Employee Recognition Gifts

It is easy for a company owner or CEO to want to do something to thank employees for their strong work and efforts, but deciding on the right kind of employee recognition gifts to give can be quite difficult. Before making that decision, think about your employees and their desires.

Should you give a gift?
Above all else, employees want a job where they feel fairly treated and compensated for their efforts. They want to feel regularly appreciated for their work, not idly praised once a year. If your team does not receive frequent praise, an appreciation gift might be met with cynicism, even bitterness. Focus on building team morale from the inside, understanding employee needs before you distribute appreciation gifts.There is one possible exception: Cash bonuses are almost always well-received in any work environment.

The right gift for the job
If your employees are already feeling positive about their work environments and the relationships they have with upper management, an employee recognition gift will typically bring smiles to the face of your unsuspecting staff.

There are many ways to give something extra to show appreciation to each employee. Some examples include:

• Swag. An item with the company logo on it, such as a keychain, tote bag, paperweight, flash drive, or business card holder, are usually the least popular, yet most often chosen items.
• Practical yet nice items. High quality thermal coffee travel mugs, messenger bags, hoodies or polo shirts, or water bottles of a high quality are often well received.
• Gift cards. Gift cares are more appreciated than it might seem. The best choices include gift cards to online businesses, bookstores, coffee chains, a spa, movie theaters (enough for two admissions with popcorn and drinks), or movie rental places.
• Company outings. Official office outings have mixed reviews, but are more appreciated if they happen on a workday. Keep in mind if planning an outing that not everyone enjoys amusement parks or sporting events. Some (if not most) employees would rather have a free day or half-day off to themselves instead of a mandatory "field trip" pleasure outing. Exceptions to this are if the outing is really fancy, such as an evening boat ride with food, assuming that you allot time for employees to finish work and get ready for the event.
• Coupons. A low-cost option allows employees to redeem coupons, including Jeans Day, Extra Hour for Lunch, Half Day or something similar.
• Food. Cookies in a gourmet tin, or chocolates are much appreciated. But sure to include a thank you card.
• A personal note. This is the very nicest, yet most often overlooked, appreciation gift of all. It doesn't even cost anything. A personal note from the boss thanking each individual employee for specific actions, or appreciated skills, will be remembered long after the gift card is spent, or outing is over. Don't overlook this one or take its significance lightly when it comes to employee appreciation.