5 Budget-friendly Ideas to Thank Your Employees This Holiday Season

The holiday season is upon us and while it means the busiest time of the year for most companies (Christmas campaigns, sales, etc.), let us not forget to show gratitude towards employees for their hard work over the year. 

This is so important because when you express appreciation and show them how much you value and recognize their dedication, they will, in return, be more engaged in their work. Research has also shown that engaged workers are 17% more productive than their counterparts.

Fortunately, there are many ways you can reward your employees without it being overly costly or fancy. Your employees will most likely appreciate small gestures, so you don’t need to spend buckets to let them know you are thankful for what they do daily. 

To help you get creative with how you reward your employees, we’ve listed 5 practical yet affordable employee appreciation ideas that you can use for the holiday season and ring in the new year the right way.

 

#1 Offer the gift of choice

When selecting a token of gratitude for your employees, think about what they wish for and give them a choice to select a reward that aligns with their priorities or preferences this holiday season. Offering the gift of choice helps employees feel valued and demonstrates that the company understands employee preferences and is committed to thoughtful and meaningful gifting.

Things like an extra break, longer lunch hours, or even free company products during the month are practical examples that you can use to support your employees in a personalized way.

 

#2 Gift cards

Employers take note. If you want to be 100% certain that your workers get a gift that’s exactly what they want, you can’t go wrong with gift cards. 

Of course, it depends on your employees’ likes and interests, but you can keep it very general - like a food delivery gift card - or even better, get a gift card for specific brands you know they’ll appreciate. This kind of gifting is also pretty easy for employers. You need to slot in your budget, and that’s it. Simple, yet practical.

Some examples of gift card ideas:

• Restaurants

• Food delivery services

• Grocery marts 

• Transport credits

• Travel or airlines

 

#3 Throw a holiday party in their honour

You don’t have to break the bank to throw an epic holiday party. Having the party at the office can allow employees to mingle and get to know their peers a little more. Pick a day when your employees are free and have them hop on to the event.

The main expenses, in this case, would be the refreshments, activities, and perhaps, decorations. Here are a few tips to keep those expenses under budget:

• Have a potluck-style party where everyone can bring their choice of food or drinks. This could increase employee communication as they talk about their family recipes

• Have fun (and mostly free) activities like watching holiday movies together, playing party bingo, or a team scavenger hunt 

• Host a decor competition a few weeks before the party and have the employees show off their festive decorations in the office

 

#4 Redeemable coupons for a job well done

Your employees do great things daily, so why not catch them immediately? 

For the whole month of December, give out a coupon or a similar token every time you catch an employee doing a great job. You can also involve the whole team by encouraging them to give one another kudos to express their appreciation. 

When December ends, let the employees redeem their coupons for gifts or prizes like gift cards, company t-shirts, well, you name it! 

 

#5 Fun and memorable office gifts

When your employees spend the whole day at work being sensible, it can be nice sometimes to let loose and have some fun. Choose unique gifts that feature funny, sarcastic sayings, a common office phrase, or anything you know that will surely make your employees smile. 

Here are a few fun ideas: 

• A mug with a common office saying

• Posters that reflect their interests or hobbies 

• A funny office calendar

• Sarcastic notepads

• Stress balls

• Funny T-shirts

 

Last but not least, spruce it up with personalization

This can never go wrong. Giving a personalized touch to your messages or gifts will show that you’ve been (and still are) paying attention to their likes and dislikes. 

Taking the time to craft a handwritten card for each employee or team member is a fantastic example of personalizing your communication with them. Don’t forget to include thoughts on how their work has contributed to your team and the company. Besides, a sincere note of thanks costs nothing and is often very effective.

 

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