Sending employee swag and gifts has become more popular in the last couple of years. This contributes greatly to company culture and helps the employees feel like part of a community— they become champions of your brand.
We always recommend splurging on quality items for employees because ultimately, they’re the ones driving your company mission and vision forward. They deserve to be spoiled!
If you have a new hire joining your team, one of the main items on your onboarding checklist should be employee swag. New employee swag can be a single t-shirt with a handwritten note or better yet, a complete onboarding gift for new hires specifically. You want to make sure new hires have a great impression of your company on their first day when they attend orientation and are being trained by people on the team. New hire onboarding gifts make sure your employee is set up for success from their very first day.
Why Companies Give An Employee Welcome Box
Employee swag ideas aren’t a new practice, and have become even more common regardless of what industry you’re in. Here are the reasons why it’s important to send a new employee welcome basket:
- It stresses how valuable your company brand is. Employees should feel a sense of pride working for your company-- equipping them with items to wear and use items from their new employee welcome basket is key. Giving the best company swag to employees is another way to reassure them that they’re working at a company where they should stay for the next 5 or 10 years—one that will undoubtedly take care of them.
- It will make new employees feel like they belong from the get-go. The best company swag for employees are a collection of items like apparel items, a tote bag, water bottle, notebook, pens and stickers. This will allow a new hire to instantly assimilate to their environment and work culture, similar to how a new student does when they’re joining a new school for the first time. This feeling of belonging will be achieved if the items in your employee swag box represent your commitment to make your new hire feel right at home.
- It can enhance collaboration and teamwork. Companies are constantly buying employee swag throughout the year not just for new hires, but for full-time employees as well. Constantly gifting employees with new swag makes people feel rewarded for a job well done. This leads to employees feeling appreciated and can even motivate employees to work harder. Swag leads to employees feeling part of a team, which will allow them to work stronger and to collaborate more.
- It can reinforce your company values and mission. Employee swag ideas can be used to creatively reinforce core values that only your employees identify with. Consider using fresh new designs to elevate swag, and make sure it isn’t always just a t-shirt with your logo on it— you want to make sure you’re always changing it up with new employee swag ideas. Make sure to carefully choose the contents of your swag box, so they’re useful to the recipient.
- You want to make sure that you’re carefully choosing the content of your swag box- trust us, your thoughtfulness will show! Make sure to include items that are a reminder of your company values or items that are inside jokes that only your employees will understand. While we know you can never go wrong with brands like Patagonia or YETI, we also recommend making sure your swag box includes items from local businesses. This will not only make it more unique and thoughtful, but will also support the community as well.
Great employee swag ideas can actually result in a significant return on investment. Try it out! You’ll eventually see the benefits that come with creating an appreciative and warm company culture.
Tips for Employee Summer Swag Ideas and Beyond
When new hires join the company, you want to do more than hand them a paper pamphlet. You want to make sure they’re getting a creatively designed employee welcome kit. Here are a couple of things to keep keep in mind when you buy employee welcome kit bundles:
- Budget - How much money do you have to spend per employee? Have you worked within a specific budget in the past for employee welcome kit bundles? While you don’t have to have an exorbitant budget, your employee welcome kit should still consistent of practical, good quality items that are carefully selected. This will elicit the best response from your recipient.
- Relevant items - Corporate employee swag from companies like Apple, Google, Facebook and other tech brands are talked about and referenced frequently. This is because they add good products that are both attractive and useful — this ensures that their swag is relevant. For instance, items that help employees settle into a work from home environment have been extremely popular these days. You need to consider the culture that people are currently operating in and factor that in when you’re thinking of new employee welcome kit ideas. The more useful an item is for new employees, the more mileage you get out of your investment.
- Balancing out a swag box - Creating employee swag boxes should also include warm items that will convey a welcoming attitude to new employees. A recipient may have an assortment of useful desk accessories, but you could mix it up by throwing in an inspirational coaster or small desk plant. Try thinking of items people wouldn’t typically buy on their own. Adding in unique items like these will show that you care about your employees and you’re thinking of them.
A Closer Look At Professional Employee Swag Ideas
A great employee swag box should contain a variety of employee swag gifts to make it more fun and interesting. Here are some fun ideas:
Essential Desktop Items
Softcover Notebook, Poketo Slim Pens, MAST Sea Salt Chocolate, Table Tiles, MiiR Travel Tumbler
The best employee swag ideas include things that your new hire can’t wait to use on their first day on the job. These desk items are not only practical and useful, but they’re also well-designed and would look great on your desk. Truth be told, we wouldn't be surprised if these are borrowed by coworkers! Good thing most of us are working from home these days!
For those continuing to work in office, these desk essentials can do a lot to make a new employee’s workspace or cubicle feel more like home. You want your new hire to settle in quickly, so he can adjust to the company culture and environment. These desk items will inevitably help with the transition process. Who wouldn’t love receiving a gift like this?
Travel Must-Haves
Leather Passport Holder, Orbit Bluetooth Tracker, Leather Luggage Tag
Travel sets have been consistently popular gift sets. Although we aren’t able to travel currently, there will be a time when people can’t wait to jump on a plane and travel the world. This is especially helpful if employees have to travel a lot for their role. An employee that has to travel will really appreciate these items because it will help make their lives easier while they’re away for work.
All of these items are useful, well-designed and can be taken on the go. That handy Orbit Bluetooth tracker is one that can even be used right at home!
Commuter Series
Custom Backpacks, Corkcicle Canteen, Custom Laptop Cases, Sol Republic Wireless Earbuds
Many employees commute to work, so it’s always great to include employee swag items that will help make their lives easier and are geared towards big city living. These items are carefully chosen and designed to put an extra spring in your new hire’s step – all the way from their front door to the office. It’s everything they’ll need to get to work safely and swiftly, and will undoubtedly pump them up for the day ahead.
While these are everyday items, they are still unique in brand and in design. You always want to make sure to gift items that people would want to buy, but maybe haven’t heard of yet. These items are definitely ones that will be well-loved as they can be used both inside and outside the office.
Company Apparel
Unisex Chambray Shirt, Alternative Apparel Sweatshirt, Patagonia Better Jacket
People love functional items, but they love employee swag even more. Apparel is one of our best-selling categories because who doesn’t want to sport cool swag? Branding and great design mean a lot here, so we always recommend putting more thought into these pieces. After all, we want to make sure they’re worn for years to come. Pick a good brand, make sure it’s something you’d even feel comfortable sleeping in, and pair it with a good design. When company gear is designed in a cool way, it can add a lot of value to your brand. Think of your employees as a walking ad for your company!
Items for Creatives
Whiteboard with Dot-Bubble Design, Bananagrams, Black Felt Board with Letters
The best employee swag kits also include creativity and imagination. This is a great example of a set that includes out-of-the-box ideas compared to traditional employee swag boxes. This doesn’t include your typical tumbler and notebook, but rather encourages interaction and collaboration among the team. The posters are meant to be drawn on by individuals and hung around the office like wall art. Sparking this type of creativity promotes a similar company culture. This could inspire employees to get more creative in their day-to-day or just take a breather and have fun with these games on a particularly stressful day.
Related Article : Best Employee Holiday Gift Ideas 2021
Where to Get Swag Ideas for Employees
Now, hopefully we’ve inspired some new ideas for the best employee swag. Before you head out to the stores to purchase these items, we want to talk through the benefits of working with a gifting company like Gemnote. There are many companies that can customize employee swag, create brand products and help with marketing strategies. Here are the benefits you can expect if you choose to work on a project with us:
- Gift ideas with varying price points - Thinking of what to gift is arguably the hardest part of this process. We scale the personal touch by presenting you with ideas based on your budget regardless of how big or small it is. We’ll make sure you get the best bang for your buck, while staying away from cheap promotional products. We’ll help you curate the best employee swag whether it’s for new hire onboarding, anniversary, executive gifts or offsite events.
- Personalized service - We believe that service should be tailored to your need. While some companies care about product quality, others care more about delivery guarantees. We make sure to listen to your needs, so we’re able to provide the best experience for you. You’ll always have a dedicated Customer Success Manager who will be in charge of your account and can provide ideas for any project you’re working on.
- Gives you back time - Let’s face it, swag and gifts often fall to the wayside. It’s your job, but it’s not really your job—maybe it just kind of fell in your lap. Either way, we’re here to give you time make to make sure you’re able to focus on the most important aspects of your job. We’ll take care of curating ideas for your employee swag kits while you worry about other things. You won’t be disappointed with our custom employee swag boxes and kits.
Your employees dedicate years to working with you, so you want to equip them with the right items that not only help market your brand, but make them proud of their decision to be a part of your company. Giving employee swag kits is something that is an important to show your appreciation.
