You’re ready to say thank you for a job well done or welcome a new hire to your company, but you can’t figure out what to send. But when you're looking for holiday gift ideas for employees, we've got you covered. Use these tips on finding the right employee gift and some of our best ideas for employees in this holiday- and Christmas-themed gift guide.
Sending a gift is easy, but scouring the internet to find the perfect one takes a little more thought and care. Great employee holiday gifts consider not only your requirements — such as budget and scope — but also the needs and wants of your gift recipient.
Whether you need Christmas gift ideas, employee appreciation gifts, or last-minute gifts for one of the holidays on your calendar, these suggestions should help you stay on track.
Even if you don’t have a set figure in mind, a rough idea of your budget per gift for each employee is essential. Remember that this figure won’t always be the same. The amount you spend on an annual birthday gift for an employee will look different from the amount you spend on a special employee holiday gift, thank-you gift, or corporate gift.
Knowing your budget allows you to source the best business gifts you can reasonably afford. You want to look for a high-quality gift but one that’s still within your financial means. Understanding whether you can spend $15 on a gift or $75 allows you to consider or eliminate options like personalized gifts or luxury gift baskets, making your selection process easier.
Gift-giving outside of work is all about making the person on the receiving end happy. It’s the same for holiday gifting. Although you may also have another goal in mind — such as employee retention or morale boosts — a great gift always reflects the recipient’s taste.
Think about your relationship with the employee and consider what you know about them. What are their hobbies, interests, and passions? What drives them?
This will help you pick the perfect employee or corporate holiday gift for them—whether it’s a gadget, food gift, or experience voucher. The best gifts are the ones that pique a person’s interest and, more importantly, are something they’ll actually use.
Different occasions call for different holiday gift ideas, so keep this in mind as you make your shortlist. The gift you send to employees to celebrate the holiday season isn’t the same as what you’d send someone for a work anniversary.
Consider why you’re sending this gift and its context. If you’re sending an employee recognition gift to honor hard work, a digital card with a balance they can spend on personal development or well-being is a great option. For the holidays, you might send baked goods or a bottle of wine.
It’s all about staying relevant to the theme and putting extra thought into your holiday employee gifting.
All holiday gifts for employees should make a lasting impact. The perfect holiday gift creates a long-term impression on the recipient — hopefully for the better (if you follow these tips, that is). So, whether you’re buying a gift for remote employees, onsite workers, new hires, or tenured veterans, take the time to add a personalized touch.
Include a handwritten note for gifts to current employees. This intimate approach can make the occasion special and show appreciation, especially if the recipient is celebrating a milestone or going through a tough time.
Employee gifts are about making your team feel welcomed, supported, and appreciated — like they’re part of the family. Whether you’re celebrating a birthday, attempting to improve employee engagement, or giving thanks for all their hard work on a project, these gifts can spruce up the home office or brighten someone’s day.
You can’t go wrong with something that promotes wellness, offers practicality and functionality, and looks great, too. Reusable stainless steel water bottles are great for holiday gifts for employees, encouraging hydration and health.
Adding an amazing custom design or company logo, as well as offering people a choice of color options, can make one of the best holiday gifts for employees that much more special.
Tote bags are always practical, and designs that are super cute (or masculine) and useful make them great holiday gifts for employees. Look for a design that appeals to the people you work with, and only opt for a holiday design if it’s something your team would actually use while out and about.
If you have a fully distributed team, virtual bags are always welcome and every bit as enjoyable.
Great for any time of the year, a care package is the kind of holiday gift that recipients find useful while allowing them to unbox the appreciation themselves.
If you want to send these gift boxes out to your teams, the employee care experts at Caroo curate one-of-a-kind care packages/snack boxes filled with your company’s swag, healthy and delicious foods, personalized messages, and other unique gift ideas.
Receiving a gift that’s centered on your wellness is refreshing. It focuses on your staff members as individuals rather than revolving around the workday.
Treat your employees to a wellness gift set filled with self-care goodies like candles, chocolate, or feel-good tea for a great pick-me-up. It’s one of the holiday gifts for employees that shows appreciation while bettering them away from the office.
Help your employees plan a movie night with a gift box designed around getting cozy and catching up with a great piece of cinema. Send a gift card for their favorite streaming service along with popcorn and candy. If you want to streamline the process, use Hoppier to send a digital card with enough cash to make movie night happen.
You can even use the movie night box as a team-building event by discussing the movies when you’re back at the office or virtual office.
If you know someone on your team who loves their coffee, a subscription service makes for a thoughtful gift idea. With most services, they’ll be able to expand their tastes and enjoy a new brew every month. For good measure, include a coffee mug or a temperature-controlled tumbler for employees to enjoy a cup of joe.
Since not everyone is a coffee drinker, you can easily change the subscription to something that appeals to them. Tea subscriptions, wine of the month clubs, or even charcuterie of the month clubs — that’s a real thing — might work just as well.
If your business employs remote workers, superb holiday gifts for employees center around the home office. Office supplies or handy gadgets such as a cell phone charger, desk organizer, or affordable Bluetooth hardware can turn a ho-hum workspace into a hotbed of productivity.
As a manager or business owner, your time is valuable. If you don’t have the resources to dive into all of the various gift options, a gift card from a popular retailer should do the trick. Amazon and Starbucks gift cards are two exquisite holiday gifts for employees but feel free to explore gift card options more relevant to your staff.
Hoppier makes gift cards even easier if you’re hunting for the perfect gift — especially for the employees who seem to have everything. Partnering with thousands of vendors, our gift cards are good almost anywhere, putting the power of the purchase into the hands of the employees themselves.
No matter who the recipient is, classic luxury gift baskets always make great holiday gifts for employees. These hampers are a hit because they’re easy to gift to an office or team rather than send as individual gifts. Fill the basket with seasonal or local treats, along with a handwritten note to express your appreciation.
If there’s a little more room in your budget or you’re sending a special gift, a high-quality gadget is always a great option. Luxury headphones, Bluetooth speakers, and accessories for phones or laptops make for excellent VIP gifts.
Plants don’t just brighten up a space; they actually improve the air quality of an office and improve worker morale. Look for a service that sends succulents or small plants to your employees — that way, they can add some greenery and think of you whenever they see them.
Chocolates are classic holiday gifts for employees. You can go the extra mile by sending a luxury gift set or even a chocolate-tasting experience. If you’re investing a lot in this, check with your recipient beforehand to understand their preferences or dietary needs, so your gift doesn’t go to waste.
A thoughtful way to show an employee you care is to send a personalized gift, and stationery is always a good option. Pick out a luxurious pen set, or have some quirky pencils made up with their favorite sayings. It’s one of the favorite holiday gifts for employees simply because it’s practical and unique.
Celebrating birthdays, work anniversaries, and other holidays will always put employees in a great mood and boost morale. But Christmas is the king of all gift-giving holidays, with an undeniable spirit that employees and employers of all backgrounds can enjoy. If you want to ring in the holidays on a high note, these Christmas gifts for employees are sure to please.
Holiday parties — or more specifically, Christmas parties — have become a ubiquitous part of office life, both virtual and in-office. With the right theme, food, drink, and accouterments, a party is among the best Christmas gifts for employees.
Organize a Secret Santa, host holiday trivia, or watch a classic Christmas movie together. Just remember to use Hoppier to help you cater the event with food and drinks that satisfy everyone’s tastes.
Younger employees prefer experiential gifts over material goods. Considering they’re less averse to international travel and willing to spend hundreds on concert tickets, that shouldn’t be a surprise.
Indulge their tastes and provide an exceptional Christmas gift for employees by taking them to dinner. You don’t have to go to a fancy place; polling your employees should provide a fair way to decide. If possible, ask the restaurant if you can add some decor or if they can do it for you to add a touch of fun to your Christmas-themed dinner.
Some say cash is a thoughtless Christmas gesture, but those people haven’t received a membership to a Jelly of the Month Club. Yes, that’s a nod to “National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation,” but in reality, a cash bonus can help them buy gifts and provide for a nicer, more enjoyable holiday season.
You don’t have to go wild with the bonus. Stay within your budget, and you should find that some dollar bills make awesome Christmas gifts for employees.
Successful companies pride themselves on hard work, but that hard work can slump between Christmas and New Year’s. Rather than fight the uphill battle, provide paid time off between the holidays. It’s one of the most relaxing Christmas gifts for employees, allowing them to relax, unwind, and spend time with their families.
Alternatively, or if PTO isn’t in your budget, unpaid time off without the thought of reprisal is enough to satisfy most employees.
If you’re having trouble navigating the murky waters of gift-giving, you’re in common company. You have much to consider — the employee’s tastes, your employees’ interests, and how the gift will be received.
With Hoppier, your gifting concerns are no more. Hoppier allows you to send a digital gift card with little effort. Add a balance of your choice that they can spend at selected vendors or with any participating retailer, and you can cross holiday gifts for employees off your to-do list.
You can also send bulk gift cards as holiday gifts for employees or set up a plan to send a monthly treat. It’s the ultimate in freedom, flexibility, and personalization — you customize the experience the whole way through.
Creating your own holiday gifting program with Hoppier is straightforward and almost effortless. All you need to do is log in (or sign up), and you can set up a new gifting experience in moments.
Give your program a name that helps you recognize it. Then, it’s time to customize. Choose from our built-in color options, or add your company colors for a seamless, branded look. Include your company logo and give your program a fun icon, and your card and program design are ready to go.
Next, set your program balance. This is the amount of money that your gift recipient will have available. When you set your balance, you can choose whether to add start and end dates and make your gift recurring or one-time.
For example, if you want to send your employees a small appreciation gift every month, you can use a recurring gift amount. It’s also an easy way to set up your holiday gifts for employees. Schedule them to repeat each year so you don’t need to repeat the process again the next time the season rolls around.
By default, your Hoppier card can be used by the recipient at any participating retailer. However, you can also choose to narrow the focus and select the vendors yourself. This allows you to send a gift card themed around a topic or area, such as fitness, wellness, food, or entertainment.
The best part is that the remaining unused balance is credited back to your account, saving you money.
When you’re happy with your holiday gift cards, it’s time to send them out to your employees. Just make sure that you’ve uploaded their contact details using our handy template file or that they’ve created a Hoppier account using the invite link.
To make the experience feel more personal, create a personalized email to send to your recipients. Write a heartfelt message of gratitude or something to suit the occasion, then use our smart fields to make it easy for them to claim their Hoppier gift card.
At the heart of your holiday gifting strategy is an opportunity to show appreciation for someone and turn that moment into one they’ll remember. It shouldn’t be about spending hours searching for the perfect birthday gift for someone on your team or agonizing over whether you’ve chosen the right gift basket.
If you want to simplify your holiday gifting, we’re here to help. With Hoppier, you can say goodbye to those holiday gifting struggles and hello to sending a gift that’s always appreciated. To get started, book a free demo call with our team.
Ready to 2x your global engagement at your next event, with Ox stress?
Make Hoppier your unfair advantage today, schedule a demo
Ready to 2x your global engagement at your next event, with Ox stress?
Make Hoppier your unfair advantage today, schedule a demo
Ready to 2x your global engagement at your next event, with Ox stress?
Make Hoppier your unfair advantage today, schedule a demo
Ready to 2x your global engagement at your next event, with Ox stress?
Make Hoppier your unfair advantage today, schedule a demo
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