22 Ways to Celebrate Employee Birthdays (In Office and Remote)

Employee birthdays have become a much larger topic in recent years. We owe much of that to the rise of workplace recognition and its emerging status as a must-have, not a nice-to-have.

To be sure, recognition retains and engages employees. However, birthday recognition in particular may have more to do with employees needing the human, personal version of themselves to be acknowledged, too. 

Today, we’re sharing ways to celebrate employee birthdays no matter the budget or work model. But first, let’s take a closer look at why birthdays increasingly cannot go ignored.

A case for including employee birthdays in recognition programs

The importance of work anniversaries remains steady. The rising challenge is that having professional validation and appreciation covered can expose deficits in areas that are becoming more important to workers.

The modern workforce is prepared to take work-life balance by force, whether by quiet quitting or casually leaving their options open at all times. There’s a real emphasis on avoiding burnout and putting the human aspects of our existence first–no matter the professional consequences. 

To address this, organizations are now striving to strengthen culture, cohesion, and community. It happens that birthdays are a time when many people expect belonging. If they’re completely denied that acknowledgment at work, they may be less likely to see it as a culture where they belong.

That’s easy enough to accept. From there, we must consider how to include employee birthdays without dipping too far into the complex emotions associated with personal milestones. 

Three simple rules for implementing birthday celebration ideas at work

Why should someone’s negative feelings about their personal birthday muck up your retention and engagement rates? If a company chooses to recognize birthdays without considering the following, they’re kind of asking for it.

First, obtain consent (for everything)

Employees need to have the option to keep their birthday private. Even if they do consent to celebrations, don’t share their birth year. 

You should also ask before going more public with it, like posting on social media or calling it out in front of everyone at a meeting. Posting virtual well wishes and watching others follow suit feels safer to consenting employees. Making anyone feel put on the spot has vastly different outcomes.

Invite employees to help (but no pressure!)

You can slam out surveys every month like clockwork and still not know someone’s preferences as well as their closest teammates. Will they cry if you sing to them? How do they feel about clowns? Is this gift something they already have 10 of? 

If you do celebrations, make coworker participation part of the culture. No one should feel obligated, but a little, “Hey, does Janet like chocolate cake?” or “Do you want to help decorate her desk?” opens the door for others to pitch in. 

If your team already makes peer recognition a habit, this should become second nature quickly.

Strive for consistency (and equity) 

Once you start acknowledging birthdays, you can’t just put them back in the box. Set up a dedicated employee birthday calendar, choose the tools you’ll use (such as a birthday Slack bot), and then get the party started.

That should be obvious enough. Where companies really mess up with consistency is in keeping celebrations equitable across all employees. Sure, some employees like it low-key while others want a sash, wand, and tiara. Just guarantee that the company is not spending bigger (or acting happier) on some birthdays over others. 

🌮 Taco-centric work birthday celebration ideas 

If you’re one of thousands of teams using HeyTaco, you’re already ahead of the curve. It’s pretty simple to make employee birthdays another fun recognition ritual. Here’s a rapid-fire breakdown of birthday ideas to start.

1. Milestone celebrations

Customize, automate, and appreciate your way to higher morale and a stronger company community with the Milestones feature. 

2. Go shopping in the Taco Shop

You already maintain and refresh your Taco Shop. Let your existing rewards lineup serve as a menu of birthday celebrations.

3. Virtual taco party 

Crank some music and let the giving begin. Everyone feels better about their birthday when it is associated with gratitude and togetherness.

4. Create a custom taco card 

Download their taco data and make their virtual taco count the basis for a custom Canva card. Birthdays, while personal, are still a great occasion to let someone know how much value they add to the team.

💸 Employee birthday gift ideas that won’t bankrupt the company

Because all-inclusive weekend getaways just aren’t sustainable. If you’ve decided gifts are the only way to go, here are some affordable options that are still thoughtful enough to have an impact.

5. Special swag

Companies are already branding swag for culture-building and identity. It’s a pretty popular reward in Taco Shops, too. This year, brand some more appealing items and distribute them on birthdays. High-quality tees and Yeti mugs, for example. 

6. Subscriptions

Society is at the point where we’re downloading third-party apps to help keep track of our subscriptions. Imagine how free you’d feel if you knew someone else had already paid for your Netflix or Apple Music. 

7. Leverage local services

Amazing gifts like spa services or house cleaning sound too pricey for a lot of organizations. But in many areas, small business owners who provide these services are very reasonably priced. They may even cut you a deal if you plan on partnering with them regularly.

8. Tech accessories

Noise-cancelling headphones, laptop cases, power banks, and much more. Employees who are into the latest and greatest or just generally device-dependent will actually use one of these items. Because none of us wants our efforts to go to waste.

9. Coffee

A practical, cost-effective tradition that teams can look forward to. The birthday employee gets coffee (or another beverage of their choice) on the house. Pair it with a nice card, and acknowledge the occasion without creating elaborate expectations.

10. Give them a budget

You can always let employees choose a birthday gift within a particular price range. Offer a range of gift cards from popular brands or a meaningful reward they’ve been eyeing.  

🧁 Employee birthday celebration ideas: Office and virtual options

The best birthday wishes for an employee include the whole gang. Here are remote and in-person concepts for team hangs.

11. The Birthday Bunch

If you don’t want birthday parties cluttering up the calendar, have one as often as makes sense. Honor everyone who had a birthday since the last celebration. People who feel shy will appreciate sharing the spotlight, while party animals will welcome more reasons to celebrate. 

12. Honor their interests

Show some appreciation for the things they appreciate. Play video games with the resident gamer. Host a pop-up gallery-style art show for the person who paints during their off-hours. Surprising folks with gestures like this rarely costs much, but it has high emotional/sentimental value to a loyal employee.  

13. Be charitable

Charitable contributions are another popular Taco Shop reward that can be adjusted to suit a birthday. The key element is that it has to be relevant to the employee. Choose causes you know they’re passionate about or already dedicate themselves to. Otherwise, save donations for team/companywide initiatives. 

14. Decorate!

Festive Zoom backgrounds, balloon-festooned desks, or a crown to wear on your special day. Birthday decorations carry a lot of positive nostalgia for people. They break up the usual scenery and make the environment feel special in their honor.

15. Think outside of the (cake) box

Team treats leave a sweet aftertaste that helps everyone look forward to birthdays. This doesn’t have to mean leaving a cake in the breakroom. Cookie delivery for remote teams, gourmet chocolates for all–use employee preferences to whip up something delicious, but different.

16. Have the CEO say hello

Well, hopefully they have more to say than hello, but personal acknowledgement from someone in leadership shows some extra care. A handwritten card or brief chat with a boss is more memorable. Higher-ups are more often seen focusing on performance, so acknowledging those human milestones can be more impactful.

🤸🏼‍♀️ Flexibility-focused employee birthday ideas they’ll flip over

Say happy birthday to employees by supporting their work-life balance. Here are flexibility-based ideas, with a few options for even those companies without remote capabilities.

17. Offer the day off

Birthday leave is a pretty common perk in startup culture, but a lot of small to mid-size businesses are getting on board. It’s an easy crowd-pleaser (so long as you offer it to people whose birthdays fall on a weekend). 

18. A compressed work week, perhaps?

Working more hours four days a week instead of spreading them out over five days may increase productivity and employee satisfaction. Let interested employees give it a try as a birthday perk if you can’t approve birthday PTO.

19. Allow remote work

Employees who strongly feel they should be allowed to do more work remotely will see this more as an entitlement than a gift. However, offering it informally or off the cuff is another way to add flexibility without increasing paid leave.

20. Let them swap out a shift or task

Some work situations and industries can accommodate perks like this. Giving a birthday employee the priority on the schedule or handing off difficult tasks is an easy consideration for smaller teams to make. 

💬 It’s the thought that counts: How to nail employee birthday wishes

Organizations that don’t do b-day celebrations, perks, or gifts still get benefits by recognizing these milestones. Whether setting up a Slack bot for birthdays or signing a card, wishing someone a great day can be enough.

21. Send the right message

Personalize every happy birthday message to employees. That doesn’t just mean using their name; factor in their personality, position, and preferences. Check out our heartfelt, funny, and professional birthday wishes for employees and coworkers.

22. Share some laughs

Wishing someone a happy birthday in the team chat has an immediate effect–everyone else joins in, multiplying the good vibes the honoree receives. Make it even more fun to join in with a flurry of employee birthday memes and GIFs.

The key to happy employee birthdays: Keep it easy, keep it light

Birthdays are growing longer and more elaborate (“It’s my birthday week!”) in people’s personal lives, even if they’re not necessarily happier. Positively acknowledging employee birthdays without becoming responsible for how they feel about their big day is the challenge.

Keeping it fun and lightweight is the answer. HeyTaco feels the same about peer recognition in general; it should be highly accessible, non-disruptive, and a joy to experience. 

The ideas we’ve shared today can suit varying cultures and industry norms. But saying happy birthday is almost non-negotiable these days. Make it easy and emotionally light with automated birthday tacos and customizable messages that always meet the moment.