65 Creative Employee Reward Ideas

(2021 Update)
There are all kinds of employee and corporate rewards out there. To help you out,
we’ve scoured the internet and wracked our brains for the very best and most
😎
creative employee reward ideas, and put it all into one big list for you.

In fact, this list has been so popular that we've updated and expanded it multiple
times—and we’re happy to say that this time around, we’ve rehauled the entire
list and its categories! Plus, by popular request, look for🚫💰 peppered throughout
this list for free or low-cost ideas! 

Creativity, not cost, is the real secret to building an assortment of employee

rewards and incentives that everyone will be excited to earn. So let’s get started!

Gifts

1. Branded clothing / swag 

Of course, the first idea on our list is to utilize what you likely already have in
your arsenal—your company’s own branded swag! There’s always t-shirts or
water bottles floating around the office, and most people love the opportunity to
rep their company. Most people also love free things. 🤑
Take this moment to think about your swag designs. Are they cool? Is it just your
company logo slapped on a plain t-shirt? Listen—your company logo might be
really snazzy, but crowdsourcing swag design is a great way to get employees
involved and show off your team’s creativity.

2. Spotify Premium or Apple Music subscription

Nearly everybody has a preferred work playlist. So you’re grooving along, in the
zone, and then—screech—a horribly jarring ad comes on and ruins your focus.

You hate it, I hate it, everybody hates it. So eliminate those moments altogether
by rewarding your employees a premium account to their music streaming service
of choice.

3. Plants 🚫💰
According to US News & World Report, British and Dutch researchers have
“found that having office plants created a better work environment.”
Why? Here’s what the research suggests: “One possible explanation is that
greenery increases engagement by making people more physically, cognitively
and emotionally involved in their jobs.”

If your employees would consider it a gift and not a source of stress, give them a
plant to care for at the office. We recommend low-light, easy-care plants like
succulents and cacti! 🌿🌱🌵🌼
4. Book of the Month
Have a few bookworms on your team? Book of the Month is an easy,
subscription-based gift that provides readers with their pick from five buzz-
worthy new novels each month. Plus, if there are multiple big readers at your
company, you basically get a built-in bookclub!

5. Charitable giving
Many of your employees are likely making charitable donations already. You can
help them to amplify the impact they're making by making a donation on their
behalf, or matching a donation, as a meaningful reward.

6. Gift cards
Gift cards are one of the most impactful types of employee rewards. There's no
doubt a huge variety of gift cards from your team's favorite retailers that you can
offer. There's a special feeling you get when you buy a pair of new shoes, a spa
day, or a cup of coffee on the weekend—with the knowledge that your company
just foot the bill. 😉
7. “____” club
It’s the gift that keeps on giving. 😉
Getting a package in the mail every month with goodies is always delightful, and
now you don’t even have to go through the trouble of packaging it up for
someone and heading to the post office. There are so many monthly subscription
services out there with every theme under the sun. Here are a few of our favorites:

8. Coffee memberships
Nearly everybody has a morning routine, whether they’re a coffee, tea, or juice
drinker!

This reward is inspired by a local café in Boulder, CO, home of Bonusly HQ! It
may take some research, but check around and see if any cafés around you offer
memberships or subscriptions—this typically means customers can pay a set
price, often discounted, for a month or more of unlimited beverages. Fronting that
cost brightens mornings and supports local businesses!
Depending on your location, there might be an app for it, too! ☕️
🍵
9. Designated “fun” budget
It’s easy to feel more engaged with something when you have direct control over
it. It’s a lot like having a piggy bank—except when it’s full, the team can decide
on a fun thing to do together.

10. Website or newsletter feature 🚫💰

Getting a public shout out never gets old. If you have a company newsletter or
blog, writing up a small feature on an indispensable team member is sure to make
them feel recognized and appreciated.

11. Rented or professionally styled outfits for

special occasions
Every once in a while, employees typically encounter a Big Deal event—this can
be presentations to clients, speaking engagements, or charity galas! Show the
organization cares and is rooting for them by footing the bill for a snazzy outfit
from Rent the Runway or Generation Tux. It’ll make the recipient look and feel
good. 💅
If you’re an organization that requires specific dress, like business-professional
attire in a law office or steel-toed boots for construction firms, expensing those
additional costs can go a long way for your employee in terms of budget—but
also for their feelings of inclusion and belonging.

12. Send a care package

Personally, going to the post office is a huge chore for me. So when I do, you can
bet that the person I’m sending mail to is someone I really value!

At its core, receiving personally-addressed things in the mail feels so good of the
time and care someone displays in going through the process of posting mail. It’s
a similar feeling to receiving letters! Except a care package can contain snacks. 😎
(You're 18% through the article! Want to finish reading later? Get a PDF copy of
this list sent to your inbox. Otherwise, keep scrolling!)
13. Personalized stickers, mugs, magnets 🚫💰
Surprise your employees with stickers, mugs, or magnets printed with their faces
or their dogs’ faces! Great for decorating laptops, drinking coffee, or playing on
the kitchen fridge, these personalized items are like custom Slack emoji for the
physical world. Check out Sticker Mule for excellent die cut and kiss cut stickers
for this kind of project.

14. Cookies 🚫💰
Listen. Everybody likes cookies, and not just on employee appreciation day.
Supermarket cookies are acceptable, but bonus points for finding a cool recipe
and making them yourself.

15. Art
Research by Exeter University’s School of Psychology found that
employees who have control over the design and layout of their workspace
are not only happier and healthier—they’re also up to 32% more
productive.

–Karen Higginbottom, Forbes

Invite your employees to select new artwork for your office space. Give them a
budget and designate a wall space, then see what they propose! If your office
doesn’t necessarily have the wall space for new artwork, a print for their home is
also a thoughtful gift that will remind them of your company’s appreciation for
them.

16. Supportive shoes or insoles

You know how they say you should buy a good mattress, because you spend a
third of your life sleeping? We’d like to say the same about good shoes—but for 
the third of your life where you're working!👟
Supportive shoes and insoles are especially important for professions that require
a lot of time on someone’s feet—like the healthcare, retail, and hospitality
industries. If you’re in one of these fields, keeping your team members
comfortable should be part of your business expenses.

17. Custom emoji 🚫💰

If you’re big Slack communicators at your company, a custom emoji dedicated to
someone’s likeness is a quirky and unexpected reward. It’s also an excellent way
to welcome new employees to the team!

18. Personal recognition note from CEO 🚫💰

Knowing that someone at the very top of your job hierarchy appreciates the work
you do can be thrilling. Take the time to make sure your leaders know about the
great work your team members are doing, and ask them to write letters of
appreciation to individuals that are killin’ it.
 

Professional development

19. Office resource library 🚫💰

An investment in your employees’ professional development is an invaluable
reward. Offer to cover the cost of a book they’ve been wanting and add it to your
office’s resource library. Personalized bookplates to recognize each person and
their reason for adding a book could be a nice touch, but you don’t have to go
overboard. Supporting your employees and owning your role in their development
as they build their personal skillsets is a generous and symbolic gesture.

20. Classes and courses

There's a plethora of courses out there for every subject under the sun, both in-
person and virtual, and it’s an easy way to get someone refreshed and inspired
about their daily tasks.

If you can’t necessarily fund attendance for a whole course, designate some time
once a week to watch webinars or conference videos. It’s a no-cost opportunity to
learn something new.
21. Seminars
Similar to classes, seminars are typically less of a time-commitment, but are just
as packed with information. They’re also a great opportunity to network!

22. Memberships
Sponsoring an employee’s admission fees into a professional organization has a
long-lasting impact. It communicates that an organization cares about an
employee’s career development beyond their tenure at a particular company, and
provides a plethora of opportunities for networking and learning.

23. Conferences
Similar to courses and seminars, conferences are excellent opportunities to learn
about the current state of your industry and network with potential customers.

24. Books 🚫💰
As an employer, you can provide the materials an employee needs to improve
their mastery over a subject. Find out what kinds of books and other educational
resources might be valuable to your team—and don’t forget about leadership,
communications management, and interpersonal help books!

Audiobooks and eBooks are also a great option since they're delivered digitally,
which makes fulfilling them easy.

25. Hackathons 🚫💰
Designate a day or week for a hackathon! We recommend pizza, too. 🍕🤖
Hackathons don’t have to be centered around developers—at Bonusly, it’s a week
where the team is encouraged to “hack” anything, whether it’s an outdated
process, an old piece of content, or a better organization system for your
resources. The projects that take place during this time are typically those that
employees really want to work on, but are often pushed aside.

Plus, hackathons are a really great opportunity to explore different areas of the
industry, try out new things, and flex your skills in a new way.

[B]reaking out of the day-to-day routine can reinvigorate and inspire staff,
but hackathons also demonstrate to employees that innovation is not only
welcomed, but also expected.

–Elizabeth Spaulding and Greg Caimi, Harvard Business Review

26. Dinner with someone in the company 

Networking and mentorship can be a little awkward at first, so break the ice with
an excellent meal. Delicious food and great conversation? Sign us up.
27. Upgraded or premium office products
Do your team members long for better Adobe stock photo options? Or the pro
version of your project management tool? Consider upgrading your current
software and products to make your team members’ daily tasks more efficient and
their work higher quality.

28. Sponsored content on LinkedIn or Forbes

For many people, it’s super meaningful to have a byline on a well-written article.
If they have some insights that are useful to the industry, broaden their reach by
promoting their article on LinkedIn or submitting it to Forbes.

29. Session with a financial advisor

Unfortunately, long-term financial planning isn’t exactly freely offered. If a 401k
match is already offered as part of your total rewards package, consider having a
financial advisor on deck to help your employees throughout the year. It makes a
tremendous personal impact and dispenses valuable knowledge for any
individual’s future.

30. Skill-sharing 🚫💰
There’s no use in siloing information in a company! Take the time to encourage
skill-sharing through lunch-and-learns or even just dedicated professional
development time. From HTML basics to social media best practices, these topics
can be useful across the team.

Click here to save this list as a PDF. Share it with your coworkers! We also
recommend plastering it all over your office.

Experiences

31. Subsidized recreation

Depending on where your workplace is located, you may see some preferences in
the weekend activities among your team members. For Bonusly HQ in Boulder,
you’ll find us at a U.S. National Park in the summertime and on the ski slopes
during winter!

There are often some expenses that can add up, and a great way to encourage your
employees to stay active is by subsidizing any recreational costs they may come
across—like offering the gift of a U.S. Park Pass. From entrance fees to
memberships, there are many ways a company can show support for their
employees’ out-of-office activities.
32. Dogs at the office 🚫💰
Having a dog-friendly office has a ton of benefits for humans (although doggos
probably love it, as well). A 2017 study showed that employees at dog-friendly
offices are less stressed, more collaborative, and more likely to give higher ratings
of trustworthiness to their team members.

Of course, it’s not possible for every office to be dog-friendly. A great way to feel
those same benefits is by partnering with your local humane society or rescue
organization to schedule a puppy pitstop by the office. Aside from playing with
adorable dogs, team members get to take a break, spend time together (dogs in the
office are also shown to be an excellent ice breaker), and make some great
memories.

33. Work from elsewhere 🚫💰

Support local businesses and treat your employees to a working day outside the
office. If your team likes rock climbing, for instance, you can get day passes to a
rock climbing gym that offers wifi and lounge areas. You can host active team-
building activities and productive creative sessions all under the same roof. (We
like Movement here in Boulder, CO; Brooklyn Boulders has locations in New
York, Chicago, and Boston).

34. Fly in remote team members

If you have more than one office, offering employees opportunities to spend time
working in a different office is a great way to break the monotony of the daily
routine, while still getting great work done. It's also a nice way for employees
who may never have met face-to-face to forge valuable friendships.

35. Subscription to Headspace

Don’t just give people breaks—give your team members a sign that you care
about their mental and emotional wellbeing. A gift of a Headspace subscription
can provide valuable guided meditation sessions that’ll leave employees feeling
refreshed.

36. Wine-tasting or brewery tour

For those that drink alcohol, a guided wine-tasting or brewery tour is educational
and fun. Plus, you get to support a local business! 🍷🍺
37. Local restaurant experience
Good food? Always appreciated. After accomplishing a big milestone, treat your
employees to a private dinner at a local restaurant.
38. Cooking class
Learning something new with your team members! Whether you’re heading to a
professional kitchen to learn how to make sushi or enlisting a skilled coworker to
teach the office how to make their famous crepes, it’s bound to be a fun and
yummy time. 😋
39. Pottery class
Ceramics is a unique, hands-on, totally messy experience that’s bound to be a hit
with your team. Plus, you get a kiln-fired pot, mug, bowl, or… artistic lump… to
commemorate the occasion. 😎🔥
40. Tickets to a concert, movie, sports game,
festival
Tickets to a basketball game, local food festival, or Ariana Grande concert are
easy crowd-pleasers and always lots of fun!

41. Yoga classes

Yoga can help improve fitness of both the body and mind. Offering yoga classes
to employees can be a great reward, since it can help them feel focused at the start
of the day or unwind after a hard day’s work.

42. Remote Year

Remote Year brings together groups of inspiring professionals to travel, live, and
work in different cities around the world for a year or four months. For some of
your employees, your support for their application and acceptable to RemoteYear
could be the ultimate reward.

🚫💰
43. Volunteer day at employee’s non-profit of
choice
Support a non-profit organization, and an employee’s personal passion!
Volunteering is a great team-bonding activity, and it’s even more meaningful
when it’s for a cause near-and-dear to a team member’s heart.

44. Express experience 🚫💰

There are a lot of ways to feel special, and one of my favorites is by getting to
skip to the front of the line. Whether that’s the privilege of jumping to the front of
the line at the company cafeteria or skipping the printer queue, this is a small but
mighty reward for your hard workers. 
45. Design swag
Get your employees involved in designing your new company swag, whether it’s
a wall calendar featuring the dogs of your office or a t-shirt featuring a company
mascot. Handing the creative reins to your employees can inspire new
collaborative dynamics, give them a sense of ownership, and imbue the final
product with more meaning! 🎨
Click here to save this list as a PDF. Share it with your coworkers! We also
recommend plastering it all over your office.

46. Airbnb experiences

Airbnb offers tons of excellent local experiences! If you have a team member
who's really excited about an upcoming trip, picking something from Airbnb's
extensive catalog is a great way to make your employee's trip even better.

Plus—take a look at your own hometown's Airbnb experiences! You'll no doubt

unearth fun new opportunities to bond with your team members, without even
having to go anywhere!

47. Museum membership

Museums are rich institutions of culture and education, and a trip to one makes
for a great weekend afternoon. Corporate museum memberships are great
rewards, since team members can also take their family and friends!

48. Music lessons

Enriching your employees’ personal life and hobbies can only lead to better work
in the office. Has a teammate always wanted to learn the piano, ukulele, or
trumpet? Sign them up with the local music school and encourage them to show
off their new skills with a mini talent showcase. 🎶
49. Gym membership
Staying physically healthy is a big contributor to feeling mentally and emotionally
healthy. Reward your employees with a membership to a gym or, if they like
variety, a program like ClassPass. Consider memberships to yoga and indoor
cycling studios, too!

50. Personal training vouchers

It's in an employer's best interest to help their employees achieve their goals,
whether that means operating at the top of their professional field or getting in tip-
top shape. If members of your team show interest in this type of reward, it's a
great way to help them achieve their personal goals.
51. Book a spa appointment
It’s very rare that we get to slow down and be pampered. After a hard project, it’s
especially important for an employee to hit reset, and an indulgent day at the spa
is an excellent way to do just that.

52. Sponsor an individual or team in a race

It’s especially meaningful when a company recognizes an employee’s personal
passions and hobbies. If that passion is running, why not sponsor their admission
fee in a race? Or a whole team, if they’re interested!

From 5Ks up to marathons, these races often contribute to important causes and
charities as well, making it a double-hitter of a meaningful gift.

53. Catered lunch/food truck lunch

Go a step further than ordering in lunch! Ordering from a food truck is always a
fun experience, and it’s a way to treat employees to food that would be a great
change in pace from their standard repertoire of soup and sandwiches.

This is also a great time to take a break and enjoy a picnic lunch together—an
excellent team-bonding opportunity!

54. Time off 🚫💰

Time is a priceless resource, and it's one thing you can never get back. Why not
offer some extra PTO to your team as a reward for great work? Even for people
who love their jobs, a little extra free time is always welcome.

There are many time-based ways to reward your employees for their hard work,
from flexible scheduling to summer hours. Even consider sleep-in days and early
releases!

Services

55. House cleaning

You don't always need to give employees time away from the office to give them
the gift of time. Personally, my living space is always a disaster when I have a big
project going on at work, and it stresses me out even more! 🙈
By rewarding hard-working employees with a one-time or ongoing house
cleaning service, you’re eliminating a big chore and time-suck from their lives.
56. Laundry service
If you're located in a city where laundromats are a way of life, this is just another
example of an easy way to give time back to your team.

57. Project takeover 🚫💰

Delegating a task you’re dreading to someone else is such a relief. Reward a hard-
working employee with the ability to push off a task to someone else on the team
—or let them have dibs on an “easy” project, next time around.

58. Subsidized commute

Depending on your location, getting to and from work can be a challenge, and in
some cases, expensive. If it's not already mandatory in your city to offer transit
assistance to employees, subsidizing their commute costs is a great way to
eliminate the daily stressor of getting to and from work.

59. Rideshare reimbursement or credits

If your employees are working late or are hopping around town meeting clients,
knowing that they can expense a Lyft definitely puts the mind at ease. Even if
you’re in a small city or the suburbs, ordering fancy town cars for your employees
can be a special treat for holiday parties.

60. Car maintenance

There’s nothing more stressful than sudden car repair expenses! If you have
employees who spend a lot of time on the road, like those in field marketing,
regional sales, or consulting, making sure that their cars are in tip-top shape is a
very appreciated reward. Consider offering car washes, oil changes, and tire
changes on a regular basis.

61. Bike share

At Bonusly, our NYC-based employees can select a yearlong CitiBike bike share
membership available as a reward. This is a great perk because it enhances both
health and transit! If you're not based in a city with a bike share program, there
are likely some similar services to take advantage of.

62. Bike maintenance

Make a one-time investment in a bike pump, Allen wrench set, and screwdrivers
to keep on hand for employees who commute by bike. You’ll be supporting their
environmentally-friendly transportation choices and help them stay safe on the
road!
Alternatively, you can cover the cost of an annual tune up, which usually includes
brake pad replacements and truing the wheels of the bike. 🚲
63. Catered meals or meal delivery
Eliminate the chore of figuring out lunch for the day by providing a catered lunch
or ordering delivery. It’s a nice change of pace for an employee’s day-to-day, and
eating lunch together is a fun and underrated team-building activity.

64. Dog walking service or doggie daycare

Unfortunately, not all offices can be dog friendly! But subsidizing or providing a
dog-walking services like Wag or making a deal with a local doggie daycare can
go a long way in providing peace-of-mind for your team members. It also shows
that your company really cares about their employees' personal lives and families,
including their furry ones! 🐶
65. Dibs 🚫💰
Do we ever grow out of the simple joy of calling dibs? Reward employees by
allowing them to call dibs on coveted things, whether it’s the most comfortable
desk chair, their favorite mug, their schedule of choice, on not cleaning up a
spill… you can call dibs on anything, really.

Click here to save this list as a PDF. Share it with your coworkers! We also
recommend plastering it all over your office.

Next steps
At its core, each of these rewards communicates your true appreciation and
recognition for the hard work of your team members. Bonusly is in the business
of unique and creative rewards, and we invite you to take a tour or request a demo
of our recognition and rewards platform.

Otherwise, if you're wondering how else you can appreciate your employees, our
Guide to Modern Employee Recognition should be your next stop!