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Choosing the Best Corporate Gifts for Employees

Snappy
|
March 12, 2023

Giving gifts is one of the best ways to motivate and connect with employees. If you’d like to make a regular practice of giving appreciation gifts to employees, it’s helpful to always have a list of corporate gift ideas on hand. This article is going to provide you with a useful resource that you can refer to when a gift-giving occasion arises. 

What makes a good corporate gift for employees

There are a couple of attributes that separate great corporate gift ideas from the rest. Specifically we recommend focusing on the three principles below.

  • Personal - Employees want to feel seen and appreciated. Giving a gift it a great start, but the impact of giving a gift that feels personal will have a much deeper effect. Personalization should come not only with a thoughtful gift choice, but also with an appreciation message that will make the employee feel special and unique.

  • Useful - When sending corporate gifts to employees, the aim should be to send people items that they are actually going to be able to use. While this might seem a challenge when looking to gift tens, hundreds or even thousands of employees - there is an easy solution to this. Giving gifts that your recipients choose themselves (from a budget you determine in advance) will ensure those gifts are remembered for a long time to come, and your money will have been well spent.

  • Delightful - A gift should bring a smile to the recipient's face. That will happen not only if they are surprised by the gift, which is a good start, but also if the experience of getting it is fun and unique, 

The Best Corporate gift ideas for employees

There are many different types of gifts that can work wonderfully for employees, including the many options available here at Snappy. The items listed below are a great starting point when thinking about what your employees would like to receive. The can all be found in Snappy's gift collections, which enable recipients to choose their favorite item from a group of curated gift choices all at a similar price point determined in advance by the sender.

Quality Snacks

This one almost needs no explanation - who doesn’t love a tasty snack? Employees are always looking for snacks to keep in or around their desks for a quick pick-me-up during the late afternoon hours when their energy may fade a bit. Overall, snacks can be a great choice for employee gifts due to their morale-boosting qualities. Just be sure to choose high-quality snacks that are both tasty and healthy, and be mindful of any dietary restrictions or allergies. The most delightful snack gifts? Ones that employees can choose on their own.

Did you know: Snappy's snack collection features top quality options from well known as well as boutique brands. Most importantly, there is a wide selection to cater to most dietary restrictions.

Baked by Mellissa Cupcakes
Coffee and Chocolate Pairing Bundle
Vegan Cuts snack box

Impact driven gifts

For some employees, the most meaningful gift might be one that is beneficial to someone else or is sourced from a small business. Giving employees the option to choose gifts that are aligned with their values not only helps build a stronger bond between them and their workplace, but also helps genuinely support important causes and has a real impact for charities and small businesses. 

Did you know: Every gift collection in Snappy has a donation option so gift recipients can also choose to donate their gifts to a cause of their choice. Over 1M dollars has been donated through the platform to Make a Wish foundation and over 70K trees have been planted.


Driftaway coffee bundle. Sourced from a Small woman & AAPI-owned business
Oakywood Anthracite Desk Mat. Sourced from a small business
Give your employees the option of donation their gift amount to a charity. This is one of several options available in Snappy's collections
MightyFix subscription box - sustainable and good for planet earth

Tech Gadgets & Appliances

Tech gadgets and appliances have always been a leading corporate gift category for employees because of the popularity of many of these devices. Tech gadgets can vary greatly in price, so it's important to consider the budget for your corporate gifts. While high-end gadgets like smartphones or laptops can be impressive gifts, smaller items like bluetooth earbuds or portable chargers are also useful and appreciated. Appliances have also proven to be practical and long-lasting gifts, especially if they are of high quality and have a good warranty.

Did you know: Air Fryers are consistently one of the top employee choices on Snappy. If you hope to find corporate gifts for employees that are sure to be used regularly after they are received, this category of gifts is always a popular one. 

Happy plugs bluetooth earbuds
The Kalorik Air Fryer - one of the top employee picks on Snappy
We all need a wireless charging station in our life
Mini power bank and hand warmer - delightful!

Wellness

The events of recent years have highlighted the importance of employee wellness, as many employees have faced significant challenges related to work-life balance, mental health, and physical health. As a result, employee wellness has become an increasingly important focus for organizations. Giving wellness gifts to employees can show that employers care about their well-being beyond the workplace. This can help to build a positive and supportive workplace culture, where employees feel valued and supported. When employees receive gifts that promote relaxation, stress relief, or healthy habits, they are more likely to take time for self-care, which can help them manage their work and personal life more effectively.

Alo Yoga Membership
Alo Yoga Membership - what a great gift!
Qi Special Connection Flower Tea Set - wellness in a glass
Wildflower Hammock for staying cool and cozy
Crystal powered sleep nap

Branded gifts

One of the most popular options for corporate gifts for employees is branded gifts. With a branded gift, you offer your employee the chance to show the pride that comes with working for your organization - and you might get a bit of a boost in the form of name recognition as more and more of your team members go about life with one or two branded items in their collection. 

An important key to success with branded gifts is making sure whatever you give meets the quality standards you would expect for your company. Quality gifts that feature the logo of your company are sure to be used regularly - from coffee mugs to clothing items and beyond. If the quality isn’t there, however, the item is more likely to sit on the shelf than anything else. 

When to send corporate gifts for employees

The timing of when to send corporate gifts for employees can depend on various factors such as the occasion, your company culture, and budget. Here are some examples of appropriate occasions for connecting and celebrating with your employees using corporate gifts.

1) Work anniversary

Recognizing work anniversaries with a gift can be an important way to show employees that their loyalty and dedication to the company is valued and appreciated. Consider making it a standard policy to send out a gift to your employees when they hit the anniversary date of their initial hiring each year. Marking each year as it passes will not only allow you to send a nice gift, but you can also include a note of thanks for the many contributions that each individual has made to the company.  A wonderful way to wish your employees a happy work anniversary and keep them motivated for another year at your organization.

2) New employee onboarding gift

Sending out a gift to a new hire is a nice way to start the relationship off right by welcoming them to the team with a smile. There is always a bit of nervous energy involved when starting a new job, as that employee has to work hard to get up to speed in the business while building relationships with co-workers and clients. A unique corporate gift that is sent in their first few days might help to settle the nerves and confirm that they are already valued as a member of the team. 

3) Employee Birthday

Giving employees a birthday gift can be a way to show that you value and appreciate their contributions to the organization. By recognizing their special day, you are also acknowledging that they are an important part of the team and that you care about them as individuals.

Celebrating a remote employee's birthday can be an even more important gesture, making remote employees feel valued and included.

If an organization chooses to give birthday gifts, it is important to ensure that the gifts are appropriate and meaningful. This can involve taking into account the preferences and interests of individual employees, as well as considering any cultural or religious sensitivities. A great way to ensure that employees get a birthday gift that is thoughtful and personal is by letting them select the gift themselves.

If you are worried about the logistics involved in gifting a large team, an integration with your HR software could easily automate a birthday gifting program. You can learn more about that here.

4) Special achievements

If an employee has achieved a special milestone such as a promotion, completing a major project, or winning an award, sending a gift to acknowledge their accomplishment can be a great way to show recognition and support.

The impact of sending the right corporate gift

Corporate gifts are big business for a reason - they work. Billions of dollars are spent each year buying corporate gifts for employees and clients, and that number is only likely to rise moving forward. In a time when more and more people are working from home, sending gifts is a nice way to build a connection even without working physically side-by-side regularly. 

When you send the right gift, you ensure that your recipient is happy - the biggest priority - and that your money was well spent. When it’s a gift for an employee, the money invested contributes to building a strong, healthy team that is committed to the vision of the company. Receiving an occasional gift isn’t the only thing needed to keep your employees happy, but it is a nice demonstration of respect and appreciation. If you add periodic gift-giving on top of things like a supportive work environment, an opportunity for growth, and other appealing benefits, you’ll have a recipe for internal success. 

Snappy gives the gift of choice

Normally, when giving a gift, you have to make a final decision and hope that your recipient loves what you picked. Even if you put plenty of time and effort into the gift-giving process, you still might not be able to nail down what it is they’d like to receive. 

This is where the innovative Snappy platform comes to the rescue. With Snappy, you still get to pick out a gift for the recipient you have in mind - but that person will have some other options available, as well. If the item you selected isn’t quite the right fit, they can also pick from a curated list of other items. With just a click or tap, they can switch to the gift they would prefer, and it will immediately be sent on its way. 

Always send a corporate gift they’ll love

When you give a gift, you always want the recipient to be happy with your choice. This is true whether giving corporate gifts or personal gifts for friends and family - the goal is always to delight the other person. While picking out the right item can present a bit of a challenge, Snappy is here to make it easier. 

A team of gifting experts

When you work with Snappy to source your corporate gifts, you’ll never be alone. We have a talented and friendly team of gifting experts ready and waiting to help guide you through this process. If you’ve been putting off sending gifts to employees or clients because you just don’t know what to buy or how to manage the process, the team at Snappy can solve those problems for you. 

Simple and easy sign-up

We know you don’t have all day to spend working through a complicated process to send out corporate gifts. That’s why you’ll find a simple and straightforward sign-up process when you use our platform. Whether you wish to send out a corporate gift with a logo to all of your employees, or you want to send out some meaningful corporate gifts for a special oocasion, you can get up and running right away. 

Smart automation and integrations

Snappy works hard to bring corporate gifts into the 21st century, and a big part of how we have modernized this space is through the use of advanced technologies. We offer existing integrations with  popular platforms as Zapier, Salesforce, and Medallia. In addition, we offer APIs that make it easy to create a custom integration for your own native platform. 

Don’t let a lack of corporate gift ideas leave you bogged down for long. The ideas above should get the wheels turning, and opting for Snappy as your gifting platform of choice will put an impressive array of quality corporate gifts at your fingertips. Let’s get started today!

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