Employee Appreciation Gifts vs Awards: Which to Give and When

When a company wants to thank its people, the first question is usually “what should we buy?” A better first question is “what do we want this to say?” A gift and an award answer that differently. A gift says we thought of you. An award says we saw what you did. Both are worth saying, and most recognition goes wrong by using one where the other was needed.

We should be clear about where we stand: MX Trophies makes awards, not gift items. So this page will not sell you a gift. It is here to help you decide which is right for the occasion, give you gift ideas you can source anywhere, and show where an award does a job a gift cannot.

What a gift does and what an award does

Neither is better. A gift given to everyone builds goodwill across a team. An award given to one person records something specific. The mistake is giving a gift card for twenty years of service, or a plaque to every person in the building.

When a gift is the right call

• You are thanking everyone at once. Employee Appreciation Day, the end of a busy season, a company anniversary. See Employee Appreciation Day ideas for more ways to mark it.
• The thanks is immediate. Someone covered a shift or stayed late; lunch tomorrow means more than something formal next quarter.
• Someone is new. A welcome gift on the first day sets the tone.
• The occasion is personal. A wedding, a new baby, a recovery. A gift from the team is right; an award would be strange.
• You want people to choose. Different people value different things, and a choice respects that.

When an award is the right call

• There is a specific achievement. A sales record, a safety milestone, a project delivered. See employee recognition awards.
• The honor has a name. Employee of the month or year, a President’s Award, a values award. A named honor needs an object that carries the name. See employee of the month awards.
• It marks time served. A service anniversary or a retirement is a record of years, and people keep the thing that records it. See years of service awards and retirement plaques.
• It will be presented in front of others. An award gives a presentation something to hand over and photograph.
• You want it to last. An award on a desk or a wall is seen every day, by the recipient and by everyone who walks past.

The general overview of how we build awards for companies is on corporate awards.

Employee appreciation gift ideas

These are described generically on purpose. None are things we sell, and the right version of each depends on your people and your budget.

Gifts for the whole team

• A catered breakfast or lunch, on the company, with no meeting attached.
• A food truck, coffee cart or ice cream stop at the workplace.
• Extra paid time off, an early finish or a late start.
• Good-quality everyday items people will actually use: an insulated bottle, a notebook, a bag.
• Company apparel that people would choose to wear, in sizes that were asked for rather than assumed.
• A choice of gift from a short list, so nobody gets something they cannot use.

Gifts for one person

• A handwritten card from their manager, which costs almost nothing and is kept longest.
• A gift card to somewhere they actually go, which means someone had to know.
• A book, tool or course related to something they want to learn.
• An experience: a meal out, tickets, a class.
• An upgrade to something they use every day at work.
• A donation to a cause they care about, if they would prefer that.

Gifts for remote employees

• A delivered meal or a meal credit, timed for a shared video lunch.
• Something for the home office that they choose themselves.
• A care package mailed to arrive on the day, not after it.

Recognizing people who are not in the building has its own practical problems, covered in awards for remote and hybrid teams.

Combining a gift and an award

The strongest recognition often uses both, because each covers what the other lacks. The award carries the meaning and lasts; the gift is enjoyed now.

• Service milestone: an award showing the years, plus a gift the person chooses.
• Employee of the year: a substantial award presented in front of the company, plus extra time off or an experience.
• Retirement: a plaque or award from the organization, plus a personal gift from the team.
• Project completion: a small matching award for every team member, plus a team meal.
• Appreciation day: a gift for everyone, plus a few named awards for people who stood out during the year.

When you combine them, present the award first and say why. The gift follows. Done the other way around, the award feels like an afterthought.

Mistakes that make appreciation backfire

• The same gift every year. It becomes an entitlement and then a joke.
• Branded items nobody wanted. A logo on a poor-quality item advertises the wrong thing.
• Unequal treatment without a reason. If one team gets lunch and another gets nothing, people notice.
• A gift in place of a thank-you. An item left on a desk with no words is a delivery, not recognition.
• An award with no reason on it. “In appreciation” and a name tells the recipient nothing. One specific line fixes it.
• Forgetting people who are not in the room. Night shifts, part-timers, field staff and remote employees are the ones most often missed.

For what to say when you hand either one over, see employee appreciation messages.

A note on tax

How gifts and awards to employees are treated for tax purposes varies with what is given, its value and the reason. We are an awards manufacturer, not tax advisers: ask your accountant before you set a policy. Years of service awards notes where the rules for service awards are published.

If you decide on an award

We build awards in acrylic, wood and metal in our own shop in Carson City, Nevada: custom-shaped layered acrylic printed in full color, wood plaques with printed acrylic faces, acrylic plaques, semi-custom awards, medallions and pins. We do not sell glass or crystal. There is no minimum order, so a single award is as normal an order as a set for a whole department, and every design goes to you as a proof before anything is produced.

If you have not decided what to recognize yet, employee recognition ideas and employee award categories and names are the places to start.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between an employee gift and an employee award?

A gift expresses general appreciation and can go to everyone. An award recognizes a specific person or team for a stated reason, carries their name and is meant to be kept. Gifts are enjoyed; awards are displayed.

What is a good employee appreciation gift?

One the person will actually use or enjoy: a meal, time off, a choice from a short list, or something related to an interest of theirs. A handwritten note with it matters more than the item.

Should employees get a gift or an award for years of service?

An award, often with a gift alongside. A service milestone is a record of time, and people keep the object that records it. Many companies pair the award with a gift the person chooses.

Are employee appreciation gifts taxable?

It varies with what is given, its value and why. Ask your accountant before setting a policy.

Does MX Trophies sell employee gifts?

No. We manufacture awards: custom and semi-custom awards, plaques, medallions and pins in acrylic, wood and metal. An award can be paired with a gift you source elsewhere.