21 Inexpensive Appreciation Gifts for Employees That They’ll Love

HeyTaco March, 20 2025 10 minute read

Business research identifies three reasons to give employees gifts:

Strengthening relationships
Showing appreciation
Improving performance through higher overall job satisfaction

However, similar research shows that over half of recipients have tossed gifts like these out. So much for appreciation!

A company culture built around recognition and appreciation doesn’t have to spend big on gifts to stay in an employee’s good graces. Keep reading to learn why plaques aren’t all that and when it’s the right time to give tangible presents.

From there, we share HeyTaco’s list of inexpensive appreciation gifts for employees, remote teams, and more.

What makes inexpensive appreciation gifts great?

Forget the gifts for one second–personalization is what makes appreciation count. Authentic, freely given acknowledgment of an individual’s positive behavior or talent drives motivation and morale like nothing else.

Personalizing appreciation looks like:

Doing so publicly or privately in accordance with their personality
Expressing what particular attributes or actions you’re appreciative of
Fostering a culture that supports their continued success in those areas

Now, apply that to giving gifts. A great inexpensive appreciation gift will be:

Relevant to their role, personality, or habits
Given with a clear understanding of why they’re receiving it
A great fit with the company culture

Knowing this, it’s easy to see why some traditional “gifts” aren’t that desirable. “If you sell this number of units, you will get this sales plaque,” “If you meet this criteria, you will become Employee of the Month and get this gift certificate.” These are stock rewards, not authentic gestures of appreciation.

If you personalize it, you can spend whatever you want on a gift.

Quick checkup: The Culture of Recognition Index

The existing company culture determines how well a gift will go over. Is this the first time employees will be getting appreciation gifts? Are you reducing the budget and worried they won’t like it as much?

Whether it’s a step down or a step up, a strong culture of recognition will bolster your efforts. HeyTaco’s quick assessment can help. Use our Culture of Recognition Index to get your score.

If your score is over 50, it can be easy to integrate small gifts. Under 50 indicates there are fundamental issues, and that giving gifts may not be the place to start.

Hey, 50 and Under Club: Don’t despair. Plenty of companies in your boat have gone from zero to hero in mere months. Start including all types of employee recognition and get inspo from teams who successfully spread authentic recognition teamwide.

When to give appreciation gifts

There are a handful of gift-appropriate occasions at work, including some optional dates. Here’s an overview:

Employee Appreciation Day: Employee Appreciation Day is the first Friday in March. If you do any physical gifting at all, this is the best date.

Holidays: Adjust to the background and preferences of employees. It’s customary to offer some form of gift or celebration for winter holidays (Hanukkah/Christmas/New Year’s).

Work Anniversaries: Acknowledge an employee’s years of service. Even if you don’t buy a tangible gift, it’s important to reward and show gratitude for their loyalty.

Birthdays: Another popular time to acknowledge employees with a celebration, gift, flexibility, or some other perk.

Large Project Completion (Optional): Show appreciation for propelling the company forward with important projects or accounts.

Promotions (Optional): Gifts can help congratulate a valued employee for taking the next step in their career.
Great Performance (Optional): This can be part of a reward for going above and beyond or exemplifying your company’s core values.

BONUS: Don’t forget to give to givers. These are the employees who are as quick to thank people for their help as they are to ask for it. They admire other people’s strengths. They’re the best collaborators and carry team morale on their backs.

What do employees want as appreciation gifts?

Not sure, you could always ask them. No really–collecting feedback and putting effort into learning their preferences works better than anything else.

If time is of the essence, or it’s just not logistically possible at the moment, know that good gifts have one or more of the following qualities:

Thoughtful: You took the employee’s preferences or lifestyle into account. Example: An employee loves doing yoga on the weekends, so you get them a nice mat.

Useful: The gift won’t just sit around; the employee can use it.

Example: Someone is known to drink multiple cups of coffee each workday. If you give them their favorite coffee, they’re sure to use it.

Meaningful: It holds special importance or evokes memories or positive feelings.

Example: An employee is crazy about their Golden Retriever. You surprise them with an office mug with a photo of their dog on it.

Practical: It serves a purpose or solves a problem for the employee.

Example: Someone needs a quieter environment to stay focused. You gift them a pair of noise-canceling headphones.

Personalized: The gift reflects the employee’s personality or interests.

Example: An employee loves wearing leopard print often, so they’re given a leopard-patterned planner as a gift.

Finally, we have the most important quality of them all: Appropriate. Even the most inexpensive appreciation gifts for employees should be proportionate to the occasion and the company culture.

First, consider the occasion. If you’re looking to celebrate years of dedicated service, a snack assortment may be inappropriate. An employee could reflect on their time and effort spent, see a snack-size bag of chips, and associate the low cost of that with their perceived worth at the company.

Yeah, that sounds pretty rough. But the solution here isn’t to spend more money, it’s to show more appreciation. In this case, it would be much more valuable to tell the employee what sort of positive impact they’ve had on the company.

Next, company culture. If the current culture reflects a more corporate or competitive atmosphere, getting someone a mug personalized with a photo of their dog will feel very out of place.

Stick with practical gifts and gradually incorporate the personal as you shift into a culture of recognition.

Thoughtful, inexpensive appreciation gifts for employees

It doesn’t matter if “inexpensive” means $5 or $50. Cool, useful, or just plain considerate can be had for nearly any amount of money. Here’s our master list of 21 inexpensive employee appreciation gifts for regular occasions.

1. Personalized mugs

Personalized mugs are unique to the recipient, easy on your budget, and can be kept and used for years to come. Just make sure this employee is known to enjoy coffee, tea, or other hot beverages.

2. Desk plants

Employees who’ve expressed any fondness for plants can get a lot of benefits from this gift. Studies suggest that adorning your workspace with plants can increase job satisfaction, environmental aesthetics, and air quality.

PRO TIP: Do your due diligence in choosing the right plant for their workspace. Good lower-maintenance plants that don’t require a lot of sun include English ivy, ZZ plants, money trees, snake plants, some ferns, and of course, succulents.

3. Custom notebooks

A practical gift for the employee who is always jotting something down. Customizing it with their initials, name, or something they’re really into adds enough of a personal touch to let them know it’s a sincere gesture.

4. Reusable water bottles

Many of us have a cabinet full of these knocking around. And yet somehow, we always forget to bring one to work! Choose a cool new water bottle for the employee who needs help hydrating on the go.

5. Small gift cards

Gift cards in small denominations are still welcome. It can cover someone’s coffee and pastry, or act as a discount on a larger purchase.

6. Stress relief toys

There’s usually at least one employee who isn’t listening to your whole rap about work-life balance. Or, they can’t sit still, especially when they’re talking on the phone. Before you sneakily swap out their espresso for decaf, try gifting stress relief and fidget toys.

7. Handwritten thank you notes

Are you at a loss (financially and idea-wise)? Short on time, too? Do this right now. Handwritten notes of appreciation are one of the most underrated small employee gift ideas.

Make it a good one and they can keep it around, deriving motivation from it later on.

CHEAT CODE: No idea what to write, you say? It should be custom to the recipient (name, reason for writing), but here are some employee appreciation message ideas.

8. Snack packs

If you have 10 bucks and there’s a gas station or grocery store nearby, you have a token of appreciation. Grab some fresh fruit, crackers, chips, and nuts. Add them to a box or basket, fix that handwritten note on it, and voila.

9. Fun desk accessories

Nameplates, little crystal orbs or sculptures, novelty lamps, oil diffusers–it’s easy to spot the knickknack lover in any office. These trinkets are like keepsakes to them. Pick a small one they’ll treasure every day.

10. Eco-friendly tote bags

Environmentally conscious employees will appreciate the versatility and sustainability of a tote bag. Offer a branded company bag or customize one to their tastes. Bonus points if it’s made of natural or recycled fibers.

11. Stationery and supplies

The highly organized will find this sort of gift very on-brand. Pick from patterned desk organizers, desk calendars, planners, matching paper and pen sets, fancy paper clips, sticky note pads, and more.

12. Subscriptions

A modern classic that will never go unappreciated. Music, meditation/mindfulness, and TV/movie streaming apps all offer gift subscriptions.

PSA: This item appears on a lot of our lists. For instance, this list of employee reward ideas includes perks that will cost you an unbeatable $FREE.99!

13. Device accessories

It’s easy to find good pricing on nice phone stands, Bluetooth speakers, wireless chargers, headphones, styluses, and more. Choose chic cases for phones and tablets, too.

14. Candy

A small box of artisanal chocolates or an employee’s favorite imported candies usually don’t cost much but still feel extra special.

15. Time off

Now introducing your employee’s favorite inexpensive employee appreciation gift. Scale this to what makes sense–getting to leave early, coming in a little late, taking an afternoon off, or a whole day.

16. A craft kit

Book nooks, candle-making, pottery painting, origami! Kits are some of the best small gifts to give employees who lean artsy-craftsy.

17. Game or puzzle

Puzzle lovers are easy enough to please; get extra credit for choosing puzzles that intersect with other interests of theirs. Social butterflies might enjoy conversation-sparking card games.

18. Local gift certificates

Shop local by getting small employee gifts at area spas, parks, breweries, and boutiques.

19. Custom fan gear

If you have an employee who cannot act normal about a sports team, singer, or TV show, hit up Etsy. Check out the niche merch crafters are making for just about every fixation under the sun.

20. A nice candle

A go-to for other gift-giving occasions, candles are also great small gift ideas for staff. Employees who are decked out for every holiday might like seasonal scents. Otherwise, choose a clean or calming scent with broad appeal.

21. Treats for the whole team

“Kim did such a great job on this project, bagels are on me this morning.” Now everyone in the office is showing their appreciation, doubling Kim’s pride and planting the seeds for peer-to-peer recognition and team-building.

Giving small employee gifts: 5 tips for success

We’ve established that when it comes to appreciation, it’s the thought that counts. In other words, you can’t throw money at something and be done.

Here are five footnotes for success in giving inexpensive employee appreciation gifts.

1. Put some effort into the presentation

No, you don’t have to buy special wrapping paper, ribbons, and custom tags. However, it might be a good idea to keep a quantity of simple gift bags on hand.

You can also choose gifts, such as a nice pen, that already come in a box ready to give.

BOTTOM LINE: Don’t make someone wrestle a taped-up Amazon box or unceremoniously plop an unpackaged gift in front of them.

2. Mix up personal and practical

Personal gifts are things strictly for pleasure, like snacks, candles, gift cards, and puzzles. Practical gifts include your device accessories, water bottles, desk organizers, and so on.

If employees get multiple little gifts a year, mix it up for interest.

BOTTOM LINE: Don’t just routinely pass out office supplies. Consider their personalities, too.

3. Make the purpose clear

Part of the positive psychology of gift-giving is that the recipient experiences a natural desire to reciprocate.

If an employee gets a small gift for never being late to work, they know you genuinely appreciate this behavior. It will specifically motivate them to continue to be timely.

BOTTOM LINE: Avoid “just because” gifts. They don’t contribute as much to company culture or employee satisfaction and performance.

4. Always give appreciation gifts on time

Similarly, appreciation gifts won’t have as much impact if they come late. After all, did you really appreciate them if you couldn’t prioritize expressing that?

If you don’t have a gift on hand, try not to leave it for more than two days.

BOTTOM LINE: Small employee appreciation gifts don’t have to be perfect, but they should be prompt. Some, like a gift subscription or thank you note, can be distributed on the same day.

5. Strive for equity

Some employees may warrant a small appreciation gift more often than others. It may be that they’ve been there longer, or their performance is exceptional.

Be mindful of this. Try to spend evenly across employees at the same level. If you’re going to buy gifts at all, make sure no one’s left out for long periods. This is why some companies reserve gifts for holidays or Employee Appreciation Day.

BOTTOM LINE: Don’t give one employee a less valuable gift (or nothing at all) than what others have gotten for the same reasons. Watch out for what looks like favoritism.

How to choose inexpensive team gifts

Looking to celebrate Employee Appreciation Day, or acknowledge a whole team during a major holiday? Personalizing different little low-cost gifts for each team member is great if you have the time and budget.

If you’re short on one or the other, don’t worry.

Option #1: Look around for a bulk buy

You can nearly double cost efficiency when you buy inexpensive employee gifts in bulk. Items like desk calendars, notebooks, and gourmet snacks are commonly available in lots.

Option #2: Prime time for company swag

Taking this opportunity to pass out branded swag is more useful than doing so at random. Get deals on items employees can really use, like portable chargers or water bottles with your company logo.

Option #3: When in doubt, feed them

Catering or calling in food trucks can be far from inexpensive, we know. Still, offering a special lunch can be a great way to acknowledge the whole team at once. Choosing a sandwich shop or wholesale club can make it possible.

In our experience, a taco bar can really hit the spot.

Option #4: Let them take turns enjoying a non-monetary perk

Premium parking, first to leave, an extra day working remotely. Pick a perk or two and assign times/days for each team member to take their turn enjoying the gift of flexibility.

Appreciation gifts for remote teams

Parking spots and team lunches aren’t really applicable to asynchronous teams. There are still plenty of ways to celebrate remote employees on a budget, from anywhere.

1. Snack boxes

Build your own on the cheap or spend a little more on custom and build-your-own snack boxes. You can also pack and send a DIY pasta dinner box, with noodles, sauce, and any extras, like some good EVOO or sundried tomatoes.

2. Home goods

Employees working from home might appreciate a wooden cutting board, coaster set, or blanket as much as an office mug or desk décor.

3. Digital gift cards

This is still one of the best small employee appreciation gifts–just have it sent via email or text if it’s an on-the-spot gesture of gratitude.

4. A back pillow for the home office

Who knows what kind of chair they’re working with? A small, ergonomic lumbar support cushion may be just the ticket for the team member who’s always wincing during Zoom meetings.

5. Slippers/house shoes

The company-branded windbreaker or fleece can set us back a pretty penny. If you have a remote team, you can get away with the much more economical, yet still incredibly useful, pair of slippers.

6. Plant bundles

You can still get remote workers plants, just try a service like Rooted for shipping and selection. The baby bundles offer great variety and value.

7. Movie night box

Box up a streaming subscription gift card, candy, and popcorn. It’s more thoughtful than a gift subscription alone but can still come in at under $20.

BONUS: On a shoestring budget with a far-flung team? Take a look at some of these remote employee appreciation activities. Virtual happy hours, pet parades, and games are effective ways to acknowledge remote teams without buying a pile of gifts.

Small employee appreciation gifts for FREE

These free gestures are a perfect fit in a culture of recognition and encourage mutual appreciation.

1. Give birthdays off

Everyone gets the same fabulous gift. It’s useful, fun, and something to look forward to.

2. Increase professional development opportunities

Training, conferences, mentorship, and more have wide-ranging benefits.

3. Ease up on emails

Reducing employee’s mental load outside of working hours improves work-life balance.

4. Let them customize their workspace

Employees can rearrange desks and other furniture for a layout that they prefer.

5. Walk and work

Take the gang on a walk as you discuss work-related topics and solicit feedback. Mood-boosting activity and fresh air can shed new light on business matters.

Get 28 more ideas (and then some): Outside of a paycheck, the best things at work are free. Get more creative, morale-boosting ways to recognize employees without money.

Why HeyTaco is one of the best inexpensive employee appreciation gifts

This might sound dramatic, but it’s true: Gratitude is preventative medicine against burnout-causing stress and general job dissatisfaction.

When we focus on appreciating one another every day in the workplace, a little gift here and there is just the icing on the cake. Or, uh, the guac on the taco. 🥑🌮

HeyTaco also makes it easy for teams to work toward gifts and rewards together, taking a lot of the guesswork out of choosing the gifts they want.

See more about creating collaborative rewards with HeyTaco.

So yes, arming your employees with little virtual tacos they can use to communicate positivity is an effective, inexpensive way to make appreciation part of your culture. It’s also a metric you can track, so you know how it’s working and who it’s working best for.

It sounds almost too easy to be the answer, so let the VP of tech platform Liven explain why using HeyTaco for recognition works:

“It’s easy to dismiss recognition as a non-revenue driving activity, but engaged employees and strong teamwork make everything else fall into place… [HeyTaco] allowed us to decentralize recognition and integrate it where we work without adding complexity.”

If you’re looking to make employee appreciation inexpensive, but very high-impact, try HeyTaco for free.

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