Recognizing employees’ work anniversaries with yearly anniversary gifts is an underrated but highly effective way to boost morale and improve performance. A work anniversary is the date of the employee’s official first day on the job. Whether your employee is a senior manager or a loyal front desk greeter, acknowledging the length of service they’ve delivered throughout the year (or years) sends the message that you are grateful for their individual efforts in helping your company achieve its overarching goals. There are so many reasons to celebrate one’s work anniversary, so as a business owner or manager it is up to you to ensure that it is recognized.
The best way to show your gratitude is to give employees gifts on their annual work anniversary. Whether common or unique, the best anniversary yearly gifts not only show your appreciation to your employee, but are also both pretty and practical.
Traditional Work Anniversary Gifts By Year
When it comes to thinking of business gifts ideas for employees, a good rule to follow is to have a pre-planned anniversary gift at intervals. There is no need to give unique gifts yearly, as this might hurt the company budget (but if you can afford to be generous with corporate gift ideas for your staff, well and good!).
The best way is to give work anniversary gifts for boss and other staff on the first year, the third, fifth, and then every five years. The kind and monetary value of your anniversary gift ideas should ideally increase as the employee progresses throughout the years. For example, in their first year with your company you might want to gift them a work anniversary keychain and perhaps a gift check to a reputable coffee shop or department store.
On their 5 year work anniversary you can follow the same pattern of giving a business gift but in an upgraded form. You can also incorporate a 5 year anniversary theme and this can continue throughout their career. The progressive increase in the monetary value of a unique corporate gift for work anniversaries is observed as a way of honoring an employee’s continuous service throughout the years.
Having said that, you might be wondering what are good work anniversary gifts to give your employees over the years. Here’s a great list that organizes work anniversary ideas for employees for the first year, third year and every 5 years thereafter. Check it out if you are in need of business gift ideas for employees on their work anniversaries!
Yearly Anniversary Gifts for Their First Work Anniversary
Rendering a year’s worth of service to your company is definitely something worth recognizing. Your new hire has learned a lot while on the job and is now gearing up to display better performance after reflecting on their first year and adjusting to the workload and the office environment. These first year work anniversary business gift ideas are great choices for you to keep in mind:
Espro Copper Coffee Press $60
This elegant daily essential is a great way to recognize a new hire’s work anniversary – and keep them powered up in the morning for maximum productivity.
Tip: Make your anniversary yearly gifts even more special by adding a custom mug or travel mug personalized with your company’s logo.
Shed Rain Walksafe Umbrella $20
Super useful for employees on the go (especially account executives who zip in and out of clients’ offices!), it’s a thoughtful addition to an employee’s daily commuting arsenal.
Tip: Customize your business anniversary gift ideas with your company’s branding for added marketing exposure.
Baggu Laptop Case $28
Corporate gift ideas employee catalogues often include a laptop, which is a great gift for the employee and employers. It'll protect company equipment and be a nice swag item for a first year anniversary that won’t break the budget.
Tip: For an easy upgrade, add colorful laptop stickers to your gift. Whether it’s a first or 5 year work anniversary the more personal you make it the better!
Kronos Double Wall Mugs (2 units - $32)
A unique employee corporate gift if you need something more creative than a mug! This is a fantastic option for those who want to go beyond conventional gifts and are looking for unique business gifts for their employees.
Tip: The best yearly anniversary gifts are the ones that reflect your employee’s personality. So if you know what kind of coffee they like, why not add a bag to their gift?
Set: Customized Mugs, Unna Bakery Cookies, Coco Chocolate Bar, 6 pack Pour Over Coffee $50
Drip coffee, chocolates, biscuits and cups are a heartwarming and nice gesture to celebrate your employee’s first year at work – especially if your goal is to make them feel all the more welcome and “at home” in your company.
Tile Tracker $25
Nifty tech will always be welcome when they offer a whole new world of utility – like this Tile Tracker monitoring device for keeping your precious stuff within check.
Work Anniversary - Year 3
Three years into the job should indicate just how well your employee has adapted to their role as a valuable member of your company. Whether they've had a job promotion, a new designation, or has better immersed themselves in their assigned role, three years is worth celebrating by presenting them with any of these corporate gift ideas:
Men's/Women's Better Sweater® 1/4-Zip Fleece $99
If you’ll be gifting your employee with clothing, there’s no better choice than a useful article from a reputable brand. This definitely says they're gone over and beyond the usual company tee.
Fellow pour-over kettle + Verve coffee beans $95
This is definitely an upgrade from the usual drip coffee maker, denoting a sense of taste and class that you are trying to communicate to your loyal employee.
PF Candle Reed Diffuser $24
A reed diffuser and a jersey blanket is a great pair to give to someone who is celebrating their third year at work. It goes above and beyond the usual minimum corporate giveaway and is useful outside of the office.
Travel Amenities Set: Rains dopp kit + Quip Travel Toothbrush + Touchland hand sanitizer ($105)
Three years into the job is enough time to say that one’s career is on an upward trajectory. With this usually comes a lot of travel, whether it is for work or for pleasure. Support that new normal with a travel amenities set that comes with customized Dopp kit, metal toothbrush and premium toothpaste, and a nifty moisturizing hand sanitizer that will get a lot of use as your employee zips in and out of airports and continents.
Work Anniversary - Year 5
Five years at work is a milestone, indeed! Five years of service is definitely a sign of commitment and desire to do your company proud. An employee celebrating five years of being in your workplace is definitely due for a nice upgrade in terms of their work anniversary corporate gift. Here are a couple of business gift ideas for employee work anniversaries on their fifth year of service:
Vitruvi Diffuser $119
A diffuser with essential oils is a unique corporate gift of wellness a well-deserving employee should have. It’ll definitely banish their stress and soothe their senses!
Wine Set: Menu Coolbreather Carafe, Menu Stackable Glasses, Bottle Thermometer, Modern Corkscrew $105 value
Celebrate a decade of dedication with fine wine, stackable glass, a thermometer, and corkscrew in an elegant packaging that is truly worth of a toast!
Relaxation Set: Woolrich Atlas Blanket, August Tea Flavor, Kinto Mug, Areaware Tile Coasters, PF Candle $140
Nothing says “Me Time” more than an elegant package of a plush blanket, premium tea, cozy mug with a set of coasters, and a beautiful scented candle. It’s the perfect present for someone who’s been hard at work in your company for five years.
Cozy Home Set: Blanket, Kinto Mug, Molly M Leather Coasters $92.50
A sweater blanket combined with a set of lovely cups and coasters is a nice break from all the work-themed corporate work anniversary presents you’ve been seeing. This set sends the message that rest is just as important as work, apart from celebrating a decade’s worth of service.
Work Anniversary - 10 years
Much like fine wine, ten years on the job has earned your employee a very high degree of respect – which translates into a beautiful corporate gift idea reserved for employees of such a stature. Choosing from the latter section of an employee anniversary gifts catalog will most likely present to you impressive corporate gift ideas for the ten year service award like the following:
Travel Set: Kiko Laptop Case, Kiko Passport Sleeve, Tile App, Cord Taco $145
It’s high time to upgrade your employee’s work travel kit with these luxury items that are also high on utility. A debossed laptop sleeve and passport holder, Tile tracker, and leather cord taco are nice upgrades to what might already be worn out or beaten work-related accessories.
Tip: The markings of a great gift are in the details and for 10 year anniversary ideas you’ll definitely want to add in a personalized card. You can even give them updated business cards with your gift.
Luxury Tech Set: Nomad Wireless Charging Hub, Universal Charging Cable, Leather Chord Organization Wrap $152
The snazzy wireless hub is a true jackpot, while the universal charging cable and leather cord organizer are fun and useful extras that still carry a premium touch.
Tip: To really make your business anniversary gift ideas shine, ask how you can add your branding to your gift whether as a sewn on tag or embossing.
Work Anniversary - Year 15 and Beyond
Just as you may have incorporated a 5 year anniversary theme, you’ll definitely want to follow that for 15 years. After all, fifteen years of anyone’s professional life dedicated to one company is yet another great opportunity to bestow business gifts that are unparalleled in terms of monetary value and prestige. Don’t forget to consider throwing a party for your precious employee, who has greatly contributed so much of their time, energy, skill and intelligence to the success and recognition your company has earned throughout the years!
Travel Comforts Set: Marine Layer, Rains Travel Pouch, Rains Duffel Bag, Incase Packing Cubes $250
Whether for work or leisure, a kit containing plush travel essentials like a sweater, toiletry case, overnighter bag, packing cubes and gadget organizer is a good idea for someone who’s been with your company for fifteen years (and counting)!
Tip: Aside from yearly anniversary gifts, travel sets are also great for your traveling sales team, executive gifts, and VIP customers.
Luxe Executive Set: Palm Coffee Press, S'well Bottle, Poketo Criterion Pen, Orbit Bluetooth Keychain, Nomad Portable Charger, Royce Leather Luggage Tag
Celebrating fifteen years at work is by no means a hard feat, which is why your employee deserves no less than a luxe executive accessories set. This carefully curated set includes an elegant brass pen, fine crafted insulated bottle, Tile Slim tracker, Palm coffee press and an ultra-thin charger.
Tips on Giving Work Anniversary Gifts
- Choose gender-neutral options. This makes your gift handy and gives it a higher likelihood of being utilized – whether it is by the receiver themself or someone in their family, for example. A simple, understated color will be easy to appreciate compared to something that leans more towards one gender than the other, especially if the opposite gender is the recipient.
- Include a personalized thank you note. Work anniversaries happen all the time throughout the course of your business’ life, but it doesn’t take more than three minutes to pen a note thanking your employee for their year/s of service. It’s something they will surely appreciate – trust us.
- Feel free to include other things in your gift package. These suggestions do not have to be just the gift itself – especially those at the lower levels or tiers. A gift check, a fruit basket, or an e-voucher are nice additions on top of these hand-picked selections which your employee will be delighted to receive.
- Automate reminders for upcoming work anniversaries. A centralized database of when your employees celebrate their important work anniversaries will make preparing for them more efficient – especially if you need time to plan a party or a small office celebration to go with it. Set reminders to go off the week before someone is due to have a work anniversary so you have ample time to send someone out to order the necessary presents, if you won’t be doing it yourself.
- Round up the crew. Letting other people know that someone is celebrating an important work anniversary simply adds an extra layer of celebratory feel for the individual when others are there to greet and congratulate them on it.
- Honor their accomplishments. As your department comes together to honor someone’s work anniversary, you can also prepare a short list of that person’s distinct contribution to the company in his years of service. This is a great way to reinforce actual, concrete contributions that can further motivate him to improve his performance in the years ahead. Not only are you merely celebrating a work anniversary because time deems it so, but your company also went out to recognize that employee’s performance milestones that has done a lot to improve the overall operations and business of the company.
- Choose items with a high level of utility. Gifts have a high return on interest if they are often used instead of just collecting dust on a shelf. Everyday items are great ideas, and if you want to give them a special twist you can find pieces that are more premium than what you will often find in most stores.
- Get input from fellow officemates. Choosing a special gift for someone’s work anniversary can be made more personal when you have an idea of what the celebrant might like, given his or her taste. You can do this by asking an officemate close to this person for a list of suggestions, and compare that with the gift options that you have lined up. Conversely, you can also ask office mates to choose which among the gift options you have on hand that the employee celebrating a work anniversary might like, saving you time from scouting for another gift and increasing the chances of his or her satisfaction with the present.
- Save time by choosing your work anniversary gifts online. Looking for individual work anniversary gifts can be very time consuming. Instead of wandering around different stores to look for options, it is better to just source your items from a carefully curated online shop that already specializes in work anniversary gifts, corporate giveaways, and the like.
There you have it – a great selection of business anniversary gift ideas that you can turn to when it’s time to celebrate your hard working employees. And remember, whether it’s their first year, a 5 year work anniversary, or even a celebration for an employee who’s about to enter retirement, showering your employee with appreciation shows not just the employee that you care about them, but your entire team. So when it’s time to celebrate, be sure to make it fun and memorable so it’s a team building experience in itself.
Remember, the more time your employees spend with you, the better their gifts should get. It’s important to express your gratitude for their commitment to your company by gifting them things that you know they will appreciate. And, if you’re looking for help finding curated gifts that offer high quality and plenty of unique customization features let Gemnote help you with the heavy lifting.
