22 Employee Gift Ideas to Support Worker Wellness

When it comes to gifts, it’s the thought that counts. Wellness-specific gifts for employees can be a great way to show both gratitude and care to your employees all while promoting their holistic wellbeing. If you’re looking for more information on what wellness gifts to give your employees we’ve put together a handy guide to help you discover why wellness gifts are worth giving, how to choose the best wellness gifts, as well as a list of gifts sure to boost office morale. 

Why Give Employees Wellness Gifts?

There is no shortage of reasons to give employees wellness gifts. Wellness gifts for employees can show gratitude, be used as prizes, for birthdays, or special events, or even just to give a nice gift because you feel like it. Though, if you’re looking for some more specific reasons why wellness gifts should be considered, here are just a few. 

First, it shows gratitude. People want to feel appreciated for the work they do. This is a universal truth. Taking steps to show gratitude will always be appreciated by employees.

Second, these types of gifts help foster better, more engaged employees. When you reward the hard work of employees with nice gifts and other forms of recognition, it acts as an incentive to continue that hard work. However, we also want our employees to know that we value them as people separate from their work. Wellness gifts for employees strike a fine balance of appreciation for going above and beyond but remind them to take care of themselves. Practices like this can improve productivity and employee engagement. Happy employees do better work and are more likely to stick with their company longer. 

How to Choose the Best Wellness Gifts for Employees

When giving wellness gifts it’s important to remember that gift-giving is a very personal act. There will never be a “one-size-fits-all” solution. This especially applies to wellness gifts. Not every employee will react to certain gifts the same, and others may have no use for specific types of gifts. Offering as many different types of gifts as possible is a great way to offer something of use and interest to each of your employees. If you are lucky enough to have a little more time to plan and personalize the gifts then an employee survey can be a great way to ensure each person feels taken care of. These wellness gifts feature a more personalized approach and will have even greater benefits than a blanket gift everyone receives. 

22 Unique Wellness Gifts for Employees

Now comes the important part. Choosing the gifts! We know figuring out exactly what to get can be difficult, so here are 22 options that are sure to please. 

1. Bath bombs

Bath bombs are a great way to encourage destressing at the end of a long day. There really is nothing better than a warm bath, a book, and maybe a little wine at the end of a particularly stressful day. Many bath bombs are filled with essential oils and unique scents to help the stress wash away. This wellness gift is simple, easy, and great for the end of a project. 

2. Tea set

Tea is a versatile wellness gift that can be used in so many different situations. Gifting a set of many teas allows the person receiving this gift to have many options in how they think the tea will best serve them. This can include tea to help calm them after a long day, tea to help them fall asleep at night, and tea with caffeine to help them find a burst of energy during the day. Tea is a great wellness gift that allows for moments of reflection while it's made, and numerous health and wellbeing benefits when consumed. 

3. Motivation calendar

A motivational calendar can be a great gift that fills two roles. First, it’s a great organizational tool to help your team keep track of all important events that may be happening at work. They can easily plan their days at a glance. Second, this calendar is a great way to offer daily reminders of the value each team member has. It’s full of positivity and can help them remember what’s important by looking at it and considering the message it holds.

4. Gratitude journal 

A gratitude journal offers important moments of reflection for the person receiving this as a gift. This journal is meant to write down the things they are grateful for each day. Taking the time to remember the good that each of us experiences can help cut through the negativity that may cause us stress throughout the day. This gift highlights the positive and helps the receiver focus on the good in life, instead of focusing on what went wrong. 

5. Regular journal

A “regular” journal, unlike a gratitude journal, is meant to be used for more general thoughts the person is thinking. As a wellness gift, this is great to encourage reflection and focus. The day's events and emotions can be summarized and filed away to help the user properly digest everything that happened. It helps clear our minds and put our emotions that may be ignored into words. This reflection and focus are key to recognizing and avoiding burnout and extreme stress.  

6. Healthy snack baskets

A basket of tasty, healthy treats can help promote some healthier habits as well as show appreciation to your employees. The next time they reach for a sugary snack during a mid-day slump, they can instead take from this basket and get some real energy to help them through the day. Over time these snacks can become the norm and promote healthier eating habits. 

7. ‘Self-care’ box

Self-care has gained popularity in recent years, and for good reason. The idea of putting yourself first for a short period of time is a great way to reconnect with yourself and remember why you love your job or other hobbies. A basket that includes some of the things on this list, like bath bombs and snacks, can help remind employees they need to set aside time every so often to take care of themselves. 

8. Massage vouchers

A gift like a massage provides unique opportunities to employees that they may often not have. Massages can be expensive, or many people just don’t consider them until they’re offered one. Providing a voucher gives them that opportunity to be pampered, recenter and let their stress be washed away by a professional. 

9. Cater healthy lunch

This is another wellness gift that highlights the importance of healthier habits. Providing a delicious healthy lunch can offer employees different options when it comes time to eat. Additionally, given the right options, this lunch can help avoid the after lunch lazies and help give your employees a burst of energy to finish off the day strong. 

10. Gift cards for health restaurants

When outside of work it may be hard to find healthier options that are a good price and quick to get. A wellness gift like gift cards can help break down these barriers to these restaurants. Once people realize how delicious and easy they are it can help build healthier habits inside and outside of work. 

11. Yoga gear

Yoga gear is a great gift for nearly anyone in the office. Yoga promotes our health in body, mind, and spirit. The time we take to stretch allows us to push away our stress and find our mental and spiritual centers to better approach new stressors that may arise throughout the day. Encouraging yoga through a gift like this can build multiple healthy habits. 

12. Home office upgrades

Working from home can make it difficult to offer wellness gifts for employees. However, one of the best things to do is offer wellness-based home office upgrades. This can include things like standing desks, oil diffusers, ergonomic chairs, keyboards, and other equipment. Many workers spend most of their day at their desks typing away, so providing ways to promote healthy natural posture and standing can help create an overall better environment.  

13. Blue light glasses

Similar to the office upgrades, this gift is aimed at the fact that staring at computer screens for long periods of time can cause damage to our eyes. Providing blue light glasses as a wellness gift is a great way to signal you value your employees as people and don’t want them to have long-term effects caused by their job. Additionally, these come in many fashionable styles that will fit into anyone's wardrobe. 

14. Hand sanitizer

General cleanliness has become something everyone is more aware of. Gifting hand sanitizer is like gifting a small bottle of peace of mind. They no longer need to worry about finding a sink or other hand sanitizer to wash their hands with before lunch. Additionally, many of the implements we use in the office can be much dirtier than many people realize. Our phones, keyboards, and doorknobs are all touched by many people and hand sanitizer can help lead to a healthier workplace. 

15. Merch

Providing branded merchandise to employees is a fun way for the company to show appreciation for their employees, but also for employees to show some pride in their workplace. T-shirts, socks, mugs, and pens, among other things are fun to receive and offer some comfortable and fun ways to rep their workplace.

16. Self-help books

If you’re looking for ways to help your employees build healthy habits and discover their true potential, self-help books can be a great way to help them discover new techniques to live a healthy successful life. These gifts are proof of an organization investing directly in the success of their employees and helping them find ways to grow to their full potential. 

17. Fitness gear

As a gift, fitness gear is a great way to provide employees with the opportunity to explore new ways to stay active. Often times people are missing the proper gear to begin their exercise journey and this gift can provide the extra push they were waiting for. Though, even if someone is not necessarily into constantly going to the gym, these clothes are generally extremely comfortable and can provide someone with some nice clothes to relax in at the end of the day.  

18. Experiences

A great way to help employees get some fun time outside of work is to offer experiences outside of work. These can be group activities like escape rooms, or solo activities like a massage. Either way, it gives them the chance to have some fun outside of work. Fun activities outside of work can be great team-building exercises, or can just help someone decompress and remember there is more to life than their daily work duties. 

19. Day at the spa

Similar to the massage, a day at the spa can help employees relax in a way they may not have had access to before. Spas can be expensive and can often be forgotten when you aren’t being offered that opportunity. This is great for wellness as it provides a full day for that person to reset and come back feeling refreshed. 

20. Meditation subscriptions

Meditation is a great way to unwind at the end of the day or to prepare yourself for the long day ahead. For many people though, meditating can seem intimidating if they don’t know where to start. Providing subscriptions to a meditation service can help employees learn the proper way to meditate to ensure they are receiving all possible benefits.

21. Fitness class vouchers

Once again, there will always be people who want to make large life changes but just don’t know where to start. Fitness class vouchers help these individuals discover ways to start their fitness journey without needing to immediately commit hundreds of dollars. When employees are living healthy outside of work, they perform better at work. 

22. Smart watches/fitness trackers

Smart watches and fitness trackers are fun gifts for both tech-savvy and health-minded employees. It helps them track their health progress to meet their goals and can provide the extra push needed to go deeper into their healthy habits. 

Frequently Asked Questions

What are employee wellness gifts?

Wellness gifts for employees are gifts given by organizations to employees that help them prioritize their wellbeing. 

Should employers give employees gifts?

Of course! There are many benefits to providing wellness gifts for employees and can help them feel appreciated. 

How much should a company spend on wellness gifts for employees?

There is no hard and fast rule for what the proper price is. They can be as little as a few bucks each to hundreds of dollars per employee. It all depends on why you’re getting the gifts and what your organization can afford. 

How do companies determine who to give wellness gifts to?

You can determine however you see fit. But generally speaking, providing periodic gifts to all employees is a great way to build morale. However, these gifts can also be used as anniversary gifts, prizes, milestone gifts, or just general incentives for hard work and appreciation. 

References

• https://www.shrm.org/resourcesandtools/hr-topics/benefits/pages/wellness_employeeretention.aspx
• https://snacknation.com/blog/employee-wellness-gifts/
• https://www.perkupapp.com/post/wellness-gifts-for-employees-ideas-to-balance-the-team
• https://www.vantagefit.io/blog/employee-wellness-gift/
• https://www.wellsteps.com/blog/2022/04/22/employee-wellness-gifts/ 
• https://www.shrm.org/resourcesandtools/hr-topics/benefits/pages/wellness-productivity-link-.aspx 
• https://www.hrcloud.com/blog/the-importance-of-employee-appreciation-for-organizational-success#:~:text=Employee%20appreciation%20improves%20employee%20performance,recognition%20drives%20their%20motivation%20levels.