Corporate Gifts for Employees: Ideas, Benefits, Best Practices

A positive company culture is essential to an organization’s growth. By practicing employee appreciation, a business can grow from a strong foundation. One way to recognize team members and their accomplishments is by giving them gifts. Corporate gifts for employees drive engagement, loyalty, and brand awareness.

When done well, corporate gifting brings many benefits to a business. However, giving gifts to employees may be uncharted territory for some. Before diving in, it’s important to learn the best practices and to discover ideas for employee. That way, leaders can express gratitude for their teams in a sincere and effective way.

What Are Corporate Gifts?

Corporate gifts are items given to employees, customers, and others in a professional setting. These pieces are meant to foster a positive relationship between the gift-giver and recipient. For example, a sales manager can give their team members gift cards for meeting monthly quotas.

At Cristaux International, we enjoy reinventing corporate gifts and creating new and exciting concepts. It’s time to think outside the gift box! Driven by innovation and a clear vision, corporate gifts can be creative, fun, and unique.

Benefits of Corporate Gifts for Employees

Giving gifts in one’s personal life can improve relationships and inspire greater feelings of love and connection. Now, how do these benefits transfer to the corporate world? There are many advantages of corporate gifts, so it’s a no-brainer to adopt this practice for your organization.

• Increased employee engagement and motivation
• Greater employee retention and loyalty
• Improved awareness of company values
• Greater feelings of belonging and appreciation at work
• Stronger relationships and communication

Corporate Gifting Best Practices

For some, creating corporate gifts may seem outside of their wheelhouse. However, recognition experts are able and eager to help. The following tips can help leaders decide how to give gifts to employees.

• Decide when to give gifts. Common occasions to celebrate include employee birthdays, work anniversaries, and other milestones. Also, company-wide and departmental events can be good times to give gifts because many team members are together.
• Ask colleagues for input. The smartest people admit they don’t know everything. To improve gifting efforts, ask managers and other employees for their thoughts on how to best honor different people and departments.
• Order in advance. Creating custom corporate gifts may take longer than one may think. By planning, one can avoid putting together gifts at the last minute. Check out Cristaux’s creation process timeline for more details.
• Personalize the gifts. For example, recognition vendors can engrave a gift with the recipient’s name. Also, consider pairing it with a special thank-you note to show great thought and care.
• Communicate company values. Corporate gifts are a great canvas for sharing company goals and missions. With powerful designs and branding, a team can be united with a common purpose.
• Expand into a program. The best recognition is consistent and on-going. Making recognition a routine will encourage positivity and appreciation in a company’s culture.

8 Corporate Gifts for Employees

There’s a cardinal rule for giving employees gifts: the best items support the recipient and organization. For instance, company branded tumblers promote an organization, while providing employees with a vehicle for their coffee. Consider the following ideas for corporate gifts for employees.

1. Desk Items

Small desk accessories portray unity in an office, by continuing a theme through every desk. With a spruced-up workspace, employees will feel more motivated to work hard. In our stock collection, there are nameplates, business card holders, photo frames, and more. These pieces can be easily personalized for each team member.

2. Functional Awards

Functional awards are recognition pieces that recipients can interact with. Examples include luggage tags and paperweights. These pieces are great because they are practical, while looking refined. Also, an employee recognition program complete with awards can inspire staff members to achieve more.

3. Office Supplies

Staff members may be grateful when office supplies are restocked. However, consider going a step beyond and investing in items that individual employees want. For example, one person may request headphones, while another requests a laptop stand. This will drive productivity and show team members that their leaders want to support them.

Also, consider gifting a home-office reward for remote employee recognition.

4. Wellness Items

Sometimes, the best gift is rest and relaxation. Support employees by investing in their well-being. For instance, stress reduction activities and designated nap rooms may be the perfect gifts. It’s important to encourage employees to improve their health because it will increase productivity.

5. Gift Cards

Gift cards are versatile and extremely useful. First, they appeal to different interests, from fashion to sports. Second, they support personal hobbies. For example, an employee may love to cook, so they may appreciate a gift card for a kitchenware manufacturer or interesting restaurant.

6. Company Swag

Company branded items make great gifts for two reasons: they are practical and drive brand awareness. Whether creating tote bags or clothing, team members can represent their organization with style. Other ideas for company swag include tech accessories, mugs, and pens.

7. Food

Each person has a special memory of food, from eating home-cooked meals to trying new dishes. Whether cooking or catering, team leaders can treat their staff with a free meal. Also, personalized gifts can pair with each employee’s favorite snack. This shows them that they are cared for and appreciated.

8. Educational Tools

Invest in staff members’ education to show you appreciate them. It means a lot for someone to support one’s personal and professional development. For instance, leaders can sponsor classes, gift books, or provide stipends for continued education. Additionally, valuing education improves employee performance and makes your team more competitive.

Motivate Your Team

Corporate gifts for employees help inspire and empower a loyal and productive team. It feels good to be appreciated and valued, so it’s important to create those special moments for your people. With consistency and thoughtfulness, your company culture will become stronger and more positive.

Contact Cristaux to order your corporate gifts today.