A work anniversary is when an employee celebrates the day they started working for the company and recognizes the years they have been there. The work anniversary is a great opportunity to acknowledge and show appreciation for all of the hard work that employees give every day.
For organizations, it is important to be consistent in celebrating work anniversaries to create a culture where loyalty and hard work are acknowledged and rewarded. This culture will go a long way to ensure workplace recognition and to keep employees motivated.
Many orgs commemorate the event by giving employees a work anniversary card and a present to celebrate. If you’re looking for the perfect work anniversary gift, look no further that our gift guide. Let’s dive into it.
The Importance of a Work Anniversary
Work anniversary gifts are an important part of celebrating an employee’s milestones. Recognizing these achievements will go a long way toward building employee loyalty and motivation.
According to NetSuite, companies will lose an average of 13% of their employees every year due to voluntary turnover. This means that an employee chooses to leave the company.
Turnover is also very expensive for a company. According to the same study, it costs anywhere from ½-2 times a person’s salary to properly onboard and train them. This is a huge number when you think about paying it for 13% of your workforce.
Celebrating a work anniversary with a gift and card full of thoughtful wishes or funny messages and memes is a great way to reduce that turnover. These small tokens of appreciation help your employees feel seen and appreciated for all of their hard work and dedication. This goes a long way toward increasing their morale and motivating them to stick around longer. Whether you’re celebrating 1 year or 20 years, work anniversary gifts will also help create a culture of appreciation at your company and pays dividends as the years go by.
Tips for Picking a Great Work Anniversary Gift
It can feel overwhelming to pick a great work anniversary gift for your coworker. Here are some tips to help you pick out the very best work anniversary gift.
- Gift Something Personal: Take time to think about or learn about your employee or coworker and make the gift personal to them. Find out their interests and hobbies and choose a gift that applies to them.
- Set a Budget: It is important to set a budget and stick to it. The budget should reference tenure and role. Keep the budget for each category the same.
- Keep it Unique: Try and be creative with what you choose. It means more if everyone is getting their gift and not a standard gift for everyone.
- Plan Ahead: Some work anniversary gifts, especially if they are custom, will take some time to order and arrive. Make sure you give yourself plenty of time to order and receive the gift on time.
- Include a Message: No matter what gift you choose, be sure to attach a card or a personal message in some way. A work anniversary group e-card that the whole team contributes to is a great option.
15 Best Work Anniversary Gifts
Gift Cards
You cannot go wrong with gifting a gift card for a work anniversary gift. It is simple and convenient and lets the employee get whatever they want.
The options for gift cards are endless. From Airbnb to Grubhub, Amazon to Visa, there’s something for everyone.
Company Swag
An employee’s work anniversary is the perfect time to hook them up with some awesome branded work swag. Branded swag is a great way to help build team unity and help employees feel like they are a part of something bigger.
It also gives employees something to look forward to. They know once they reach a certain milestone in their career, they can get some swag. You can give them something specific, or you can give them a dollar amount and access to pick out their gifts.
Whether it is a shirt, mug, blanket, etc. the options are endless and there is something for everyone. Build company loyalty while celebrating your employee’s work anniversary with branded swag.
Photo Book
To celebrate the work anniversary, you could create a photobook full of memories from the employee’s time at your company. You can collect photos from coworkers with a note from each of them. To fill the book, invite coworkers to contribute photos, notes, memories, or their favorite thing about the employee celebrating their work anniversary.
Kudoboard has a great solution for creating a photo book from a group. Simply create a group e-card and invite the team to contribute. Once the cards complete. have Kudoboard handle the printing details and ship the book to your office or the recipient’s address.
Gift Basket
Put together a gift basket for the work anniversary recipient. These are great ways to send a unique and personalized gift box. They are easy to ship and fun to open. You can customize them to be perfect for the employee celebrating their milestone at work. Here are some fun gift package ideas to spark inspiration:
Pampering Package
Everyone loves a good afternoon at the spa to relax and refocus. Pampering is a great gift idea for the one celebrating their work anniversary. Thank them for your hard work with some pampering.
Find a great spa in the area and get them a gift card. You can present it with a new mug and a relaxing tea, or you can just package it with a group card signed by the team.
If you do not want to go the spa route, simply gift them a candle in a relaxing scent with a massage gun or something similar. Your employee deserves a much-needed break to unwind and relax.
Poster
Create poster of memories as a sentimental keepsake for your employees to help them remember how appreciated and loved they are at work. Have your team all contribute to a fun work anniversary group e-card where they post pictures and their favorite memories or what they have learned from the employee. Once it is complete, have it printed out as a fun keepsake. You can even have it framed to present it as a gift.
Decadent Treats
Sometimes you just need a treat. Celebrate a work anniversary with a sweet treat to let them know how appreciated they are. Whether it is a cookie delivery, a candy subscription, or a box of chocolates, you can’t go wrong with this gift idea. Find out what your employee’s favorite treats are and work from there.
If you are on a tight budget, you could even send out a signup for the team to bring homemade treats for the employee celebrating their work anniversary.
Paid Time Off
Time is one of the best gifts you can offer someone. Any employee would appreciate some extra paid time off. They work hard at work every day and would love the opportunity to just take a day to relax while getting paid to do it. A day off (or maybe two) on their work anniversary, or a day of their choosing, will be a slam dunk for sure.
Fun Experience
They say that memories last forever, so gift your work anniversary employee an experience they will not forget. This is another great gift idea that will enable you to dive into their interest and hobbies to create the perfect gift.
Here are some ideas of fun experiences you could gift your employee celebrating a work anniversary:
- Round of Golf
- Sky Diving
- Bungee Jumping
- Sporting Event Ticket
- Theatre Show Ticket
- Wine Tasting
If you are unsure of what they would enjoy doing, just ask! It is also a great idea to offer two tickets to whatever event you choose (within a set budget) so that they can enjoy this gift with a loved one or friend.
Bluetooth Speaker
For the music lovers in the office, a nice bluetooth speaker is a great gift idea. There is a wide price range for this gift idea so you can choose what works best for your budget.
This is a simple gift idea with a big impact. If you want to add to it or if you want a different electronic gift, headphones are a great idea as well.
Drink Tumbler
It’s hard to believe, but drinks are “trending.” We are more hydrated than ever, and people love our beverages. Gift your employee an awesome tumbler for them to keep their drinks close and cold. It would be fun to have it personalized with their time and the length of time they have been with the company (bonus points if it’s also branded SWAG).
There are a lot of brands out there to choose from. There are also different types. If they are a coffee lover, try a travel coffee mug. If they love their water and soda, a tumbler is the way to go.
Laptop Backpack
Whether someone works in the office, at home, or a combination of both, most employees are carrying their laptops to and from the office. They may be taking them for travel as well.
A nice laptop backpack is a great, practical idea for a work anniversary gift. You can have it personalized as well with their name and number of years of service (also an opportunity for great company SWAG). Stick to nicer brands to make it a great employee anniversary gift.
Work-From-Home Care Package
This is a great option for fully remote employees. 27% of employees are working from home at least part-time according to a study conducted by MIT at the end of 2022.
Be sure to include your remote employees in the tradition of celebrating work milestones. Working from home can be isolating. It can be difficult for remote employees to feel part of the team. Celebrate their work anniversary with a care package of items that will make working from home more comfortable. Here are some ideas of items to send:
- Ember Mug
- Lap Work Desk
- Houseplant for the office
Cozy Blanket
After a long day at work, getting cozy on the couch with a good book or show is a great way to wind down the day. A great blanket is an awesome gift idea to encourage employees to relax in their downtime.
It is also perfect for someone who works from home. Who knows? The blanket might start making an appearance on Zoom calls.
Free Lunch
One great appreciation gift is to treat them to lunch on their work anniversary. You can give them a gift card to their favorite local restaurant or you can just order it in for them.
Better yet, treat the whole team. Take the team out during the lunch hour or use a food delivery service to have lunch catered in the office. The way to most people’s hearts is through their stomachs so celebrate work anniversaries with lunch today!
Get Gifting
Work anniversaries are an important milestone to celebrate for employees. The gift ideas above will go a long way to help employees feel seen and appreciated for their hard work. Remember to plan ahead, set a budget, make it personal, and make it unique and you can’t go wrong.
The most important part is to keep it consistent. Make sure you are celebrating every employee’s big milestones in order to create a positive working culture.
Be sure to get a great recognition gift for important work anniversaries and get gifting!
Don’t forget the card!
Commemorate the event with a work anniversary group card signed by the whole office.
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