20+ Fun Reward Ideas to Include In Your Applauz Employee Perks Program

As an HR professional, you know that appreciation and recognition are critical to building a happy work environment. 

Of course, verbal praise is often used as the primary vehicle for employee appreciation — it's time and cost-effective.

However, another important way to boost the impact of appreciation is by offering employees tangible gifts or rewards.

It’s about the thought behind the reward

When it comes to rewards, it's not about the price or size, as much as the thought behind it. 

When someone takes the time to express their gratitude with a small gift, it has a big impact on how we feel.

For instance, remember a moment when you received an unexpected token of appreciation from a coworker, something inexpensive, like a coffee or a candy bar. Even though the item didn't cost a bundle, it felt great to receive it! 

Expressing gratitude with Applauz Perks

With Perks, you can create your company's own unique rewards program and fill it with rewards employees will love. 

Employees save up their earned Applauz Points, and they can redeem them for the unique Perks you've created.

Applauz Perks is a great way to build a tailored employee rewards program on any budget.

To help you get started, we've come up with a list of creative and thoughtful reward ideas that you can use to get your Perks "shop" up and running.

Reward Categories:

1. Material Gifts
2. Experiences & Intangibles
3. Services & Subscriptions
4. Classic & Cost-effective

Reward Ideas to Include In Your Applauz Employee Perks Program

Material Gifts

1-Bottle of liquor or wine

Have any whisky lovers or budding sommeliers on your team? A nice bottle of natural wine or specialty liquor is an affordable gift to provide for a work anniversary or any other special occasion. Online stores such as Saucy are a great place to shop for a wide variety of specialty liquors and alcohol. The team can crack it open for a celebratory happy hour. Or the employee can save it to enjoy at home with family and friends.

2-Electronic gadget

If your employee is a tech-greek and a significant anniversary or accomplishment is coming up, consider buying them an electronic gadget or device. For example, wireless headphones, speakers, or a fitness watch. Any device that you think will resonate with your employee’s particular lifestyle and hobbies will be much appreciated. 

3-Stylish and practical kitchenware item

If you have any food and cooking aficionados on your team, gifting a useful or stylish kitchenware item is always a great gift idea. For example, cocktail tumblers, elegant ceramic serving bowls, or quirky placemats. You can find excellent houseware items at many online stores such as Wayfair, Structube, and Article.

4-Decorative or useful office item

In the same spirit, a stylish and practical piece for the office is always safe to gift ideas. For example, bookends, file holders, pencil tumblers, and laptop stands. Ikea Pottery Barn and other home furnishing shops have endless possibilities for excellent office accessory gifts.

5-A framed poster or print

A highly personalized gift that will surely be remembered: a framed poster or print. Choose a print that resonates with your employee’s passions and interests. For example, if they always talk about their travels, a framed vintage travel poster can be a wonderful gift and double as office decoration. Online shops like Zazzle and All Posters can shop thousands of posters, and framing services can be purchased all at once.

6-High-quality artisanal food items

This is perfect for all foodies and amateur chefs on your team. You can buy a high-quality bottle of olive oil, balsamic vinegar, artisanal hot sauce, chocolate, or specialty ingredients like truffle oil or butter. Online stores like Farm to People, and Boutique Sorella all specialize in small-batch gourmet foods. Consumable items make the best gifts because they are practical and will be used multiple times. Your employees will remember your gift every time they cook!

7-Aromatherapy accessories

This is a great gift idea for employees you know who love their “me” time. Essential oil diffusers or scented candles are an affordable and thoughtful gift for any employee who knows the value of unwinding and relaxing. Diffusers come at a variety of price points: if you’re going for something higher-quality, consider this stone diffuser from Vitruvi. Or, if you’re on a budget, you can grab this one from Amazon for about half the price.

Experiences & Intangibles

8-Leave early on a Friday or extra personal day

One of the best gifts you can offer your employees is the opportunity to relax and recharge. The best way to do that is with some time off. A paid or “free” time off is an easy way to thank employees for their hard work. They’ve earned it. In the same spirit, offering an extra paid personal day is a great reward. When an employee has shown that they have put in work and accomplished their objectives and goals, there’s no better way to reward them with some time off.

9-Bring your dog to the workday

Who doesn’t love the presence of a fun and furry friend? Allowing your employee to bring their dog to work can be a great way to boost employee morale and the entire team. 

10-Group lunch or happy hour

One of the best experiences to offer an employee as a reward is a great meal and drinks. You can provide a paid team lunch or take your employee out for lunch for a friendly one-on-one. 

11-Team visit to an escape room or similar activity 

For intellectual team members who prefer an interactive group activity, offering to take your team to a local escape room can be a fun way to build relationships. For an extra memorable reward, you can take your team out for drinks afterward. For those who prefer a more traditional group activity, consider taking your team out for bowling, go-karting, or paintball.

12-Paid online courses 

A great way to support your employee both personally and professionally is to offer to pay for an online course. Online learning centers, such as LinkedIn Learning, provide classes in a wide range of domains. If your employee wants to take a specific course from an online academy related to their particular area of expertise, you can do that. For example, you can subsidize online marketing courses. Online academies and industry experts offer affordable courses and certificates in marketing, SEO, online advertising, and more!

13-Gift certificate for a local "stay-cation"

In the same spirit as relaxation, a great reward for a job well done is a night in a stylish local boutique hotel. This is an excellent gift for a significant work accomplishment or a formal work anniversary. The employee you reward the gift to can choose to stay alone or bring their significant other, making the experience all the more memorable.

Services & Subscriptions

14-Gift card to local restaurants or cafes

Who doesn't love a fancy 8$ iced coffee beverage? Offering a gift certificate to a local cafe is an affordable and safe option to say thank you. Let's be real — most people love coffee. If you know your employees will prefer to support local businesses, skip Starbucks and go for the small mom-and-pop shops. It's all about catering to what your employees want. 

15-A paid subscription to an app of choice

There are so many great apps available. For a truly memorable gift, you can offer a 6-month or yearly subscription to an app of your choice. Some popular options include lifestyle apps such as Noom or Headspace. 

16-A paid subscription to a monthly media or content platform of choice

These days, premium, high-quality written content can usually be accessed through a subscription-based model. For example, publications, magazines, and newspapers like The Atlantic, New York Magazine, Tech Crunch, Wired, and The New York Times, are all accessible with subscriptions only. Many subscriptions are very affordable. For instance, a digital subscription to The Atlantic is only 50$ per year. A subscription to a publication you believe will resonate with your employees' interests and passions makes for a wonderful gift.

17-Gift card for essentials 

Sometimes the most practical and useful gifts are the best ones. Offering gift cards of various denominations for places like pharmacies, grocery stores, hardware stores, and superstores like Walmart or Costco.

18-Gift card for food a delivery service

A food-based reward is always appreciated! Not sure what your employees will enjoy? Let them choose by purchasing gift vouchers for local food delivery services such as Uber Eats, Skip the Dishes, Golo, Postmates, and more. This is a great way to support independent restaurants as well!

Classic & Cost-effective

19-Branded company swag

A classic and cost-effective reward is company "swag." This means branded t-shirts, hoodies, caps, mugs, water bottles, pens, bandanas, lanyards, tote bags, and more. Custom company swag is affordable to buy, and it's also a great gift on other occasions, such as an onboarding gift for new hires. If you're not sure where to get started on creating custom items, simply Google "custom company swag printing" to find local businesses that offer this service.

20-Plants for their desk

Who doesn't like a little greenery in their office? Purchasing a plant for home or office use is a classic and inexpensive way to say thank you to employees. You can even purchase plants online! For Canadians, here is a list of top online shops to buy plants. And for U.S. residents, here is a similar list.

21-Personalized mug

A personalized mug is a fun and easy gift for employees. It's also more meaningful because it's personalized. It's that extra touch that communicates that effort was put into the gift. Online shops like Zazzle, can personalize different types of mugs with either text or photos of your choice.

22-Quality notebook or stationery 

A classic reward to say thank you is with high-quality notebooks or stationery. For instance, Rifle Paper Co. is a U.S.-based shop that specializes in high-quality stationery and other office accessories. All kinds of special, unique employee gifts can be found in their online shop. Another idea is a classic Moleskin notebook or planner, and it's a simple and thoughtful gift that will always be put to good use.