15 Simple-yet-Appealing Gifts for Remote Employees
Do you have a lot of employees in your company who are working remotely?
Most probably, yes.
With the deadly virus on the loose, many people are operating as remote workers. Some people are hired as remote employees, not just temporarily but for as long they work in the organization.
This often happens because companies are expanding across boundaries, and employees are operating from all over the world.
In many instances, a person working in one country can get a job in another. Faced with such a situation, companies ask them to deliver their work virtually.
So, when it comes to thinking about gifts for remote employees, on any occasion like their birthdays, work anniversaries, employee appreciation day, etc., ideas don't seem to appear?
Well, nothing to worry about on that front, for we know what your remote employee would like.
Presenting 15 most readily available and convenient gifts for remote employees-
1. Headphones
About: Connecting two earpieces by a band- the tool people can't do without these days is a pair of headphones. Headphones are put into the 'essential' category as they come in handy all the time.
You are traveling in public transport, and you are bored- headphones make your journey more manageable- you can listen to music or watch some video without bothering the fellow passengers with a loud noise.
You are working, and your cell phone rings, but you have your hands full.
The solution is to connect the headphones and receive the call while your phone rests inside your pocket.
Do you see how simple it gets?
Photo by Tomasz Gawłowski on Unsplash
Relevance: Besides listening to music, watching a video, people use headphones for other purposes too. People working from home are often engaged in virtual meetings since they are not present in the office physically.
In such a situation, communication takes place in the video conferencing platforms, so the frequency of these meetings is very high.
Considering the importance of the same, a pair of headphones makes for an excellent corporate gift for remote workers.
Infact, for work purposes, headphones with noise cancellation features prove to be the best. These headphones reduce unwanted sounds with the help of active noise control. They even let you listen to the audio without increasing the volume.
It makes you work at peace or sleep at ease.
2. Webcam
About: As we know, a video camera, input in a computer, connected to the internet and used for streaming images in real-time is what a webcam is.
With Covid-19 around, you will find webcam prices rise significantly during this time. But, it is worth it, considering the quality a webcam provides.
Just do a little research on the best webcam brands available in the market before purchasing one.
Photo by Maik Kleinert on Unsplash
Relevance: You will see remote workers glued to their phones/laptops all day long, attending meetings after meetings. This is when a good webcam becomes necessary because when it's work, you cannot compromise.
See? Isn't this the ideal gift, ever?
Nobody likes to see the blur images of their employees in a live stream of a meeting. An official meeting requires everyone to be all set with their devices.
So, possessing one of the excellent quality webcams will enhance the quality of those Zoom meetings.
3. Succulents
About: Also termed as low-maintenance houseplants, succulents act as a gift of sweet gesture. These are well-adaptable to indoors as they can survive on little water.
And, retaining water is considered to be their unique ability.
With being relatively smaller in size, succulents should be a go-to option when it comes to gifts.
Not to forget, sunlight is their favorite, so keeping them somewhere sunny might be a wise idea.
Photo by Stephanie Harvey on Unsplash
Relevance: When your employees work within the four walls of a room, that can often get dull and frustrating. Offering them something green can do the trick.
Green is a great color for refreshing your mind and eyes. Also, succulents are said to bring fortune, and gifting them would mean you wish the best for your employees.
So, putting it on the desk, which is next to the window with exposure to sunlight, can brighten up the room, luck maybe, along with the succulent.
4. Coffee Mugs
About: Coffee mug is a gift suited for every individual on every occasion- one of the most common gifts.
And, the best part is that it even has a utility. I mean, who doesn't drink coffee or tea, for that matter?
Photo by Nathan Dumlao on Unsplash
Relevance: Amidst long working hours, employees tend to feel dizzy. Coffee comes to the rescue then.
As a result, remote workers can put coffee mugs to the best use with one or the other beverages. And, it is cost-effective too.
Coffee mugs with motivation quotes can even seem like a boost to work.
5. Snack Box
About: A box filled with snacks- sounds like a delicious idea.
Of Course, it is. Snack boxes are nothing but gift baskets- only these are food-oriented.
A snack box generally contains sweet treats and savory snacks, making this one of the best gift ideas.
All snack boxes are gift boxes, but all gift boxes are not necessarily snack boxes.
Photo by Valeria Boltneva from Pexels
Relevance: Remote teams who have easy access to the kitchen nosh on every other snack they get their hands on.
The cravings are less when working from an office, as there is an etiquette to follow. Employees cannot just keep chewing on food every minute of the day.
When it's home or any other place, this constraint is not present.
Employees feel like having anything and everything, which makes a snack box perfectly apt for a gift.
Pastries? Cheddar Cheese?
Whatever they need would be there in these snack boxes.
6. Gourmet Coffee
About: In today's world, everyone is adapting to change. With the increasing demand for coffee, a typical coffee style is not satisfactory, bringing us to Gourmet coffee.
Now, what makes a gourmet coffee stand out of the rest?
Gourmet coffee is nothing but regular coffee with raw coffee texture, aroma, and taste only with a hint of some flavors like, say, a mint, vanilla, caramel, or any other compatible flavor.
Photo by Y Cai on Unsplash
Relevance: Coffee is a friend to anyone who is into work all day. It acts as a stressbuster, so it makes for a perfect gift for the remote team members.
While working from home, employees do not get time to go to coffee shops to take a sip of the different coffee flavors.
So, let's bring the coffee shop to them.
Gourmet coffee will fill in for that as it comes in several flavors.
What is better than gifting a tired group of employees with gourmet coffee, which helps them focus on providing a tasty flavor?
7. Corporate Digital Health & Wellness platform
About: A corporate Health & Wellness program is a health initiative taken by most companies for maintaining the well-being of their employees.
A digital health & wellness platform is nothing different; it only appears on a virtual platform.
When wellness programs use internet tools to organize a plan, it's called a digital health & wellness platform. It is more than just a portal, for it helps one maintain healthy behavior by adding their diet plans, tracking their calories and steps along with many other features.
Also, you could hold various contests on these platforms for your employees to avail fitness points and vouchers.
This can be a gift in return of your employees following a certain and easy health routine maybe.
Unique gift it is, don’t you think?
Relevance: When employees are not coming to the office, and their workplace is their home or any other place, these workplace wellness programs won't help.
That is when the digital platform comes to aid.
Through virtually-held programs, employees can have access to the platform wherever and whenever.
And, with ongoing events on the platforms, remote employees would also make time for walks or workout sessions which they otherwise do not bother about.
Our Vantage Fit is one such platform that provides several wellness programs for the employees and this digital platform, at the same time, allows people to keep track of their daily activities like step tracking, calorie intake, etc.
8. Subscription
About: Familiar with the term binge-watching? Ofcourse you are.
There is an entire wave of craze going around over new shows and films available on the various online platforms.
To meet the growing demands, especially hiked during lockdown, several media services are at one's fingertip, these days- Netflix, Amazon, and whatnot.
Hundreds and thousands of tv shows and films are telecasted on these platforms. Gifting one with a subscription for one of the above-mentioned platforms can fill them with joy.
I mean, who wouldn't want to get access to a million great shows without having to download them.
Subscription is one virtual gift for employees that is worth a thousand physical gifts.
Photo by Thibault Penin on Unsplash
Relevance: Remote work can get pretty hectic, mainly because workplace communication does not take place so often.
And, one can feel disconnected.
Also, in between work, one ought to take short breaks and what is better than using those breaks in watching something interesting?
Therefore, gifting your employees a Netflix subscription for a month or few months will work. This gift is something they would always be grateful for.
9. Ebooks
About: Why should only movie buffs get the desired gifts?
Book nerds deserve a similar platform as well which brings us to Ebooks. Also known as Electronic Book, eBooks are books made available on the digital platform.
There are numerous eBook platforms in the market these days. The demand has seen a rise as they are convenient in ways traditional books are not.
For instance, you cannot carry ten books with you wherever you go. In the case of an ebook, there is no such difficulty. All you have to take is your cellphone or laptop.
However, you have to take a subscription for these platforms as well.
Sounds suitable for a gift.
Photo by Photo by Olga Tutunaru on Unsplash
Relevance: Employees are all day on their devices working, making them more comfortable on phones and computers.
You gift a book to one of your employees- they might like it, but the problem lies in the fact that they cannot just have access to the books anytime unless they keep it with themselves.
And that is not possible. In such a situation, ebooks come to the rescue.
Instead of one traditional book, your employees would love to get a kindle subscription accessible at all times and have ample book options.
10. Gift Cards
About: One of the best virtual gifts for employees in recent times- Gift cards.
Who doesn't like a gift card?
A gift card concept is pretty straightforward- providing one with some money to purchase anything of their likes.
Gift cards come in various patterns from many platforms. You need to pick one.
Photo by Christian Wiediger on Unsplash
Relevance: Gift cards have nothing to do with employees working from home or office.
They make everyone happy.
Who wouldn't like the opportunity to purchase something for themselves of their choice without even having to pay for it?
Moreover, remote employees might not feel like going out of their workspace to shop. That is when these gift cards will help as they are just one click away.
11. Points-based Rewarding System
About: A point-based rewarding system is not something you get to hear very often.
It is just a platform for appraisal, commonly known as a reward and recognition platform.
Point allocation is quite a simple gift structure.
An employee performs good, allot a point to him. He can redeem the points further on the shopping sites like Amazon, eBay, etc. and act as a gift voucher.
Having your own rewarding platform pay off, big time. Your employees can keep track of their points too.
Relevance: When employees are working remotely, their progress is tracked online so you may as well give virtual gifts too.
Unlike other gifts, point-based rewarding platforms have the potential to drive your employees with motivation.
When the workforce knows their performance is rewarded with points, all of them will give their best.
The employees and company will both be in a win-win situation.
We, at Vantage Circle, use the point based rewarding system and have successfully observed the improvements in the performance of our employees.
See? Everybody wins.
12. Home Office Essential Box
About: The basic yet essential items are the home office requirements.
To work remotely, everyone needs a proper work setup. And this includes the most common things like desk lamps, standing desk, desk organizers, calendar, notebooks, pens, water bottles, and the list goes on.
Without these, the employees can not work smoothly.
A set of home office essentials makes for a gift of utility.
Photo by Alexa Williams on Unsplash
Relevance: Employees working remotely must have an organized work setup, and since they are not coming to the office, they should resort to creating a home office similar to the workplace.
Doing this will keep them motivated at all times.
Now, for a nice office setup, one ought to possess all the materials as mentioned above.
Who can work without a notebook or a desk organizer?
Nobody and this is why the home office essential box is a gift worth considering.
13. Noise Machine
About: A small yet powerful weapon to possess is a white noise machine.
A noise machine is a device that creates a soothing sound to calm a person and mask noises from the surrounding.
These devices do not produce harsh noise but pink noise whose power rattles down at higher frequencies.
The noise machine doesn't even take up much space on the desk.
So, giving one to your employees can prove to be productive.
Photo on Yogasleep
Relevance: Remote workers are prone to a lot of distractions.
When someone is in the office, he/she tends to be more focused because the environment itself screams productivity.
But when one is working somewhere else, the work becomes a pressure as the surrounding is filled with noises. From noise outside the windows to family members inside talking in high pitches- the atmosphere turns chaotic.
At such a time, a noise machine helps.
Help your remote employees block out the unwanted noise by presenting them with a white noise machine.
14. E-learning programs
About: In the current world, everything is within your reach.
Earlier, people had to go to institutes to learn, but now one can get a degree while sitting at home. Things have become easily available now more than ever.
Also known as effective multimedia learning, many e-Learning platforms impart online courses, some at a minimum cost while others free.
Udemy, Coursera are a few examples.
So, getting your employees enrolled in one of these platforms would help them in their careers.
Photo by Lewis Keegan on Unsplash
Relevance: There might be many employees wanting to go for higher studies or gain some more knowledge on a particular area but are not being able to, due to serious reasons.
As an employer, you can introduce your staff to several e-learning platforms. It would present your employees with some learning opportunity and a vibe that you care.
Companies often provide their employees with online courses to enhance their knowledge in their expertise areas. Even the employees can choose the field as per their choice.
This is how you keep your employees' content in the organization by working and pursuing a course at the same time thereby making it one of the best virtual gifts for employees.
Just offer them such courses as a gift or a reward.
Remote workers can quickly start doing those classes as they do not have to travel. Once their working hour is over, they can resort to the lessons immediately.
15. Neck Pillow
About: Even if one gets all things right with their work setup, a neck pillow is not considered necessary.
However, it indeed has a pretty good role. Sitting in the chair for 8 hours straight is bound to create stress and pain in the back.
The neck also needs some relaxation, which is why a neck pillow is suitable for a gift.
Photo on Walmart
Relevance: The remote workforce, even though they do not come to the office, still have to work and require a dedicated workplace.
A chair is an essential tool and sitting in that chair in the same position for a lot of time every five days a week is frustrating and not healthy.
The neck seems to be the victim of work.
As a result, a neck pillow is what every worker needs.
Relieve your employees from stress by giving them a neck pillow.
Wrap Up
There are many other things that a remote employee would want, and these are just a few of them.
The main goal is, however, to cheer up your remote employees and maintain a good rapport with them. And, the above-stated gifts should surely do the trick.
So, do not waste any more time and get on with the purchase.
This article is written by Sanjeevani Saikia who is a part of the marketing team at Vantage Circle. Sanjeevani loves to split her leisure time between reading and watching TedX. Her curiosity is easily piqued by the most recent developments in Human Resource Management and Organizational Psychology. For any related queries, contact editor@vantagecircle.com.
