Top 25 Holiday Gift Ideas for Employees

After a difficult year, you may want to be thinking about holiday gift ideas for employees. Even if they aren’t expensive, great employee gifts will go a long way in helping workers feel appreciated. Of course, if workplaces did need to do layoffs, it will be important to stick to the lower end of the spectrum when it comes to price. Expensive gifts could create the opposite of the intended reaction in this case. It could seriously offend workers if their friends and teammates had to be let go, yet the company still spends money on lavish gifts. Another thing to keep in mind when it comes to price point is consistency. Ideally, all workers will get gifts of the same or similar value. It could create discontent and frustration if upper management all get expensive gifts, while everyone else gets cheaper ones. The best-case scenario is if an organization can find one gift they feel good about giving to everyone.

When done correctly and with sensitivity, holiday gifts for employees can help fight feelings of burnout and exhaustion after staff has been working remotely and/or long hours to help keep businesses afloat. Below, MP’s HR services team recommends the best employee gifts for a range of budgets and interests.

Technology and Office Supply-Oriented Holiday Gift Ideas for Employees

Technology and office supply-oriented gifts can be great for a few reasons. Firstly, they keep costs down. Of course, in a year when many businesses are struggling to meet their goals, this can be important. Secondly, employee gifts that fall into the technology or office supply category can be very professional and appeal to a wider variety of people. In a large company, it can be helpful to use these kinds of employee gift ideas because they will likely appeal to everyone. No matter their age, gender, religion, etc., everyone uses technology and office supplies. Note that almost all these items can be branded with the company logo if desired.  

Items:

• Home office items like a moleskin notebook or planner
• Travel accessories for tech, such as a laptop case, earbud case, etc.
• Coffee mugs
• Coffee mug koozie
• Travel mugs
• Scented candles
• Wireless speakers
• Blue light glasses
• Puzzles
• E-gift cards from Kindle, Amazon, etc.
  
  

Edible Holiday Gift Ideas for Employees

Edible holiday gifts are a great option because they can be very universal. They’re also an excellent opportunity to support local businesses during the pandemic. If a company chooses to send its workers food or alcohol, they can do so through a local business, thus boosting employee engagement and helping to support another local employer that really needs it this year.

Items:

• A bottle of wine or whiskey
• Cocktail kits, including instructions and the ingredients to make a particular drink
• Sweets or baked goods
• Gift certificates from a local (or popular) restaurant
• Sending a pre-ordered dinner from a local restaurant

Wellness-Oriented Holiday Gift Ideas for Employees

Wellness can be a tricky category because it’s important for employers not to force messages about health and wellness on their employees. However, when it’s done right, wellness gifts can be a welcome reprieve from the overindulgence of the holidays. Again, note that these items can be branded with the company logo.

Items:

• Foam roller
• Water bottle – there is a range of these, from simple to fancy and high tech
• Baseball hat
• Hoodie
• Activity trackers
• High tech sweat towels

Charity Holiday Gift Ideas for Employees

In a year when so many are in need, it might feel good for everyone to tie employee gifts to charity. Here are a few ways to do it:

• Give each worker an amount they can donate to the cause of their choice
• Choose a cause to donate to together
• Donate to a local cause as a gift to the team

Start a new yearly tradition of donating to a certain cause together during the holidays