50 Unique Gifts For Employees That Will Boost Morale In 2020
You never know when you might need some quality gifts for employees. Those work anniversaries, appreciation days, and even officially calendared gift-giving holidays tend to sneak up on all of us.
We created this list to help you find the perfect gift for any celebration on a moment’s notice.
No matter the occasion, gifts for employees boost morale. They’re more than just material tokens; they’re ways to express gratitude and make employees feel valued.
In one employee happiness survey, 45% of respondents even said they believe gifts reflect their value at a company.
Browse the categories below to find crowd-pleasing gifts for your special employees. If you already have a go-to gift that always gets smiles, we’d love to hear about it. Share your gift-giving successes in the comments below.
Gifts For Employees Working At Home
Gifts for employees working at home are surprises that improve remote work, making it healthier, more efficient, and more fun. People working from home may sometimes feel disconnected. Any of these gifts can provide tangible reconnection.
1) Work-From-Home Wellness Box
- What is it? A stylish box packed with feel-good treats of your choice and then delivered straight to the recipient’s door.
- Why employees working from home love this: It provides feel-good, delicious energy to keep remote lifestyles happy and productive.
- Price: Varies based on treat choices
- Customizable? Yes
2) Assorted Air Plants 2.0
- What is it? A beautifully packaged arrangement of low-maintenance plants that bring a little nature into any space.
- Why employees working from home love this: It brings an unobtrusively touch of nature to any remote work desk.
- Price: $19.30 to $23.41
- Customizable? Yes
3) Playing Cards 1.0
- What is it? A deck of classic playing cards with a custom design.
- Why employees working from home love this: One deck of cards provides tons of game options—poker, solitaire, go fish, crazy 8s and more.
- Price: $3.77 to $8.40
- Customizable? Yes
4) 1,000 Piece Puzzle
- What is it? A sizable puzzle printed with your custom design.
- Why employees working from home love this: It provides the perfect quick break remote employees need. Instead of strolling around the office, employees can add a few pieces to their puzzle.
- Price: $22.55 to $52.85
- Customizable? Yes
5) Indoor / Outdoor Ladder Toss Game Set
- What is it? Everything you need to play an engaging toss game that’s like a more exciting version of tossing horseshoes.
- Why employees working from home love this: They can play it throughout the day, completing a few tosses each time they need to look away from the screen.
- Price: $29.99
- Customizable? No
Appreciation Gifts For Employees
Appreciation gifts for employees are presents that bring as much fun and value into employees’ lives as they’ve brought to your company. Appreciation gifts work in conjunction with other recognition tactics to keep employees feeling valued and engaged in company missions.
6) Cinema Box 
- What is it? A classic light box complete with the letters and symbols you need to create a variety of messages.
- Why employees love this: They can create a different message every day. It also adds a little brightness to any desk.
- Price: $7.08 to $11.60
- Customizable? Yes
7) EVERLAST Activity Tracker
- What is it? A wristband you can use to track calories burned, distance moved, and more.
- Why employees love this: It will tell them exactly how much their walk breaks are adding up.
- Price: $93.10 to $129.94
- Customizable? Yes
8) Towel & Resistance Band
- What is it? A band that adds weightless resistance to a variety of workouts and also a towel you can use to freshen up after you’ve felt the burn.
- Why employees love this: It’s quality workout gear, but it takes up no space at all, so employees can keep it in even the smallest of work spaces.
- Price: $5.45 to $8.40
- Customizable? Yes
9) Classic Hammock
- What is it? The classically comfortable fabric hammock you’ve seen in all your island vacation fantasies.
- Why employees love this: It’s basically an instant vacation, letting employees get away from it all without getting on a plane.
- Price: $71.99
- Customizable? No
10) Funky Veg Kit
- What is it? A kit with all the materials and seeds you need to grow a variety of interesting brightly colored vegetables.
- Why employees love this: Even the most inexperienced gardeners will enjoy watching their very own vegetables grow from seeds.
- Price: $26.99
- Customizable? No
Gifts For Employees Under $10
Gifts for employees under $10 are perfect to hand out anytime you want to celebrate special days, achievements, or just give employees a surprise and a reason to smile. A small gift every once in a while helps remind employees they’re valued.
11) Pocket Coolie
- What is it? A convenient, portable insulator for all your cold and hot beverages.
- Why employees love this: It’s the perfect way to have a delightfully cold beverage without turning your hand into an ice cube.
- Price: $0.93 to $7.15
- Customizable? Yes
12) Silicone Luggage Tag
- What is it? A super flexible luggage tag you can easily attach to any bag.
- Why employees love this: They’ve been meaning to get one of these for years.
- Price: $1.99 to $4.13
- Customizable? Yes
13) SimplyFit Cooling Towel
- What is it? An above-average towel that dries quickly and even has a cooling touch.
- Why employees love this: It delivers refreshment in towel form—the perfect reward after any workout.
- Price: $4.36 to $9.58
- Customizable? Yes
14) Hiking Logbook
- What is it? A go-to log for keeping track of all your hikes. Copy down the weather, the location of your hike, and so much more.
- Why employees love this: It’s a wonderful way to look back and remember every specific detail of every glorious hike.
- Price: $6.99
- Customizable? No
15) Tetris Refrigerator Magnets
- What is it? A set of colorful, handy magnets and an interlocking puzzle in one.
- Why employees love this: It turns the surface of a refrigerator into a game.
- Price: $7.95
- Customizable? No
Christmas Gifts For Employees
Christmas gifts for employees are smile-producing items you’ll be excited to watch employees unwrap at holiday parties. End-of-year Christmas gifts provide a prime opportunity to show a little extra thoughtfulness.
16) Desk Humidifier
- What is it? This handy device replenishes the moisture in the air to keep your head from drying out.
- Why employees love this: It will help them feel a constant sense of refreshment.
- Price: $21.81 to $30.14
- Customizable? Yes
17) Hot Mess Apron
- What is it? A classic home chef’s apron with clean lines that comes in a variety of colors.
- Why employees love this: It just makes cooking a little bit more fun.
- Price: $10.03 to $26.90
- Customizable? Yes
18) Recovery Kit
- What is it? A kit with everything employees need to bounce back from seasonal sniffles or a streak of late-night Christmas parties.
- Why employees love this: They’ll love remembering they have this when they need it most.
- Price: $11.57 to $16.24
- Customizable? Yes
19) Wanderlust: A Traveler’s Guide to the Globe
- What is it? A comprehensive account of locations and landmarks accented with fun facts and colorful illustrations.
- Why employees love this: They’ll love growing their vacation destination list and reading about fascinating places as they wait to take their trips.
- Price: $29.42
- Customizable? No
20) Leather Hanging File Organizer
- What is it? A stylish holster that lets you use magazines, folios, and books as chic decorations instead of clutter.
- Why employees love this: It helps them do the impossible: Turn clutter into wall decor.
- Price: $59.89
- Customizable? No
Holiday Gifts For Employees
Holiday gifts for employees are just-for-fun items appropriate for giving on any special occasion or annual holiday. These gifts make company-wide festivities even more memorable.
21) Taco Tuesday Gift Set
- What is it? A festive apron and seasonings to make Taco Tuesday a weekly event.
- Why employees love this: It makes Taco Tuesday even more fun and delicious.
- Price: $59.08 to $174.02
- Customizable? Yes
22) Zipup Hoodie
- What is it? A comfortable and subtly stylish hoodie that comes in every color you could want.
- Why employees love this: It’s an iconic hoodie that goes with absolutely everything.
- Price: $26.40 to $73.14
- Customizable? Yes
23) Porter Bowl
- What is it? A bowl that makes seemingly impossible-to-transport items, like messy salads and soups, easy to pack.
- Why employees love this: It’s the perfect size and shape to fit practically anything. (They’ll love not being limited to boring sandwiches.)
- Price: $43.33 to $113.83
- Customizable? Yes
24) Appetites: A Cookbook
- What is it? A master cookbook and foodie knowledge base from the late “bad boy of cooking,” Anthony Bourdain.
- Why employees love this: Even employees who never cook will love the colorful insight into interesting foods and cultures.
- Price: $23.99
- Customizable? No
25) Woodburning Kit
- What is it? Tools and instructions to teach employees the ancient art of burning images onto wood.
- Why employees love this: It gives them a chance to fulfill their artistic side using a medium they’ve probably never tried before.
- Price: $24.76
- Customizable? No
Personalized Gifts For Employees
Personalized gifts for employees are items you can add your own special touch to. The one-of-a-kind nature of these gifts gives them the potential to make a lasting impression.
26) Sport Bottle
- What is it? A functional all-purpose sports bottle with major flare.
- Why employees love this: It’s a colorful, customized way to keep hydrated.
- Price: $6.46 to $8.75
- Customizable? Yes
27) Custom Blue Light Glasses
- What is it? Glasses designed to reduce eye strain from blue light on all devices.
- Why employees love this: Employees will love keeping that just-woke-up feeling in their eyes all day.
- Price: $5.79 to $13.71
- Customizable? Yes
28) Athletic Socks
- What is it? Cushy socks printed with your very own design.
- Why employees love this: They make it easy to show a little company pride at the gym.
- Price: $8.50 to $15.33
- Customizable? Yes
29) Wood Keepsake Box
- What is it? An attractive wooden box engraved with a custom message.
- Why employees love this: It’s a legitimately attractive way to store odds and ends or sentimental knick knacks.
- Price: $118.00+
- Customizable? Yes
30) Giving Plate
- What is it? A plate you can have printed with a favorite recipe from your founder, CEO, or other company leader.
- Why employees love this: They’ll love discovering this recipe and feeling connected to everyone in the company each time they use the plate.
- Price: $70.00+
- Customizable? Yes
Virtual Gifts For Employees
Virtual gifts for employees are online items that don’t require shipping to create a sense of celebration and make employees feel special. These gifts are important to send on special occasions when you’ve run out of time to make a physical purchase but still want to send a meaningful gift.
31) Kindle eGift card
- What is it? An emailable gift card people can use to buy anything on Amazon Kindle.
- Why employees love this: It will prompt them to finally buy all those books they’ve been meaning to read.
- Price: Choose your amount
- Customizable: Yes; choose from different card designs
32) DoorDash Email Gift Card
- What is it? An emailable gift card for door-to-door delivery of meals and treats.
- Why employees love this: They’ll love the luxurious feeling of premium delivery.
- Price: Choose your amount
- Customizable: No
33) Uber Email Gift Card
- What is it? An emailable gift card to use on Uber transportation or Uber Eats.
- Why employees love this: A complimentary ride or two gives everyone a taste of the star treatment. Also great as a corporate gifting idea!
- Price: Choose your amount
- Customizable? No
34) Educated: A Memoir on Kindle
- What is it? A best-selling and critically acclaimed memoir about one woman’s journey from the wilderness to the world’s most prestigious schools.
- Why employees love this: This engrossing memoir features plenty of conversation starters for the next company party.
- Price: $14.99
- Customizable? No
35) Downloadable/Printable Motivational Quote Poster
- What is it? A minimalist poster you can customize with any motivational quote and send to recipients for easy downloading, printing, and framing.
- Why employees love this: It provides a constant source of inspiration.
- Price: $4
- Customizable? Yes
Gift Baskets For Employees
Gift baskets for employees are stylishly packaged gift selections combined to make one super gift. These assortments help show employees you know them well enough to think of not just one, but many items they might love.
36) “Office Essentials” Swag in a Box
Products to include:
Note: We’ve provided ideas for theme boxes, but you can choose anything from Swag.com to put in a box of your own invention.
- What is it? A box packed full of stylish office must-haves.
- Why employees love this: They’ll love using office supplies they actually like instead of whatever they have on hand.
- Price: About $14 – $42
- Customizable? Yes
37) “Good to Go” Swag in a Box
Products to include:
Note: We’ve provided ideas for theme boxes, but you can choose anything from Swag.com to put in a box of your own invention.
- What is it? A box full of company swag that people can use to eat and drink while on the go.
- Why employees love this: It provides endless convenience when it’s time for cookouts, picnics, birthday parties, road trips, and more.
- Price: About $71 – $143
- Customizable? Yes
38) “Sun and Fun” Swag in a Box
Products to include:
Note: We’ve provided ideas for theme boxes, but you can choose anything from Swag.com to put in a box of your own invention.
- What is it? A box full of goodies that pair perfectly with active days in the sun.
- Why employees love this: It sets them up to head out into the sun in style.
- Price: About $19 – $35
- Customizable? Yes
39) Hummingbird Garden Kit
- What is it? Everything you need to grow beautiful flowers that also attract hummingbirds.
- Why employees love this: The sight of all the flowers and all those adorable hummingbirds will always put a smile on their face.
- Price: $44.95+
- Customizable? No
40) Garden Gift Basket 
- What is it? A gardener’s super-basket filled with seeds, books, and even snacks.
- Why employees love this: They’ve always been curious about gardening. Now they have everything they need to give it a try.
- Price: $99
- Customizable? No
Gifts For Newly Hired Employees
Gifts for newly hired employees are items you can send to make newbies feel welcomed and integrated into your team. These gifts can help employers nail the “first impression” and develop engaged new team members.
41) Custom Laced Sneakers
- What is it? Colorful sneakers that blend style with utility.
- Why employees love this: They’ll love rocking colorful sneakers almost no one else has.
- Price: $54.55 to $86.73
- Customizable? Yes
42) Unisex Vintage Keeper Tank
- What is it? A classic tank anyone can wear anywhere—from lounge time to gym time.
- Why employees love this: It’s a wardrobe staple they’ll want to wear again and again.
- Price: $54.55 to $86.73
- Customizable? Yes
43) Cocoon Slim Backpack
- What is it? A compact, versatile backpack that’s perfect for all occasions.
- Why employees love this: It’s a sleek backpack without all those lumps that can ruin a professional look.
- Price: $69.59 to $93.37
- Customizable? Yes
44) Letters to My Future Self
- What is it? Pretty stationary people can use to write inspirational letters to their future selves.
- Why employees love this: They’ll learn new things about themselves as they write the letters and also when they re-read them years from now.
- Price: $12.28
- Customizable? No
45) Dry Erase Chalkboard Calendar
- What is it? An attractive take on a dry-erase calendar that will keep your current schedule top of mind.
- Why employees love this: This non-digital master calendar will help them feel a little more zen about their busy days.
- Price: $39.99+
- Customizable? Yes
Gifts For Employees Celebrating An Anniversary
Gifts for employees celebrating a work anniversary are special tokens, usually with a sentimental or celebratory value. These gifts help employees mark work milestones and make them more special than ever.
46) Champagne Flute 
- What is it? A delicate vessel for champagne or your favorite bubbly beverage.
- Why employees love this: They’ll love using it during every special “toast” year after year.
- Price: $4.03 to $23.20
- Customizable? Yes
47) Ember Mug
- What is it? A temperature controlling mug that keeps your beverage at the exact temperature you like.
- Why employees love this: It helps them spend way less time in front of the microwave and way more time enjoying the perfect warm beverage.
- Price: $119.95
- Customizable? Yes
48) Stylish Fleece
- What is it? A rugged zip-up fleece jacket for multiple seasons and activities.
- Why employees love this: It’s stylish and warm, but not too warm. They’ll love finally having a jacket they know they can pack for any trip.
- Price: $85.79 to $93.28
- Customizable? Yes
49) Camping Hammock
- What is it? A portable hammock that’s rugged enough for outdoor adventures.
- Why employees love this: It’s relaxation you can pack neatly into a bag and take anywhere.
- Price: $29.95 – $39.95
- Customizable? No
50) Engraved Spoon
- What is it? A cute collectible spoon you can have engraved with any message you want.
- Why employees love this: They’ll smile each time they grab this spoon and re-read your heartfelt message.
- Price: $11.99
- Customizable? Yes
People Also Ask These Questions About Gifts For Employees
Q: How much should you spend on employee gifts?
- A: Your annual budget should determine how much you spend on employee gifts. We recommend including gifts and swag in your budget each year and using whatever amount you’ve allocated to determine how much you spend on any occasion. Luckily, there are meaningful employee gift options to fit budgets of all sizes.
Q: What are good employee Christmas gifts?
- A: Some favorite employee Christmas gifts include customizable apparel and travel books. Employees will appreciate thoughtful gifts that aren’t too gimmicky or seasonal. Find more ideas in this gifts for employees list.
Q: Why should I give gifts to my employees?
- A: Employee gifts boost morale. They express gratitude and make employees feel valued. Some surveys even suggest that employees see gifts as a reflection of how much a company values their work.
Q: Should I send gifts to my employees working from home?
- A: People working from home may sometimes feel disconnected. Sending remote employees gifts is the perfect way to tangibly reconnect with these employees.
Q: What are some good employee gifts?
- A: Good employee gifts combine thoughtfulness with function and fun. Some of the top gifts in this roundup include customizable apparel and accessories, wellness items, and gift boxes and baskets.
Q: What are some gender-neutral gifts for employees?
- A: If you need to buy employee gifts in bulk, then you’ll want to select gender-neutral items, such as games, home goods, and backpacks. Every item in this list is appropriate for any gender.
Q: How can I select gifts employees actually like?
- A: Select gifts employees actually like by planning ahead. Take your time to find items appropriate for all occasions that suit a majority of your employees’ tastes and interests.
Q: Where can I find personalized gifts that aren’t cheesy?
- A: This gifts for employees roundup includes a variety of personalized and/or customizable gifts—including hats, sneakers, and calendars—that have zero cheese factor.
Q: How can I make employee gifts special?
- A: Adding personalizations and customizations is the perfect way to make even a highly functional gift, such as office supplies, special. This gift list includes a variety of practical items you can easily customize with messages, colors, and logos.
Q: How will I know if employees like my gift?
- A: Add questions about your gift-giving to your annual employee survey. Encourage honesty. Gifts for employees are an investment, and as such, it’s perfectly reasonable to track their success and tweak your strategy to make sure your gifts are increasing employee morale and happiness.
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