Celebrating your employees’ birthdays is one of the simplest and most powerful ways to show them that you care. As a business owner or manager, it’s easy to forget that employees also like to be appreciated on special occasions like birthdays. If you make it part of your company’s culture, you will always remember to take time to celebrate these special moments, no matter how busy your schedule is.
When you consider that only one out of every four employees feels valued at work, getting unique personalized gifts for your employees can help them feel special and appreciated. When employees are happy and feel recognized, they’re more likely to do a better job.
So, what are appropriate birthday gifts for your employees? Rather than going for an ordinary gift, how about trying out some unusual, but personalized birthday gifts that stand out? Here are some unique ideas:
Personalized and Unique Gift Basket
Nothing beats the experience of receiving a personalized gift basket with everything you love in it. As a business owner or manager, you should already have a pretty good idea of what employees love, and what their interests are. Maybe they love movies, working in the garden, or going on wild adventures. With that in mind, you can then come up with some unique gift ideas.
For your gift basket, start by getting the best birthday flowers in bright colors and include a handwritten birthday card from management. Then, tuck in a personalized gift such as cinema tickets, a favorite tech gadget, a travel magazine, or even a cozy pair of fluffy socks. Choose something you know the employee would love to receive.
Gift Them a Rejuvenating Experience
Even the most dedicated employee needs a break at some point. They may never express how they feel, however, so take advantage of special occasions like birthdays and work anniversaries to give them a well-deserved, rejuvenating experience that helps relax their mind, body, and soul.
This experience can include options such as a spa experience, massage service, luxury salon experience, manicure/pedicure, or one of many other pampering and personal treatment experiences. Such a gift will help an employee switch off and enjoy the self-care time. Yoga classes and workouts or mindfulness lessons are other thoughtful gifts that allow employees who work in high-pressure jobs to relax and unwind.
Spruce Up their Desk
If there’s one thing that employees value at the workplace, it is a well-organized and functional workspace. Employees also love to personalize where they work – often making it their own little oasis. So why not make it even more unique by sprucing it up with some of their personal favorites? Some examples include:
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Desk plants to boost their spirits
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Small digital whiteboard for their creative minds
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A whimsical eyeglass holder to put a smile on their face
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A motivational water bottle to help them stay hydrated
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A vacuum insulated travel mug with a vintage look
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A small adorable cactus humidifier
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A foot hammock to kick back, relax, and finish their work in comfort
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Adjustable display shelves for better organization
If you have employees working from home due to quarantine restrictions, there are many other ways to say happy birthday during a lockdown. Consider options such as flowers, a coffee maker, or a beginner cross-stitch kit to encourage creativity.
A Day Off With a Shopping Card
A day off for one’s birthday would probably be the most appreciated gift of all for employees. While there is always so much to do on any given day at work, ensuring that employees occasionally get a day off reduces their workload and pressure for a short time. This gives them the opportunity to rejuvenate and enjoy their birthday without the pressure of work.
Most people love spending their birthdays with their loved ones and friends. Respecting that fact and giving them a day to enjoy themselves is one of the best ways to show them that you value them. When you do that, employees feel recognized and believe that the company appreciates them. It also boosts their morale and attitude towards their work and workplace, which increases their performance.
Shine the Spotlight on Them
Celebrating employee birthdays doesn’t always have to be about you getting something expensive for them. It can also be about simply celebrating their efforts, skills, and achievements with other team members. Celebrating an employee’s birthday at work is one of the best ways to create a sense of team unity amongst employees.
By creating a relaxed atmosphere at work, employees are encouraged to know each other beyond what they do for a living. It provides the perfect opportunity for team bonding and team building without necessarily going outdoors or leaving the office. Set a specific time for celebrating an employee and notify the rest of the team. As a group, come together to express best wishes or share in the gift buying.
You can also shine the spotlight on employees by sending out emails to the entire office network wishing them a happy birthday, and sharing a bit about them. Highlight their accomplishments and your appreciation for them working for the company. You could also wish them a happy birthday on your social media platforms to show the world that your company cares and values its employees.
Be Consistent When Celebrating Employee Birthdays
We know that celebrating every employee in an organization may seem impossible. Still, there’s always something you can do to celebrate each person, no matter how big the company is, or which department they work in. It doesn’t have to be something extravagant, so long as it’s thoughtful and shows appreciation for who they are as part of your team.
Be consistent in celebrating all employee birthdays. If you’re going to send company-wide emails, for example, be sure to do this for all employee birthdays. Also, be sure employees are comfortable with the recognition – and never publicize their year of birth.
In any case, you can always find a way to honor and recognize someone’s birthday, just be considerate and creative and your employees will appreciate the effort.