The best work anniversary gift ideas

Loyalty is priceless, like supporting your hometown team or defending your country. However, devotion and dedication are often taken for granted in the workplace. The employees who have stood by your side for years deserve to be recognized with a meaningful work anniversary gift.

At Cristaux International, we are big advocates for celebrating commitment. We’ve helped many clients develop years of service award programs, and we’re eager to help you as well. Continue reading to find inspiration for your work anniversary gifts.

Great work anniversary gifts: funny, personalized

The best gifts are designed with the recipient and service length in mind. Consider our ideas of work anniversary gifts for various milestones.

1 year

Although you may think a one-year commitment is small, it is mighty. How you treat your employees during these early years could determine your retention and turnover rates. You can honor this first noteworthy achievement with the following gifts:

• Company branded gift basket
• Lapel pin
• Customized recognition piece

3 years

With more years under their belt, your employees deserve greater recognition. Commemorate their three years with you with the following ideas:

• Personal handwritten letter
• Small custom award
• Company branded swag or keychains

5 years

Your employee has been with you for half a decade. That’s awesome! Now, let them know how awesome they are with these ideas for a 5-year work anniversary gift:

• Personalized plaque
• Extra days of paid time off
• Product replica they may have helped create or develop

7 years

What is a good 7-year work anniversary gift? To celebrate seven years of service, you want to find the perfect steppingstone in between your five-year and ten-year gifts. Consider the following ideas:

• Feature in your company newsletter
• Lunch with the CEO
• Milestone award

10 years

If your employee has been a part of your team for a whole decade, then they are definitely a keeper. For their 10-year work anniversary gift, consider the following ideas.

• Catered team lunch in their honor
• Paid time off or sabbatical
• Leadership award

15 years

What is a good 15-year work anniversary gift? The best 15-year employee anniversary gifts are tailored to the honorees. Imagine how you can make the following personal for your recipient:

• Gift of choice, within a limited budget
• Custom-made award statue
• Company dinner honoring the employee

20 years

What is a good 20-year work anniversary gift? A two-decade-long commitment deserves superb recognition. Consider our ideas to show appreciation:

• VIP parking spot
• Stock options
• Flex hours

25 years

When choosing employee gifts for 25 years of service, it may seem difficult to find something worthy of the accomplishment. Consider our ideas for celebrating this quarter-century milestone:

• Donation in their name
• Company-paid vacation
• Internal office recognition

30 years

If you have an employee serve your company for 30 years, then you must be doing something right. Honor these special few with one of the following:

• Name a company branch or building after the honoree
• Formal event in their honor
• A commemorative award

Why give employee recognition gifts for years of service?

Employee recognition gifts are essential to recognizing years of service. With great recognition comes great rewards. Reap these benefits:

• Higher employee retention
• Stronger relationships between employees and employers
• Greater motivation for others to stay with your organization
• Better employee satisfaction and feelings of belonging

Do you need an employee anniversary gift program?

You do not need an employee anniversary gift program. However, we recommend you have one if you want to increase your employee retention. When done well, this sort of program encourages employees to commit years to your success.

Click here to see more examples of awards and gifts.

What are good work anniversary gifts? Best practices

Good work anniversary gifts are personal to the recipients. This is an opportunity for you to recognize the individual and to make them feel valued. When celebrating an employee’s work anniversary, consider the following tips:

Expand Rewards Over Time

It’s a general rule of thumb that the longer an employee stays with your organization, the larger the reward they deserve. Structure your program to expand the awards and grow in budget as employee commitments lengthen. For example, the one-year-anniversary gift may be a gift basket valued at $30, while the ten-year-anniversary gift may be a custom plaque valued at $140. Give your most loyal people the recognition they deserve.

Appeal to Recipients’ Interests

By featuring your employees’ passions, hobbies, and favorite things, you are creating a gift that is more touching and useful for them. When you put greater thought into your program, you’ll receive greater rewards. Employees will feel more appreciated, heard, and satisfied at work. In turn, they will be happy and proud to continue their great work with you.

Respect Your Program’s Requirements

It’s important to stick to your desired logistics because you want this program to be as organized, manageable, and stress-free as possible. With the countless award and gift options available, you can create something special for any budget, timeline, and quantity needed. Brainstorm with your recognition vendor to find out ways to innovate within your means.

Track Employee Anniversaries

Ensure you have a reliable system to track when employees start working for you and when to celebrate their upcoming anniversaries. We recommend that you receive alerts at least three months before an approaching anniversary. This way, you can plan accordingly and present awards on time. Additionally, ask your recognition vendor if they have inventory management capabilities. If they do, then you can store ready-made pieces with them. When needed, you can quickly order and ship personalized awards to your deserving honorees.

Honor milestones with work anniversary gifts

An effective work anniversary gift fits your needs, your recipient, and the achievement. We’ve given you 27 ideas, so now you can work on developing your recognition program. With the benefits to inspire you and best practices to follow, you have what you need to get started.

Connect with the Cristaux team to design your work anniversary gift today.