Whenever an employee receives a gift as a mark of appreciation and respect towards his contribution to the workplace, it has always led to a mutually beneficial scenario for both the employer and the employee.
The direct advantage is that it strengthens the bond between the two and enhances the feeling of oneness. Getting the perfect gift will surely motivate the employee to work harder as who does not like receiving gifts and feeling special?
If one is gifting someone on a personal basis, choosing the gift becomes a little easier but in the professional scenario, one has to be very cautious while selecting the gifts.
If you are a senior leader or manager, you might have to think about gifting to a large number of people simultaneously which makes the process all the more complicated.
Even if you are looking for a gift for a colleague or teammate, you have to find something that meets professional courtesy requirements but also be useful to the receiver.
You do not have the liberty of giving a disrespectful or quirky gift, especially in the corporate scenario considering you might face a certain level of backlash by doing so.
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Factors to Consider from A Human Resource Point of View
When the human resource manager, senior leader or colleague is selecting a gift, these are a few points that need to be kept in mind to reach the perfect gifting solution :
1. Occasion
The reason why the gift is being given needs to be considered initially since it might determine what works best in that particular scenario.
For instance, if an employee is receiving the gift as an appreciation of his work performance then the gift will be very different from if it is being gifted for a personal day like a birthday or anniversary.
2. Relationship
This is an integral decision-maker in the gifting process since what you will buy for your boss will be very different from what you will give to your teammate.
Also, for instance, an employer will be required to be impartial while selecting gifts for his employees but a junior-level employee can give a special item to his direct manager or mentor considering how special their relationship is in comparison to others in the organization.
3. Culture
If you are working in an organization wherein everyone comes from a different background, which is mostly the case, then you should be aware of religious acceptance levels or what is considered to be respectful for the other person.
4. Individual Preferences
The ultimate goal is of course to ensure that the gift is useful and is worthy enough to provide motivation. Thus, gifts can range from anywhere between what the employees need in their daily life or something related to a decent hobby or interest like reading, sports, entertainment or decorating their workplace with or use in their spare time or while taking a break or so.
5. Budget
If you are a human resource manager deciding on a festive gift for all employees, naturally your budget amount will be very different from an individual teammate deciding on a Secret Santa gift for a colleague.
Similarly, you might be the regional sales manager deciding on a corporate gifting item for the top clients in your portfolio or how to show your appreciation to the top contributor in your team.
In both scenarios, your budget will not be the same and you might be dependent on other senior leaders as well to ensure that the correct message goes across all the regions with the onus of maintaining the company’s image and reputation.
40 Best Gift Ideas for Employees & Colleagues
1. Box of Assorted Treats
You can never go wrong with a box filled with tasty snacks or treats that are non-perishable or have long expiry dates. Every foody employee will have a smile on their face while enjoying this box full of assorted savouries.
2. Laughing Buddha Statue Set to bring good luck
Every employee would appreciate getting this gift as it is believed that Buddha is a harbinger of good luck and prosperity but it works best when received as a form of gift.
3. Tumblers with smart heating technology
It is important for all of us to stay hydrated and energized especially during working hours when we might not have the luxury to take frequent breaks, so these tumblers with smart heating technology become very useful for everyone in the organization.
4. Foldable desk organizer
This gift would show how much you care for your team or colleagues as they will get to use it for a considerable period of time in order to keep their desks organized and save a lot of time in searching for things.
5. Sophisticated Leather Bag for Laptops
This is again very useful for team gifting considering everyone needs a laptop bag and a sophisticated leather finishing will work wonders.
6. Aromatic Candle Set
These scented candles bring about a sense of calm and give a feel-good vibe. It makes the environment so much better and anyone receiving these would be thankful.
7. Personalized Coffee Mugs
Employees usually tend to break or overuse their cups and also lose them sometimes. So, a set of personalized coffee mugs is ideal for everyone as drinking a hot beverage in a customized mug will make the employee feel really good.
8. Invite to a good training workshop
It is very important to conduct regular training and upskilling programs so that the employees can stay up-to-date and feel valued in the organization.
9. Wine Glass Set
This can be given depending upon the occasion or the hierarchy of the person in the organization.
10. Beautiful Wall Decor Piece
This is one of the most common categories in the world of gifting as universally everyone likes to decorate their walls with beautiful pieces and it always works like a charm.
11. Sodexo Voucher
There is nothing like gifting a sodexo voucher using which the employees can buy groceries or other household items at their nearest stores and feel good that their company has taken care of their monthly expenditures.
12. Spa Coupon
Every employee would appreciate receiving a spa session that is completely paid for by the company and is sure to relieve them of stress.
13. Amazon Gift Cards
An online gift card can also be very useful as then the employee can buy anything they want from the Amazon website which has everything that a person needs.
14. Voucher for a Yoga or Meditation Session
Nowadays, corporates also gift experiences to each other which can be anything from a relaxing meditation session to a yoga class that will refresh their employees.
15. Personalized Daily Planner With Pen
This is ideal for team gifting and can have the company’s logo ingrained in it to act as a small marketing tool as well.
16. Laptop Stand
Most employees suffer from neck or back pain due to excessive sitting in one position and so a laptop stand is a perfect gift to correct their posture and take care of their body.
17. Classic Perfume Set
Nobody can be unhappy with this gift as every employee wants to smell their best, especially during their long working hours.
18. Motivational Book
Inspiring words from successful writers will surely act as a huge motivation for anyone reading a motivational book.
19. Headphones
Most of us have a need for headphones in terms of attending a meeting or even completing online training or listening to personal music which gives us energy during our workdays.
20. Smart Watch
Most people are into fitness these days and would love to get a smartwatch that acts as a fitness tracker and reminds the employees to get up from their seats every once in a while.
21. Indoor Plants
Adding a little bit of greenery shall surely make anyone’s day, so there’s this ideal gift of an indoor plant.
22. Portable Speaker
This is an ideal workplace gift that can be used for office presentations or company events as well with no hassle of portability.
23. Stylish Desk Clock
Mostly people use their phone clocks now but if your workforce has traditional employees, they would appreciate this token from the past.
24. Sensor Enabled Lamps
This is a good gift idea for anyone who cannot decide on what to gift as the sensor technology is quite a useful feature, besides the lamp in itself.
25. Wireless Phone Charger
Once employees get used to wireless chargers, they can never go back to not using them considering phones have become indispensable to our lives.
26. Portable desk drawer with Lock
This is ideal for housewarming gifts or personal occasions like birthdays or anniversary of a colleague as this can be used for both home and office purposes.
27. Selfie Sticks
For employees who enjoy getting clicked or even while deciding a gift for the entire team, a selfie stick sounds ideal.
28. Framed Quote
Keeping framed quotes on the work desk has always proved to be inspirational for anyone looking at them to get their daily dose of motivation.
29. Multi-purpose Card/Document Holder for Travelling
Anyone who does a lot of traveling would love to receive this multi-purpose item and cherish it.
30. Stylish Travel Pouches for men and women
This is ideal for employees who travel frequently and would use these stylish pouches to keep their personal items safely.
31. Five Star brunch pass
A good brunch at a five-star hotel is a great way to make your employees feel special.
32. Stylish Backpacks
This comes in all shapes and sizes and is very useful for team gifting. Irrespective of age or gender, a quality backpack is always a very useful gift.
33. Starbucks Gift Card
This is one of the most common workplace gift items that can be given to anyone irrespective of the occasion.
34. Puzzle Gift Sets for brain exercise
A set of puzzles is a decent gifting item especially if the employee is new or you do not have much information on their personalities.
35. Handmade Artwork from a decent artist
There is nothing like traditional artwork as gifting items which will surely make the employee feel special.
36. Weekend Event Tickets
It is perfect for special occasions like birthday gifts or loyalty appreciation awards as employees everywhere look forward to enjoying their weekends.
37. Holiday Voucher
This is a fun gift item as anyone who has an active work life would surely enjoy the break in order to come back more energized from the holiday trip.
38. Silver Photo Frame With Oxidized Finish
Everyone loves to keep a favorite picture on their desks and thus photo frames are such a common gifting item globally.
39. Pet Accessories
If an employee is known as a pet lover, there is no better gift for that person than a pet accessory. You may go for a local store or platform like Amazon to get nice accessories for pets.
40. To-Do List Acrylic Board for Desk
It is always advisable to keep an active to-do list on the desk to increase efficiency and not miss out on important tasks while working.
This list is of course not exhaustive but covers a range of gifting ideas that are suitable for employees all across the globe. Choose wisely what to give the employees that makes them feel appreciated & honored as being a part of your organization.
