Employee Appreciation Gifts They’re Sure to Love

Truly Financial strives to bring better business banking solutions to small business owners across the globe. However, there's more to being business-minded than simply making smart business banking decisions. Team members have to be a priority for your business - both in how they're managed, as well as how you show them that they're valued.

A handwritten note is great, but even if your business has an employee recognition program, special occasions like the holiday season are a great opportunity to go the extra mile and show each employee just how much you appreciate all their efforts.

With that in mind, we’ve put together a list of some of our favorite holiday gifts for employees that you can take advantage of this season. These are great if you're still not sure how to thank them for all their hard work, plus they add a bit more of a personal touch.

Better Quality of Life

Good employee appreciation gifts shouldn’t only focus on benefiting their work life, and they should avoid including company swag. Let’s be real – your team isn’t desperate to add to their branded water bottle collection.

In most cases, they'll appreciate team gift ideas that are focused on improving their quality of life, rather than holiday gifts for team members that are centered on increasing their productivity at work. So put away that book on the Pomodoro technique and scroll through these options instead.

Knee Pillow - $30

For many people, transitioning to a work-from-home model has had a negative impact on their sleep schedules.

Between the constant struggle to achieve deep work, and the constant difficulty of separating work life from home life, shutting off the world in bed at the end of the day can be a challenge.

This is especially true for people who don't have comfortable work chairs, which can result in sore backs and hips.

These incredibly useful knee pillows help keep our spines aligned and our hips properly spaced, while we're sleeping.

When your team gets a better night's rest, they'll be more prepared to tackle challenges head-on, and have more energy to make the most of their time when off the clock.

Hatch Restore - $250

Phone useage has skyrocketed over the past few years. This isn't the healthy choice since the blue light from your phone restricts your body's natural production of melatonin, making it harder to fall asleep and stay asleep.

A shocking number of people have started using their phones as their bedside clocks, noise machines, and even in some cases, a reading light.

The Hatch Restore functions for all three of those same purposes - a clock, a reading light, and a white noise machine to assist with sleep - without any of the blue light that could be keeping your team awake at night.

This makes the Hatch Restore a unique employee appreciation gift that's sure to have a significant positive impact on their sleep schedules and overall well-being.

Weighted Blanket - $50

If you've never tried a weighted blanket, you're missing out.

Offering the same kind of benefits that you can get from deep pressure therapy, weighted blankets are a fantastic tool for combating anxiety, restlessness, and difficulty sleeping.

Since many remote team members report experiencing one or all of these symptoms due to the upheaval of the past 18 months, a weighted blanket is one of our top holiday gifts for employees.

Not only can they take advantage of their weighted blanket at night, but they can also use it during stressful days to help calm their nerves. Wrapping up in one is like driving away anxities with a warm and comforting hug.

Calm App Subscription - From 5 Users ($291.85/yr) to 100 Users ($3,080/yr)

Increased mindfulness, calmness, and personal serenity is a goal that many of us set out to achieve since the beginning of the pandemic.

Calm.com offers a number of fantastic features, such as assistance with meditation and sleep, as well as features like nature scenes, calming music, and even guided classes on mindfulness.

Instead of choosing team gift ideas that focus on a physical present, consider giving a unique employee appreciation gift like a Calm.com subscription to help support your team’s mental health.

The inherent value in peace of mind is far above and beyond holiday gifts for team members like gift certificates for restaurants or generic gift baskets.

Comfort While Working from Home

There are actually many different factors caused by disrupted work patterns that can result in undue stress and frustration for teams. Many of them are encountered on a regular basis.

Giving holiday gifts for employees that improve their comfort level within their home office or remote work space can be a thoughtful way to manage morale and show your employteamees that you appreciate the daily challenges they face and overcome.

Ergonomic Phone Stand - $50

Zoom meetings have become a way of life and a necessary part of company culture for many remote and distributed team members over the last couple of years.

However, when life forces them to move away from their desks and take their virtual events with them, comfort is a major concern.

Craning your neck to stare down at a phone screen or holding the phone in front of their face for hours on end can be quite uncomfortable. Not to mention, bad for your body.

This ergonomic phone stand removes these concerns from the equation, by giving employees a comfortable, convenient way to carry on their meetings and virtual company socials from any location.

Heated Coffee Mug - $200

How many times have you made a piping hot cup of coffee or tea, only to have that first sip be ice cold because you got caught up in work?

That issue is a thing of the past with this self-regulating, heated mug. Just pour in your beverage and turn it on. Your cup stays fresh and hot for 80 minutes per charge.

We think this mug is easily one of the top holiday gifts for employees this year.

NOTE: This definitely works for hot chocolate too. Marshmallows, anyone?

Gel Chair Cushion - $50

Many employees weren't properly prepared for the shift into their remote workspace to be quite so prolonged (or permanent for some)..

This means that some of them may not have had the time, money, or energy to properly prepare their personal work space for comfort and functionality. In particular, this may apply to their office chair.

Many people have taken to using dining room tables for their home office, in order to accommodate space concerns. And even if they are working at a desk, they may not be using ergonomic chairs that are safe for their hips and backs.

Gel chair cushions like this one, which can be used with any type of chair, are fantastic holiday gifts for team members.

Improving their comfort while sitting all day is a great way to give employees an immediate boost to their quality of daily life.

Lap Desk - $45

Sometimes, even when we have a workspace designated in our homes, it's nice to take work somewhere different just to change things up.

Whether it's working in bed, on the couch, or from outdoor bench, it can be difficult trying to navigate a laptop without anywhere to use a mouse. 

Not to mention, laptops can quickly heat up when you're using them in these situations, which can lead to overheating for both you and your computer.

These lap desks are a unique employee appreciation gift that shows them you care about their comfort while they’re working.

It also shows that you appreciate the need for a change of scenery occasionally - for both their physical wellbeing as well as their mental health.

Relaxation On & Off the Clock

The past few years have underscored what we’ve all known for a long time – mental well-being is just as important (if not more so) than physical well-being.

These gifts help support and foster good mental health, peace of mind, and most of all, relaxation for employees whether they're working or enjoying their downtime.

Relaxation Device - $350

The science of relaxation has come a long way over the last few years, with the rise of new and exciting types of technology.

This Sensate infrasonic relaxation device is the perfect example of how far technology has come to improve the quality of our lives in sessions as short as 10 minutes.

These make fantastic team gift ideas – particularly for employees that are working long days on intensive projects.

Best of all, recipients will be able to take this conveniently portable device anywhere with them, so they can continue taking advantage of its soothing benefits no matter where they might be.

Desk Fan/Heater - $200

Temperature fluctuations are an unfortunate reality that many remote and distributed teams are facing as climate change continues to make seasonal shifts unpredictable.

This compact desk fan and heater fits easily on any desk, and its versatility makes it one of our picks for the top holiday gifts for employees this year.

Regardless of the climate they work in, your team members can stay staying warm all winter, and cool off with some refreshing air flow, once the temperatures swing back up.

Neck Wrap - $60

Sitting up all day and staring at a screen, whether you're back in office, working from home or working remotely, can put a huge strain on employees' backs and necks.

This heatable neck wrap provides soothing relief for sore neck muscles, while also bringing along the benefit of some relaxing aromatherapy.

Stuffed with flax seed and French lavender, this wrap can be reheated over and over as necessary in the microwave.

Plus, it's hand-crafted, sturdy design means that you won't have to worry about it falling apart from overuse. It's one team gift idea that will keep on giving.

Giving Back

Sometimes the best, most unique employee appreciation gifts are the ones that do more than provide personal comfort . Sometimes, the best gifts are the ones that give back.

This could be helping your employees take care of themselves, giving them the tools to improve their personal skill sets, or supporting their efforts to give back to their community.

HypeDocs - $100/yr Per Employee

Imposter syndrome is one of the biggest challenges that many professionals face, regardless of their seniority or the industry market in which they're working.

HypeDocs tracks employee achievements, instead of focusing on milestones they may not have reached yet.

This can be a much-needed confidence booster and provide relief from those awful inner voices that tell us all we aren't good enough, or we aren't accomplishing things fast enough.

When you give your team HypeDocs, you're giving them the gift of encouragement and positivity. We think that's the recipe for perfect holiday gifts for team members in any industry.

It's also a great way to improve employee morale by encouraging them to engage with the and celebrate all that they’ve already achieved

Growclass - $200/mth Per Employee

Giving your team the opportunity to grow both personally and professionally is easily one of the most valuable and unique employee appreciation gifts you can offer.

When you choose to give the gift of Growclass to your employees, you're supporting their career growth and helping them gain additional experience and expertise.

Show them that you've got their back by giving them access to professional development opportunities and opening the door to a community of like-minded peers.

A Taste of Home - $10-$200/Person

For team members that are stationed away from home, homesickness can be a very real issue. And few things brings you closer to your favorite memories than flavors and aromas.

Services like Canadian Munch help you choose from Canada’s favorite snacks like Coffee Crisp bars, ketchup chips, Bear Paws, all sorts of President’s Choice products, and so much more.

Send your team members a little taste from home – they’ll especially appreciate you it around the holidays when it’s hardest to find ourselves far from home and loved ones.

Growth Hacking Box by Flowjo - $50

For team members that are actively working to improve the reach and expansion of your business, new ideas for growth can be both enlightening and motivating.

Going through the Growth Hacking box by Flowjo will not only help employees give back to your business, but you'll also be helping them learn to think like an entrepreneur. 

Flowjo has a number of other useful boxes as well, including the the Self-Care Bucket List Box. These can offer additional ways for you to give team members new and exciting ideas they can use to improve their personal lives outside of work.

Give Back to the Community

Last, but certainly not least, one of the absolute top holiday gifts for employees you can offer isn't a gift for them at all - it's the gift of charity.

At Truly Financial, we’ve created a program called 'Double the Love' for our team members. This program allows us to match the donations our employees make to their favorite charities.

The guidelines are simple: have your team members submit requests for donations to the charities of their choice, vet those charities to ensure they fall in line with your brand's core values, and then match their charitable contributions to the organizations.

This not only allows you to support additional charities during the holiday season (and throughout the year), but it also shows your willingness to show up for causes that are important to your employees.

Double the love for your team this holiday season, because when it comes to giving back to the community, everyone wins.