The best and worst Christmas gifts for employees

Gift cards, mugs and…a frozen turkey? The best and worst gifts employees have gotten for the holidays

December 19, 2022 5:30 AM

As the end of the year fast approaches, employers may feel an obligation to reward employees for hard work with a gift. But not all gifts are well-received.

Employee Benefit News asked employees to reveal the best and worst gifts they've gotten from their employers, and beyond the basics (mugs and pens), a few truly terrible gifts stood out. Tip for employers: avoid giving employees perishable goods, like hams or turkeys.

"One year, [my employer] showed up one day with a pickup truck full of half-thawed turkeys that ended up dripping all over the newsroom," says one former news editor. "It was two weeks before Christmas, and the turkeys couldn't be refrozen, so everyone had to go home and cook them immediately so they didn't spoil."

Gifts that were more popular included gift cards, where employees could then buy something they actually wanted or needed. Employees also appreciated gifts where employers were thoughtful about their interests — one employee raved that a gift basket with wine, a cozy blanket and lotion made her feel appreciated and like her bosses took the time to find things she would enjoy.

Check out more of the best and worst gifts employees have received — would you ever give these gifts?

Bad gift: Office "decor"

"I got a very weird gift as a part of a Secret Santa one year: a large ceramic cat statue. I had no idea what to do with it and it just sat in the corner of my office gathering dust until I finally gave it away. It was a thoughtful gesture from someone, but it was definitely not something I wanted or needed." —David Sheppard, founder of hvacjudge.com

"The worst gift I ever received from my workplace was a clock with an outdated design and large numbers on the face. Not only was the design unappealing, but it also seemed to imply that I needed a reminder of time management. Needless to say, this gift did not make me feel appreciated or valued by my employers." —Fred Hoffman, founder of The True Wilderness

Good gift: Gift cards

"The best gift I got was a big Amazon gift card. My boss got that for everyone because he didn't actually know what to get us, but it ended up being the best kind of gift I could have asked for! I was able to get some of the items that I had been wanting and needing for a while." —Trevor Sookraj, CEO of Divisional

"Honestly, I received a gift card before and that was the perfect gift. I was able to buy what I wanted and there was a good amount loaded onto the card. I'll never complain about a gift card." —James Green, owner of Cardboard Cutouts

Bad gift: Company swag

"The worst gift I've received from my workplace is a gift that wasn't thoughtful. For example, I once received a mug that had my company's logo on it. It was a nice gesture, but it wasn't something that I would use on a daily basis." —Kelly Mason, tutor lead, leadership expert and content editor at TheTutor.Link

"I think the worst gifts I've received from work have been the ones that are clearly personalized to someone's taste — just not mine! I remember one year when I worked at a smaller retail chain, the company gift was a branded yoga mat. Not something I had use for, and it seemed cheap on top of that." —Andre Kazimierski, CEO of Improovy Painters Chicago

Good gift: Tech tools

"I received a compact charging station from my company a few years ago, and it still holds up as the best holiday gift I've received from work. The charging station has a designated space to charge your phones, headphones, watches and all other handy devices that entrepreneurs keep close by at all times. Running low on battery isn't an option when running a business, so this was the perfect gift." —Andrew Chen, chief product officer for Videeo

"The best company holiday gift I ever received from a previous job was a 'workstation kit.' It was essentially a collection of items to help make working at my desk better. It included things like noise-canceling headphones and a few other nice products. I liked it so much because it was a gift that I could actually put to use, and I could tell that my boss had put a lot of thought into curating the perfect collection of items." —Troy Portillo, director of operations at Studypool

Good gift: PTO

"The best gift I ever received from my workplace was a paid day off to volunteer at a local soup kitchen. It was a very impactful experience for me, and it really made me appreciate the importance of giving back to the community." —Brandon Wilkes, marketing manager at The Big Phone Store

"The best holiday gift I ever received was extra paid days off during the week between Christmas and New Years. The leadership staff at the company even announced that they were giving us this gift at the end of November, which gave everyone plenty of time to make plans. We were a pretty overworked team, so this was truly the greatest gift we could have gotten." —Ben Michael, VP of operations, Michael & Associates

"One of the best holiday gifts I ever received from a manager was an in-office spa day for our whole team. Rather than giving us individual gifts, the manager hired a masseuse and other spa specialists to transform our break room into a relaxing oasis for the day. It was a great reward for working through a busy holiday season, and it made the whole team feel appreciated." —Adam Rossi, CEO of TotalShield

Bad gift: Food

"The worst gift I ever got from a previous employer was a box of a variety of Nespresso pods. While this gift may have been great for some, I didn't have a Nespresso machine to begin with, and I wasn't even a coffee drinker at the time!" —Trevor Sookraj, CEO of Divisional

"About 25 years ago, I arrived home from work and my daughter came rushing out to meet me shouting "Daddy, someone has sent you a dead fish in an envelope." Sounded odd so I went in with her to investigate. It turns out that the boss of our division had sent everyone a Christmas gift of smoked salmon to celebrate our great sales performance that year. As we are vegetarians she didn't understand the concept of smoked salmon." —William, owner of Nccuttingtools

"I worked for a company that would give the employees a turkey or ham for Thanksgiving and Christmas. While it was a fantastic gift for those employees who had families, it missed the mark just a bit for those of us that were single while working there. I usually ended up donating mine to other employees that had large families." —Kyle MacDonald, director of operations, Force by Mojio