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50 employee appreciation ideas, from free to team-wide

The best employee appreciation ideas are specific and regular: thanks that names the work, time back, a treat picked for the person, and a shared event a few times a year.

KraftyLab TeamUpdated 5 min read
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Free employee appreciation ideas

Start here. Free ideas done every week do more than one big gift a year. Each idea shows where it works and the team size it suits.

  1. A thank-you voice note. Record 30 seconds naming one thing they did this month; it lands warmer than a typed message.Office · Hybrid · Remote · Any size
  2. Clear one daily snag. Ask everyone for one small thing that slows them down, then fix the top three within a month.Office · Hybrid · Remote · Any size
  3. Cancel a recurring meeting. Drop one standing team meeting for a month and tell people the hour is theirs.Office · Hybrid · Remote · Any size
  4. Write their fix into onboarding. Add the shortcut or how-to someone figured out to the onboarding docs, with their name on it.Office · Hybrid · Remote · Any size
  5. A note from two levels up. Ask a senior leader who rarely works with them to send three specific sentences.Office · Hybrid · Remote · Best for large companies
  6. A shift-start walk. The manager walks the floor at shift start and thanks people by name for one real thing.Office · Any size
  7. Credit in the client email. Name the people who did the work in the update the client or customer reads.Office · Hybrid · Remote · Any size
  8. A leader works a shift. A senior leader spends an hour doing the frontline job beside the team, and listens.Office · Best for large companies
  9. A team playlist. Everyone adds two songs to a shared playlist that plays during the next all-hands or focus block.Office · Hybrid · Remote · Any size
  10. The project wrap list. When a project ends, the lead writes one line per person on what their work made easier.Office · Hybrid · Remote · Any size
  11. A mentor they choose. Let them pick someone senior to meet monthly, and clear the time on both calendars.Office · Hybrid · Remote · Best for large companies
  12. A walking one-on-one. Hold one check-in as a walk or a walk-and-talk call, only about what is going well.Office · Hybrid · Remote · Any size
  13. A flexible-start week. For one week, everyone chooses their own start time.Office · Hybrid · Remote · Any size
  14. Swap a chore. The manager takes over one dull recurring task, like the weekly report, for a week.Office · Hybrid · Remote · Best for small teams
An employee smiles while reading a handwritten thank-you card left on her desk next to a small gift

Thank the whole team at once, hosted

One event reaches the office and every remote coworker on the same terms, and you get to join instead of running it. A live host leads the hour; for kit workshops, supplies ship to each guest. Hosted games book about 2 weeks ahead; kit workshops need about 3 weeks for US addresses, 5 with guests in Canada or abroad. Wine tasting is 21+.

Each card opens the activity page, where you can reserve with a 50% deposit or pay by invoice or PO.

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Ideas under $25 a person

Thirteen small treats and touches. Each one says someone noticed, which matters more than the price.

  1. A coffee cart morning. Bring a coffee cart or a local barista to the lobby for two hours.Office · Hybrid · Any size
  2. A plant for every desk. A small potted plant with a tag, mailed to the people who work from home.Office · Hybrid · Remote · Any size
  3. A chocolate drawer. Keep chocolate bars on hand and give one the day something ships or a hard call goes well.Office · Hybrid · Remote · Any size
  4. A donation in their name. Give a set amount to a registered charity each person picks, and share the list.Office · Hybrid · Remote · Any size
  5. A desk upgrade they pick. A phone stand, a desk lamp or a cable tidy, up to a set amount, their choice.Office · Hybrid · Remote · Any size
  6. The break room vote. Pool the budget and let the team vote on one upgrade: better coffee, games or plants.Office · Hybrid · Best for small teams
  7. Feed the off-hours shift. Bring hot food to the night or weekend crew at their hours, not just to the day shift.Office · Any size
  8. A fruit bowl for a month. Fresh fruit and a few snacks restocked every week, for a month.Office · Hybrid · Any size
  9. A smoothie bar morning. A blender, frozen fruit and a sign-up list for flavors.Office · Hybrid · Best for small teams
  10. A bakery box by mail. Order from a bakery near each remote person, so it arrives fresh on the same day.Remote · Hybrid · Any size
  11. A team recipe booklet. Everyone sends one recipe from home; print a small booklet for each person.Office · Hybrid · Remote · Any size
  12. A month of an app they pick. A month of a language, music or focus app they choose.Office · Hybrid · Remote · Any size
  13. A teammate quote poster. Collect one line from each teammate about the person and print it as a small poster.Office · Hybrid · Remote · Best for small teams

Want a treat that arrives ready to give? Start with these corporate gifts under $25, with live prices on each one.

Ideas under $75 a person

Eleven bigger thank-yous for a finished project, a hard quarter or a milestone.

  1. An experience they choose. A museum pass, a cooking class or a climbing session, booked for them.Office · Hybrid · Remote · Any size
  2. Chocolates with a card. A proper box of chocolates and a handwritten card, sent to the office or to their door.Office · Hybrid · Remote · Any size
  3. Professional dues covered. Pay a year of their professional association membership or a certification fee.Office · Hybrid · Remote · Any size
  4. Lunch where they pick. Take the team to the restaurant they vote for, on a weekday, in work hours.Office · Best for small teams
  5. A class pack. Five classes of their choice: yoga, pottery, spin or a language course.Office · Hybrid · Remote · Any size
  6. Better gear for home. A good headset, keyboard or chair cushion for the people who work from home.Remote · Hybrid · Any size
  7. A meal kit dinner. A dinner kit delivered to their door for a night off from planning meals.Office · Hybrid · Remote · Any size
  8. A small-team outing. Bowling, mini golf or an escape room in work hours for a team of under 15.Office · Best for small teams
  9. A month of commuting covered. Cover transit or parking for a month for the people who come in.Office · Hybrid · Any size
  10. A box from a shop near them. Pick a local shop in each person's town and send a box of its best things.Remote · Hybrid · Any size
  11. A hobby budget. A set amount toward their hobby: paints, garden tools, a sewing pattern, a new lens.Office · Hybrid · Remote · Any size

For a gift box with a card, see our employee appreciation gifts, with live prices on each box.

Team-wide appreciation events

Twelve ways to thank everyone at once. These need the most planning, so most teams run two or three a year.

  1. A game show with a live host. A host runs the show on video for every office and home at once.Office · Hybrid · Remote · Any size
  2. A charcuterie workshop. Kits with cheese and meat or vegetarian options go to every guest, and a host shows how to build a board.Office · Hybrid · Remote · Any size
  3. A coffee tasting. Guests taste coffees from a kit at home or in the office while a host explains each one.Office · Hybrid · Remote · Any size
  4. A wine tasting for 21+ guests. A host guides a tasting from kits; keep it optional, with the coffee tasting as the other choice.Office · Hybrid · Remote · Any size
  5. A candle-making session. Everyone pours a candle from a kit and keeps it on their desk.Office · Hybrid · Remote · Any size
  6. Office Olympics. Teams compete in short, silly events on video or in the office, with medals at the end.Office · Hybrid · Remote · Any size
  7. A live game night at the office. A host brings a game night to your office; hosts run games at offices in 17 US cities.Office · Any size
  8. A paint workshop. A painting instructor leads the team through one canvas each, in the office or on video.Office · Hybrid · Remote · Any size
  9. A volunteer day. Give the team paid hours to volunteer together at a local organization they choose.Office · Hybrid · Any size
  10. A food truck day. Book a food truck for lunch in the office parking lot, with a vegetarian option.Office · Any size
  11. A company recharge day. Close the whole company for one extra day off, with no out-of-office catch-up expected.Office · Hybrid · Remote · Best for large companies
  12. A multi-office program. Several hosted events run at once so every office, team and time zone gets one.Office · Hybrid · Remote · Best for large companies

Short on planning time? A host runs a live employee appreciation event on video or in the office, and you send one link.

A remote employee laughs on a team video call while sampling coffees from a tasting kit at his kitchen table

How to pick for your team

The right idea depends on how many people you are thanking and where they work.

By team size

  • Small team (under 15). The manager knows everyone, so go personal: pick from the free and under-$25 lists and match the idea to the person.
  • Mid-size (15 to 150). Give each team lead a small per-person budget and the free list, then run one team-wide event a quarter.
  • Large company (150 and up). Set a budget per team, a menu of approved ideas and one shared event that every office and time zone can join.

By where people work

  • In the office. Food and shared spaces work, but cover every shift and anyone who is out that day.
  • Hybrid. Give every in-office treat a remote equal on the same day, and hold events where both sides play on equal terms.
  • Fully remote. Things that arrive at the door and events on video. Collect addresses once and keep them on file.

Thanking several offices at once? A multi-event program runs hosted sessions side by side for the whole company. Planning a full week in March? Use our employee appreciation week plan. For everyday thanks, see the employee recognition ideas; for an awards moment, the employee award ideas and these kind office superlatives.

Employee appreciation ideas FAQ

What are good employee appreciation ideas?

The ones that are specific and regular: a thank-you that names what someone did, time back, a small treat picked for the person, and a shared team event a few times a year. Mix free ideas through the year with one or two bigger events.

What are inexpensive employee appreciation ideas?

Fixing the small things that slow people down, cancelling a recurring meeting, crediting people in client emails, a voice note of thanks, a plant for every desk, or a donation to a charity each person picks.

How do you show appreciation to remote employees?

Send things to the door, like a bakery box from a shop near them or better gear for their home desk, and hold team events on video where everyone takes part on equal terms, like a kit workshop with supplies shipped to each guest.

How often should you do employee appreciation?

Small thanks every week, a bigger thank-you after a project or a hard quarter, and two or three team-wide events a year. Many teams make one of them a full week in March; our employee appreciation week page has a 5-day plan.

How much should you spend on employee appreciation?

There is no set amount. Most of the year can run on free ideas, with a small per-person treat after a big push and a team-wide event once or twice a year. For everyday habits that cost nothing, see our employee recognition ideas.

Can someone run an appreciation event for our team?

Yes. KraftyLab books live-hosted games and kit workshops on video, with supplies shipped to each guest, plus hosted games at your office in 17 US cities. Reserve online with a 50% deposit, or get a free quote and a full plan within 24 hours.

Plan a thank-you the whole team can join

A hosted game needs about 2 weeks of notice and a kit workshop about 3 weeks for US guests. Tell us the date and headcount and get a full plan within 24 hours.

Get a free quoteSee hosted appreciation events