4 Ideas to Make Employee Gifts a Breeze this Holiday Season

Employee gifts have to balance heart with professionalism (and budgetary considerations), and they need to work for a potentially wide range of ages, backgrounds, sizes and preferences.

It’s a difficult needle to thread, but we’re here to help. No matter your budget, headcount or spare time, we’ve got a gift idea for your holiday shopping needs.

Gift baskets

When buying presents for employees, versatility is the name of the game. Everyone at your company has different interests, passions and tastes. Their diversity is part of what makes them good employees and a good team. The flip side to that is it can be hard to please everyone with the same gift.

That’s one reason gift baskets are a great choice come the holiday season. Because they’re full of so many different individual items, they let you hedge your gift-giving bets. Odds are, at least a few things in each basket will appeal to the employee who receives it. After all, who could say no to a charcuterie board, candies and other treats?

If you know your employees well enough, you can dig a little deeper and buy gift baskets that match their interests. Maybe they like to unwind with a skincare routine. Maybe they could use a fancy pen and journal to collect their thoughts. Whether they’ve got a sweet tooth, an affinity for hot sauce or a caffeine craving, there’s likely a gift basket or box to surprise and delight them.

White elephant gifts

White elephant gift exchanges are a great way to avoid some of the pressure of present-buying. Encourage employees to wrap up a fun and affordable item and bring it into the office. Then, during the holiday party, each employee can either unwrap a gift from the pile or “steal” an already opened one from someone else. If someone has their gift stolen, they can unwrap a new one or steal a different gift. Each gift can only be stolen twice. The game continues until everyone has a gift.

White elephant exchanges offer several benefits from a small-business owner’s perspective. For one, the gifts themselves are affordable by design. Perhaps best of all, the game aspect of the exchange can build camaraderie among your employees. As long as you state a spending limit ($25 suits most situations), stick to it and keep everyone in high spirits—basically, do the opposite of what Michael Scott does in “The Office”—you’re on the right track.

Handwritten thank-you notes

The purpose of any gift is to show you care. But they don’t need to be expensive! If you’ve got more time than money this holiday season, consider writing your employees individualized thank-you notes.

This gift’s bespoke nature can make it hard to execute at scale. But if an employee reads that you remembered some small detail about their family life, holiday plans or hobbies, they’ll be reminded that you genuinely care about them as a person. That can give you the rare and unique opportunity to bridge the boss/worker divide.

Gift cards

The easiest way to ensure your employees are happy with the gifts you get them is to give them the gift of choice. That’s where gift cards shine—they offer plenty of opportunities for creativity and a more personal touch. From local restaurants for the foodies on your team, to craft stores for those with a creative streak, you can find the right gift card for everyone. No matter the gift card, your employees will appreciate your gift twice: once when you hand them the card and a second when they hand it to the cashier.

On the other hand, going for big, versatile stores like Walmart means your employees have a huge selection of possible gifts to choose from. Whether they want a garlic press, a LEGO set or a bottle of moisturizer, it’s all but impossible to look through the items on offer and come up empty-handed. That means your gift is sure to land.

Stay prepared with Walmart Business+

Getting your employees exactly what they need for the holidays can be a challenge. But it’s nothing compared to getting them exactly what they need throughout the rest of the year. Walmart Business+ is here to help, with low prices and free delivery on all your office essentials. It also lets you monitor spending with built-in analytics and earn rewards that unlock additional savings. 

Ready to learn more? Sign up for a Walmart Business+ membership.