Thank Your Crew: Personalized Employee Gifts They’ll Actually Want

Personalized employee gifts including pens, tumblers, and stationery

Got a special employee occasion coming up? Work anniversaries, major milestones, and holiday parties call for gifts your crew will love and use all year long. We’re here to make it easy for you to show you care with a stash of custom employee gifts you can keep on hand for those moments when the best way to say “good job” is with a good gift. Yes, it’s the thought that counts, but we all know that a personalized employee gift goes a long way toward making sure your employee knows they matter. Whether the occasions calls for welcome gifts for new employees to make warm first impressions, work anniversary gifts that make a big deal out of employee retention, or holiday gifts for employees so no one leaves the party empty-handed, we’ve got you covered.

What Work Anniversary Gifts Make Employees Feel Special?

Recognizing one year, five years, or a whole career devoted to your small business, work anniversary gifts let crew and colleagues know you value their commitment. In today’s gig economy “see how it goes” job market, it pays to let your employees know you value their unique, individual contributions. And retention helps the bottom line, too. Celebrate special anniversaries with custom employee gifts that add meaning to their daily contribution to helping meet your small business goals.

Anniversary Alpha Stylus Pen with Rose Gold Trim: Rose gold trim and a stylus top add extra style and function, and your engraved anniversary ensures this pen is special. (Check out our entire Alpha Pen Collection for more options.)

Laser Engraved Glass Carlisle Award Trophy: When going all out is the only option, this laser engraved award trophy comes through.

Pilot® MR Metropolitan Collection® Ballpoint Pen: Give the company pen a major upgrade with this fantastic, top quality ballpoint pen, customized in full color for maximum impact and memorability.

What Should I Look for in Holiday Gifts for Employees?

Add festive to any holiday party, or make remote workers feel the warm and fuzzy aspects of the season with holiday gifts for employees that keep good vibes flowing and keep your branding front and center. We like these:

16 oz. Tahoe Tea & Coffee Ceramic Mug with Wood Lid: Warm up at work or at the home office with this old fashioned ceramic coffee mug, complete with a wooden lid for more heat retention and fewer spills!

Embroidered Field & Co.® Sherpa Fleece Blanket: Embroidery and sherpa fleece add extra cozy to any holiday gathering.

What Are Good Welcome Gifts for New Employees?

First impressions last forever, and when you have custom employee gifts on hand for new team members, their tenure with your small business starts out with a smile. Here are a few practical crowd- (and crew-) pleasers!

Full Color Note Caddy & Rose Gold Pen Set: Ready, set, start! Your new employees can hit the ground running from Day One with this custom note caddy and trendy rose gold pen set. Tip: Check out more custom pen sets for virtually unlimited styles, price points, and imprint options.

Alpha Pen & Flashlight Gift Set with Window Box: Welcome employees with a custom pen and a matching flashlight for extra safety outside, and your brand on display every day!

What Custom Employee Gifts Are Best for Milestone Events?

Project completed? Legacy system upgraded? Busy season survived? Whatever milestones are specific to your small business, transitions are stressful for all departments involved and goals reached deserve to be celebrated. These personalized gifts for employees make it easy to recognize challenges and motivate team members throughout each phase of a project. Imprint with encouraging words for widespread use (“Phew; the Finish Line!”), or include a specific event (“I survived PSL season”) for a seasonal keepsake. Customized milestone gifts for employees show your team you see their effort, and also serve as employer branding and recruiting tools. Friends and family associate your employer name with recognition, encouragement, and community.

12 oz. Vinay Stemless Wine Tumbler: Downtime after uptime is a must, and this tumbler paves the way for employees to take a walk around the block, enjoy a concert in the park, or simply do anything other than work!

Folding Chair with Carrying Bag: When it’s time for team-building, make this custom employee gift a parting gift for each team member. “Now, take a load off! We mean it!”

Basecamp® Ascent Laptop Backpack: Want them to show off their pride in passing a major milestone everywhere they go? Look no further. This backpack has it all, including a padded computer sleeve designed for easy commutes and travel of all sorts. Tip: Check out all our custom backpacks for the style that suits your employee, budget, and business style.)

What Are the IRS Tax Rules on Employee Gifts?

In addition to setting yourself up with awesome personalized gifts for employees at the ready, let’s add a dash of fiscal practicality as well. One of the advantages of many custom employee gifts, like achievement awards, holiday gifts, and nearly all the gifts we included in this blog, are that they don’t require you or your employee to file extra paperwork. Just give and enjoy! In tax terms: most custom gifts for employees fall in the tax category called “de minimis benefit.” This is a gift that, considering its value and the frequency of giving, is so small as to make accounting for it unreasonable or impractical. De minimis benefits are excluded under Internal Revenue Code section 132(a)(4). In general, items with a value under $100 can be considered de minimis.¹ (Consult your tax accountant for details! Also, see our Small Business Tax Tips for Less Stress at Tax Time. And if you yourself are a tax accountant, check out our blog, Kill the Tax Season Stress: How to Get Clients to My Tax Business Early.)