- For some reason, everyone loves office supplies. Despite the fact that they are generally low-cost and easy to buy, they make a great gift because no one likes to spend money on these things himself. Purchase employees a calendar for the new year, or a desktop clock that displays the date and time. A personalized mouse pad is another gift that employees would love. Depending on your relationship with the employee, you can use a photo to create a custom mouse pad, or you can buy one that reflects her personality in some way, such as one with her favorite sports team or musical group. Giving your employees a nice planner or leather-bound notebook is another way to improve productivity and help them get organized. Write a personal note to each employee inside thanking her for a job well done. If your company is centered in an office atmosphere on computers, another low-cost gift your employees would appreciate is a flash drive so they easily transfer data from computer to computer.
- Create a gift basket for your employees personalized to their tastes. If they are wine lovers, give them a basket filled with different types of mini bottles of wine, or one or two larger bottles of wine. Add crackers, cheese and sausage to the basket and a few wine trinkets, such as a pretty wine glass or wine-glass charm. If they are movie lovers, fill a basket with popcorn, candies, and their favorite DVDs if you know them, or tickets to a movie theater, a gift card to Best Buy or a free subscription to Netflix. If you work with women, make a spa basket filled with bath salts, manicure kits, lotions and oils. You can add a hand massager or a gift card to a spa, depending on your budget. Be creative with your basket. Choose one main item that you know the employee will love, and then buy accessories to complement that item.
- Though you may think of gift cards as impersonal, your employees will love receiving a gift they can use at their own leisure or choose themselves. Gift cards depend on the ages of your employees. If they are younger or technology-savvy, buy them an iTunes gift card so they can download their own music. Gas cards are another great gift card idea, because gas is something no one enjoys buying. If you live in the city, buy them a subway or bus pass to make their commute a little less expensive. If you know them to be coffee drinkers or breakfast lovers, buy them a gift card to a local breakfast spot, such as Starbucks, Einstein Brothers Bagels or Panera. Most of these places sell refillable coffee mugs that you can purchase for a one-time fee, and your employees can get free refills for a period of time.
