Since 1995, National Employee Appreciation Day has been an annual reminder that “strong employer-employee relations are at the core of any truly successful business.” It’s also an annual reminder that few tasks are more daunting than trying to find gifts for your entire team that are truly:
✅ thoughtful.
✅ memorable.
✅ universally enjoyed.
✅ budget-friendly.
To dial up the pressure a touch more heading into this year’s celebration, 2021’s Great Resignation isn’t out of the rearview quite yet. While many media outlets blamed the sky-high “quit rate” on poor pay or limited opportunity to climb the corporate ladder, the real reason so many employees walked from their jobs boiled down to something else: culture.
“Toxic corporate culture” was 10 times more likely than compensation to be the culprit for a company’s attrition. Simply put, fostering a culture rich with gratitude, appreciation, and care is invaluable to your people and your company.
While showing your team you care with a gift this Employee Appreciation Day isn’t the be-all and end-all for company culture, it is a great start to building one. Ready to rip open the firehose of appreciation? Peep our top picks for employee gifts that check all the boxes.
Perfect Gifts for Perfect Employees
Everyone on your squad is a rockstar. They’re talented, smart, and brew a mean carafe of coffee for the office when they’re the first on in. While there’s no one gift that can really thank them for everything they do, there are definitely wrong gifts that can feel like a slap in the face. Rummaging through the company storage closet and handing out more branded can koozies and pens isn’t a great way to show your employees you give a darn.
Lucky for you, though, sending gifts with Zest is just about as easy while showing roughly 1000% more thought. Peruse these picks and let your undying gratitude show this Employee Appreciation Day.
The Uplift Gift Box
Stuffed with a candle, bath bomb, stress-relieving therapy dough, and more, this gift box is perfect for helping your crew kick back, relax, and put themselves first. Giften's variety of thoughtfully curated gift boxes has something for everyone.
Signature Truffle Collection
Send your staff of a tasting adventure with this truffle collection by Bissinger's. "With an elegantly complex, velvety taste, each silky, rich truffle features an array of unusually sumptuous flavors and sensuous textures." Who wouldn't want to take their tastebuds on this getaway?
Best of Porter Road Box
Perfect for your more carnivorous employees, this bundle by Porter Road is the best of the best. Packed with two dry aged steaks, two pork chops, two pounds of dry aged ground beef, one pound of bacon, one pound of country sausage, and one pound of chorizo sausage, you might also want to gift everyone a towel to sop up the meat sweats.
El Ramo Coffee
Partners Coffee slings some of the best coffee in Brooklyn. But if you and your crew aren't anywhere near Brooklyn, gifting a few bags of beans is the next best thing. "El Ramo" is Spanish for "bouquet," so it's kind of like giving flowers and delicious coffee to those you care about.
Paris Phalaenopsis Orchid
Whether your team is remote or in-office, the Paris orchid by BloomsyBox will beautify any space. Every fuchsia bloom is a gift that keeps on giving, so why not delight your team members for years to come?
The Bigwig NA Sipper
The Bigwig non-alcoholic sipper by Kally is an "earthy, bold, and rich" tasting experience. "Toasted fennel seeds provide a hint of chocolate, while cherry and strawberry seductively provide balance and roundness." Plus, everyone feels a bit more empowered when knocking back a coupe of something called "The Bigwig."
Celestite Crystal Gift Set
The dreamy blue Celestite crystal is thought to bring harmony and balance to help keep inner peace. Complete with a mini matching rose that maintains its beauty for a year, this gift set from La Fleur soothes and delights.
Oil Diffuser + Forest Essential Oil
Have your staff saying "Ohm my" with one of Walden's greatest meditation tools, the mirror oil diffuser complete with forest essential oil. Give the gift of tranquility and self-care this Employee Appreciation Day.
Plantable Candle
This Travertine Plantable Candle was designed in-house by Esker Beauty. It's a zero-waste candle that can fill any space with the aromatic blend of patchouli and amber. Once the wax is spent and the last whiff of woodsy base notes have wafted through, this candle comes with a soil pod and seed paper that transform this vessel into the perfect planter.
Caramel Cold Brew
Gift the grand daddy of cold brew coffee gifts — 96 fluid ounces of on-demand caramel cold brew straight from the spigot. Your employees will feel like they have their own tiny coffee shop inside their fridge when this puppy from Wandering Bear sitting on the shelf.
Haut Chocolat Comfort Food Tower
Vosges Haut Chocolat crafts some of the finest truffles and most transcendental nomming experiences this side of the Atlantic. Their twist on comfort food includes "fluffy caramel marshmallows, crunchy caramel toffee, and rich peanut butter bonbons" bound together by purple ribbon. It's a balance of luxury and satisfaction hard to tap into elsewhere.
Coffee Lovers Gift Box
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Coffee in the workplace has evolved over the past few decades. It's gone from the dreaded cup of brown sludge to a mug of carefully crafted art. People share coffee techniques, chat over coffee breaks, and find themselves fully awake only when they get their first sip in the morning. This gift box by Gyfting is fit for all your coffee-loving employees, complete with pour-over latte, a coffee candle, coffee chocolate bar, and beyond.
Golden NA Sparkler
Lili's non-alcoholic Golden Sparkler is perfect for your team made of pure-gold people. The flavor is vibrant (just like your crew) with notes of citrus and jasmine balanced with spearmint and apple. It's a show-stopping present that your team can enjoy in the solace of their home or as a delightful NA option at the next office happy hour.
Let's Go Nuts Chocolate Trio
Wildwood Chocolate's Let's Go Nut trio is 100% delicious (and 100% crowd-pleasing). Salted Brown Butter Pecan Brittle, Ginger Pistachio, and Marcona Almond treats pack heat, sweet, and salty in the most beautifully composed chocolate you've ever laid eyes on. Show your employees you're nuts about 'em with a gift like this.
Art of the Bar Gift Box
The Art of the Bar gift box by A Signature Welcome is the ideal gift for all your team members who appreciate a good cocktail and a good-looking space. Help them complete their perfect bar vibe with a cocktail shaker, WithCo all-natural cocktail mix, dried fruit garnish, and decor to take any bar cart to the next level.
Put the Perfect Touches on Employee Appreciation Day
Sending a thoughtful surprise to the people who make your company hum is just one small way to say “thank you for all you do.” If you’re looking to make the day sincerely memorable, consider going a few steps beyond the gift box. Surprise your squad with things like:
- Ending the day early. When the day ends at lunchtime, employees can have some more of the most priceless gift: time.
- Free meals throughout the day. Whether you cook up a flapjack breakfast, have a never-ending charcuterie platter in the breakroom, or finish off the day with some fancy desserts, food is a sure way to show your appreciation.
- Experiences brought into the office. Traveling massage therapists, crafting spa experiences, portable saunas — there are countless ways to make Employee Appreciation Day a full-blown experience.
- Fancy, shmancy happy hours. Break out the crystal coupes, dried fruit garnishes, and bougie decanters, it’s time for happy hour! Let your staff let loose while sipping a delicious drink and snacking on finger foods. Have the event catered, hire mixologists, or even craft a company-themed cocktail. (For sober friends, may we recommend a couple of the NA sippers above?)
- Treats delivered right to the door of every remote worker. It’s crucial to not overlook your remote teammates. Thoughtful notes, DoorDash gift cards, personalized video messages, and more go a long way in bringing the team together and showing you care.
Make This the Most Memorable Day at the Office Yet
While this national celebration is dubbed Employee Appreciation Day, the biggest takeaway should be that care, support, and appreciation is a constant, everyday action across your company. As you make this day memorable for employees, remember to weave consistent acts of gratitude into your work culture.
One day of gifting is great, but 365 days of feeling respected and valued is a priceless gift that will come back to you and your company tenfold.
