invaluable contributions over the years. This is a kind of corporate gifting gesture where you give incredible presents to employees who have spent considerable years in your organization, supporting you through its ups and downs.

Long-service awards are about appreciating the loyalty of those employees and recognizing them as valuable company assets. You don’t need a day or corporate occasion to gift them for this special reason. Give them recognition on their work anniversaries or during a company’s event. You can present luxury gifts or something of greater value to reward them for their long-standing contributions. Using such employee gifting opportunities is a way of acknowledging their integral role in the business.   

10. Recognizing Individual Achievements

If you are looking for employee gifting opportunities, keep track of their personal achievements or work milestones. Gifting on important events like employee anniversary gifts shows that they matter and that their achievements have brought pride and value to your business.

Celebrate their professional milestones, including job role promotion, target fulfillment, a work anniversary, and the closing of a big deal by giving them innovative gifts and a small appreciation note.  Whichever professional achievement you celebrate, giving them personalized gifts that resonate with their true self and contributions to the company is meaningful. If budget permits, you can also splurge and give expensive gifts, like tech gadgets and earphones, to commemorate the bigger achievements.  

11. Special Events and Organization’s Milestones

Find employee gifting opportunities during special events or organization milestones because it’s always the employees behind any company’s achievements! Be it the annual day when the company steps into another glorious year, receiving an award or accolade, or a breakthrough deal closing - recognize and appreciate your employees on every special occasion with the gesture of gifting.  

Gifting employees during every celebratory event implies you value their role in the organization’s success. It drives a feeling of unity among the workforce and fosters collaboration that helps achieve greater milestones in the future. 

12. Work-Life Balance Encouragement

One unpopular yet impactful employee gifting opportunity is presenting self-care gifts on special occasions or holidays to show that you value their wellbeing. Give them gifts that encourage them to take care of themselves, including their physical health, mental health, and emotional wellbeing even outside the office and promote work-life balance.  While their overall wellbeing depends on the workplace and situations in their life, you can make your employees happier, rejuvenated, and relaxed with self-care kits or gift boxes.

Pick our exclusive items like personalized engraved keepsake gifts, traditional assortment, cookie bundles, and caramel gift sets.  Presenting gift cards for employees that offer holiday accommodations, flight tickets, café or dining experiences, and shopping sessions is also a great way to help employees achieve work-life balance. These experiences make them feel relaxed, revitalized, and productive in the workplace.

Treat them well on their sick days by providing special customized gifts that reflect your concern and care for their wellbeing. Give them gifts like hot water tumblers, personal care items, fitness wearables, or gadgets with a touch of personalization that will be appreciated!

13. No Reason At All

You don’t need to wait for the annual Employee Appreciation Day; every day is a good opportunity to show your team appreciation! These can be simple uplifters—a spontaneous Grubhub gift card to break up their daily meal habit is enough to improve your employees' morale. Unexpected gifts like Christmas gifts for employees bring security and optimism and create more smiles in the office.

Use Unique Gifting Opportunities to Make Your Employees Feel Special!

Seeing a surprise in your inbox will instantly improve your employee’s day regardless of when you give it. It’s up to you to choose which moments you want to recognize. Proper timing brings joy and support to any occasion and shows authenticity and thought behind the gift choice. Seek employee gifting opportunities in your organization on numerous occasions and special days, and celebrate your remarkable contributions.  Gifting isn’t just showing your gratitude to your employees but a great way to make them feel valued as a part of your organization and boost their morale. Seek unique gifting opportunities at our platform, Gifted, and curate unique and innovative gift ideas that your employees will remember for a lifetime. 

So, go ahead and get gifting!

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