A recent survey from Blackhawk Network revealed that employees want better rewards and incentives from their employers. This is true for one-fifth of employees surveyed, and 23% wanted improved benefits options from their employers. Meanwhile, 80% of employees would feel more valued for their work if they received rewards from their employer. Unsurprisingly, showing employees that you care for their well-being and enjoyment is as essential as caring for their productivity and output.

And some of these incentives can be as simple as listening to employee concerns. For example, 50% of employees stated they would feel motivated to work in a physical workplace if they received a pay increase, while 39% would feel motivated by a four-day workweek.

Of course, buying gifts for people can be tricky. Some gifts can be more useful or enjoyable than others, and some employees may even prefer receiving cash rather than gift items they may not end up using. Still, by taking into consideration employee concerns and preferences, there are definitely a lot of options to show employee appreciation through gifts. Below, we’ll be sharing some employee appreciation gifts your team will genuinely enjoy:

For employers and HR workers who may not be sure about what employees may want, need, and prefer, there is a simple and straightforward option — gift cards. In our previous post, we highlighted findings from the Gift Card and Voucher Association and KPMG UK, which highlighted that gift cards for employee benefits have become increasingly popular (59.2%) as employers ramp up efforts to show appreciation and help tackle rising living costs.

Gift cards as rewards and incentives have also risen by 26.8%, as employers find that gifting them helps motivate and retain staff. In fact, gifting gift cards have been deemed impactful on employee loyalty and productivity. This is because gift cards provide flexibility for employees who want to choose the gift, they receive instead of being stuck with something they may already own or will not use.

When thinking about employee appreciation gifts, it can help to consider items that they can use in and out of the scope of their work. It also shows employees that you truly value their services. This is why many companies use corporate gifting services, especially for luxury items like sunglasses. Some of the most popular sunglasses come from Ray-Ban, Oakley, and Persol, and these brands all offer corporate gifting services. This includes attractive corporate discounts for beloved models and products, as well as personalisation options if you’d like to take it a step further. If you have a lot of outdoors and physically demanding fieldwork or team outings, you may consider sporty brands like Oakley. Meanwhile, Ray-Bans and Persols are great picks for regular office commutes or meetings.

You also shouldn’t overlook your remote team members. Just because they aren’t in close proximity to the rest of the team doesn’t mean they should be left out of the gift-giving and gestures of appreciation. In fact, there are many everyday gift items you can consider for remote employees, including ergonomic accessories to help them maintain their well-being. This can include wrist rests, monitor arms, ergonomic keyboards and mice, cable management solutions, or even headsets and headphones.

Like the sunglasses mentioned above, gifting ergonomic items can be useful for employees because these are items, they may be able to use outside of working hours. Headsets and headphones, while useful for Zoom meetings and brainstorming sessions, can also be used in their downtime.

Finally, some employees may prefer the gift of experience instead of material items. Planning and hosting casual team meetups and activities can help employees feel more connected and relatable to each other outside of a work setting. Some common team outing experiences include trips to escape rooms, craft bars, laser tag, scavenger hunts, or even just a casual dinner on a Friday night. These can help team members bond and feel rewarded for their work as a group.

Compared to material gifts, experiences can be more memorable and provide a better avenue for team members and employees from different departments to get to know each other better. This can also be a good networking opportunity but remember not to dominate these outings with work speak and concerns.