30+ Creative Gift Ideas for Celebrating Years of Service

Long-term employees are valuable to your organization in so many ways. Not only do they bring years of on-the-job expertise that can be transferred to younger employees, but they’re often an organization’s biggest champions. They bring a positive attitude to a workplace that they clearly enjoy.

For these reasons, it’s essential for you to recognize them and show your appreciation. Giving years of service awards when they hit important milestones is one proven way to provide this recognition.

Why Should We Celebrate Tenure Milestones?

Employee recognition is crucial for ensuring that employees feel valued. However, it also has positive impacts on the business. 70% of employees agree that they feel strongly connected to their workplace culture when recognition is an important aspect of that culture.

This connection leads to reduced burnout and turnover and enhances your employer brand. Furthermore, employees who receive great recognition are 20 times more likely to be engaged at work than employees who receive poor recognition. This high level of engagement often leads to greater productivity and performance.

These statistics demonstrate the fact that when you show your employees that you appreciate them, they often reciprocate those feelings by helping the business reach its goals.

30+ Creative Suggestions for Years of Service Rewards

Years of service awards should be both personal and reflective of the employee’s tenure. The longer an employee has worked for you, the more personalized and spectacular the gifts should be. Here are some ideas to help you select appropriate gifts for each stage that communicate your appreciation and gratitude.

One Year of Service Gifts

Research suggests that companies have only 44 days from the time of hire to convince a new employee to stick around. Consequently, making it to the one-year mark these days is a significant milestone and should definitely be recognized. There are several things you can do to celebrate the occasion:

• Offer a note of appreciation and hopes for the future from the company CEO.
• Provide the employee with a personalized care package with their favorite snacks.
• Arrange a team lunch or fun group outing to celebrate and build camaraderie.
• Furnish a gift card to the employee’s favorite lunch spot or entertainment venue.
• Give upgraded company swag like engraved pens, blankets, and water bottles.
• Offer a pair of tickets to a local attraction, such as a museum exhibit.

The one-year work anniversary gift doesn’t have to be huge. A small gift can go a long way.

Five Years of Service Gifts

The average tenure of today’s wage and salaried employees is 4.1 years, so when employees have been with you for five years or more, there’s cause to celebrate. Here are some good ideas to help you treat this milestone accordingly:

• Offer a weekend staycation or a getaway to a nearby tourist town.
• Have a team dinner at an upscale restaurant.
• Give the employee a few days of paid time off to do whatever they want.
• Commemorate the occasion with a personalized card from the team.
• Give the gift of electronics, such as a fitness watch or wireless earbuds.
• Give the employee a shout-out on your social media channels or company newsletter.

Remember that the goal is to ensure that your employees feel appreciated and to encourage them to keep going to reach double digits.

10 Years of Service Gifts

The average person in the U.S. retires somewhere between the ages of 62 and 65, which means many of them are working for around 40 years of their lives. Having someone working with you for 25% or more of those years is a big deal.

Fortunately, there are several gifts you can give to communicate this fact:

• Offer a personalized years of service certificate, trophy, or plaque.
• Give them a customized gift, such as dinner at their favorite restaurant, tickets to see their favorite team play, or a gift box that speaks directly to their preferences.
• Offer a financial incentive such as company stock options.
• Book a luxury spa day for some rest and relaxation.
• Provide six to eight weeks of sabbatical leave to help the employee relax.
• Pay for professional development, such as a certification course or leadership training.
• Give the employee their own permanent VIP parking space.

These gifts show employees that you care about them personally and are grateful for their tenure at your company.

15 Years of Service Gifts

It’s a big deal for a person to enjoy working at your company enough to do it for the bulk of their working lives. You can show that you appreciate all that they have contributed over the years by giving gifts that excite them and make their lives easier:

• Buy the employee season tickets for their favorite sports team (bonus points if you score premium seating).
• Pay for a yearly subscription for something they truly want, such as grocery or meal delivery, pet supplies, a car wash, books, or even a fitness membership.
• Upgrade the employee’s office decor and furniture or move them into an office they’ve always wanted.
• Throw a huge work anniversary party and invite the whole office.
• Purchase and gift a bottle of top-shelf expensive wine, making sure to check with the employee to know whether they can or will consume it.
• Gift some high-end technology, such as a new laptop, tablet, or smartphone.

These gifts aren’t just personal, but they truly represent the magnitude of your gratitude for the employee.

25+ Years of Service Gifts

Employees who remain with you for a quarter of a decade or more are hard to come by. Make sure you treat them like the treasures they are by pulling out all the stops for their work anniversary gifts:

• Make a charitable donation in the employee’s honor to the organization of their choice.
• Gift an all-expenses paid vacation for their family to a destination of their choosing.
• Offer a fully paid scholarship to allow them to pursue an advanced degree.
• Put together a milestone scrapbook or commemorative video from the team.
• Arrange for them to check something off of their bucket list.
• Offer an extended sabbatical of three to six months.
• Make a bonus contribution to the employee’s retirement account.
• Arrange a fancy appreciation dinner at the CEO’s residence.

While these gifts require an investment, it’s worth it to show these special employees how much they mean to the team and to the company.

What to Avoid When Picking Out Years of Service Gifts

When it comes to giving the right years of service gifts, there are a few pitfalls to be aware of. When possible, try to avoid these mistakes:

• Don’t give large sums of money, as this can end up costing the employee in taxes.
• Avoid suddenly restructuring a rewards program in a way that denies a long-promised gift to someone who has waited years to receive it.
• Stay away from generic gifts that don’t resonate with the recipients.
  • Tip: Consider surveying your employees so you can give them what they actually want.
• Don’t overlook a seemingly small milestone, such as the one-year work anniversary.
• Stay organized so you’re not inconsistent with giving gifts and you don’t forget anyone’s anniversary.

Avoiding these issues will help you ensure that your years of service gift has its intended effect: making employees feel valued and appreciated.

Help Employees Feel Appreciated Every Day

Celebrating your employees when they arrive at certain milestones should be a natural practice in a company-wide culture of recognition. This means that you don’t have to wait until employees have been working there a long time to recognize their hard work.

Make sure to pay attention and reward employees for the small things they do, such as bringing smiles to the office, gaining new skills, and working particularly hard on an important project. When you appreciate employees on an everyday basis, you make it much more likely that they’ll be around for the long haul.