33 Corporate Holiday Gift Ideas for Employees and Clients

With the holidays right around the corner, it’s time to start thinking about awesome and cost-efficient corporate holiday gift ideas for employees and clients. 

The countdown is on! It’s only a matter of weeks before the holidays come around and, while you shop for family and friends, you should also be considering corporate holiday gift ideas for employees and clients.

But that can be easier said than done. Gifts for colleagues, customers, and clients need to strike the perfect balance of work-appropriate, creative and fun, and cost-efficient.

So, if you’re feeling overwhelmed by the idea of having to pick the perfect gift for every person in your professional life, don’t worry. We’ve compiled 33 corporate holiday gift ideas for employees and clients so that you can get a head start on your holiday shopping.

Gift Ideas for Food Lovers

The holidays are synonymous with fun and indulgences. By that logic, you can’t go too wrong with food, snacks, and beverages as business gifts.

Check out some of our favorites.

Let Them Build Their Own Gift Box 

Whether your recipients have dietary preferences, a family to share with, or just want something for themselves, Caroo’s CustomSwaps feature has something for everyone. With their straightforward platform, employees can create the ideal gift box packed with healthy snacks, tasty sweets, hard-to-find items, and even company-branded swag. 

Remove the guesswork this holiday season by ordering corporate gifts with Caroo. Take this quick 60-second quiz to get personalized results. 

Compostable Coffee Pods

Every office has its coffee lovers, and many organizations provide their staff with single-serve coffee makers in their breakrooms. You can help your own company or a customer’s business to reduce waste with compostable coffee pods like Woken Coffee. These sustainable, high-quality espresso pods are 100% compostable and break down completely in a matter of weeks. 

Sparkling Wines

The holidays call for celebrations and time with family and friends. If you’re looking for corporate holiday gift ideas that will help enliven the party for your colleagues or customers, sparkling wine is an excellent choice. We recommend Mionetto’s Prestige Rosé Extra Dry or, for something a little fancier, a bottle of their Luxury Cartizze DOCG.

Beer Brewing Kit

If you have any beer lovers on your shopping list, check out this home brewing kit from Northern Brewer. Their Siphonless 1-Gallon Craft Beer Making Kit comes with everything you need to make high-quality beer in the comfort of your own home.

Wine Tasting Experience

If you’ve got more wine connoisseurs to shop for than beer lovers, check out this tasting experience gift box from VINEBOX. This curated care package comes with three, six, or nine wines in single-pour tubes.

Boozy Ice Cream

Want to help your customers and colleagues add a fun twist to their holiday desserts? Then you’ll love this: boozy ice cream from Tipsy Scoop to help put them in the holiday spirit. With their Eat & Be Merry Pack, you’ll get six boozy flavors, including Candy Cane Vodka Martini, Drunken Gingerbread Man, Holiday Spiced Eggnog, and more. We recommend picking up a pack as a gift for yourself while you’re at it.

Book Lover Gift Ideas

For your peers that you’d like to keep it more professional with, useful books, tools, and resources can be gifts that keep you top of mind throughout the holidays and beyond. For example: 

Planners and Notebooks

As the new year rolls in, you can give gifts that help people stay organized. But rather than regular planners and notebooks, you might want to check out some that have focused purposes.

The Growth Planner

This planner from Life & Apples combines goal setting, gratitude, daily scheduling and to-do lists, journaling, and habit, meal, and goal trackers to help drive and increase productivity and success. 

A Customized Planner

By using a no investment merch creation tool, you can create your own customized notebooks or planners for your team. This way, you can add certain sections, colors, marking, design, or anything else your teammates might find useful or inspirational.

Insightful and Enlightening Books

Give the gift of knowledge and insight with one – or a few – of these awesome books.

The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People

For anybody who wants to be successful, this book is a solid read – and would make for a great corporate holiday gift idea for employees and clients. In this book, author Stephen R. Covey takes readers through the keys to success, from self-mastery and moving from dependence to independence, to enhancing teamwork, collaboration, and communication skills, and moving from independence to interdependence.  

The Six Attributes of a Leadership Mindset

If you have business leaders in your network, they’ll love this book. Penned by Outback’s own Joe Britto, it dives into the key factors that define every great leader: flexibility of mind, resilience, genuine curiosity, mindfulness, enterprise thinking, and creating leaders. 

Mastering the Rockefeller Habits 

At Outback Team Building & Training, we are huge fans of this book. In fact, each of our employees has read it. For leaders, it is packed with insights about practical things you can implement to make a noticeable difference in the performance of your company, all based on three pillars: priorities, data, and rhythm. If you’re looking for an awesome and insightful business-focused book for people of every professional level, this is a good bet. 

The Happiness Equation

Around this time of year, many people start thinking about New Year’s resolutions. In The Happiness Equation, Neil Parischa offers readers a healthy dose of feel-good perspective and insights. It would make for an awesome and inspiring corporate holiday gift idea for employees and clients. 

The Power of Habits: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business

This New York Times bestseller from Charles Duhigg dives deep into the scientific discoveries that explain why habits exist and how they can be changed. With examples ranging from the boardrooms of Procter & Gamble to the sidelines of the NFL and beyond, this book explains how and why the key to being successful in any endeavor is to understand how habits work.

Hatch Ideas Notebook

Unlike the other books listed here, this one is less about the input of ideas and more about the output of ideas. What does this mean? Hatching your next big idea doesn’t have to involve a flurry of Post-It notes or coffee-stained napkin sketches. Designed to help you transform daydreams into reality, this notebook is organized in three sections: Conceive, Incubate, and Hatch. The system breaks down grand ideas into realistic action items, offering a framework for brainstorming, tracking ideas, evaluating their merits, and deciding which ones to pursue and execute. 

Kindle Paperwhite

A nice step up from the original Kindle, The Kindle Paperwhite provides a larger, front-flush 6.8-inch, 300-ppi screen with 17 LEDs. The color of the front lights on the Paperwhite can also shift from white to amber for more comfortable nighttime reading. For any book lover who wants on-the-go reading without the weight of paper books, this is a must-have gift.

Audible Subscription

For any audiobook lovers on your shopping list, an Audible gift card is a top-tier present. Not only does it cover their monthly subscription, but it also gives them a free book credit every single month. So, you can give them a gift that keeps on giving at a very reasonable price point.

Paw-fect Gift Ideas for Pet Lovers

We all know that one person in our network who absolutely adores their fur babies. And if you’re looking to put yourself in their good books, you should go with a holiday gift that benefits their pets.

Here are a few ideas we love.

BarkBox

Giving the gift of dog treats and toys will help bring joy to your colleague or customer’s pup, but it’ll also save them the hassle and expense of picking them up at the pet store. With a service like BarkBox, you can gift a holiday-themed box filled with awesome pup stuff.   

Basepaws

For pet owners, the more they know about their animals the better. Basepaws is the first DNA test for cats, and it can provide tons of information about their health, breed, traits, and habits. This makes for a fun and informative corporate gift idea. 

A Custom Regal Pet Portrait

Etsy is chock-full of incredible and unique ideas. And what’s a better gift for a pet lover than an ultra-regal custom portrait of their pet? Any pet owner will go crazy for this one.

Custom Engraved Treat Jar

All pets deserve treats! And if they’re going to have a treat stash, it might as well be a stylish, custom-engraved glass treat jar. Not only will it be fun for the recipient, it’ll also look nice in their house.

Custom Yeti Dog Bowls

You’ve probably seen the renowned Yeti travel mugs, but you might’ve missed the brand’s awesome branded dog bowls. These ultra-durable, non-slip boomer bowls are finished with a long-lasting custom design. So, not only will your client or colleague’s dog get a high-quality bowl, they’ll also look cool while they’re snacking or sipping on water.

Office Accessories, Tech, and Decor Gift Ideas

When it comes to corporate holiday gift ideas for employees and clients, you can’t go wrong with things that people can keep in their offices or use at work. For instance: 

Terrariums and Plants

There are big benefits to adding a touch of green to an office space – especially in the wintertime. That’s why things like terrariums and desk plants are a fun, visually appealing, and cost-efficient corporate gift idea. If your recipient is a bit of a green thumb, they might like the Plant Theatre Bonsai Trio Kit that gives them everything they need to grow their own miniature Bonsai tree.

AirPods Pro

This seems like a pretty high-value gift, but hear us out: for many employees, working remotely means taking team meetings from home (or wherever they might be working from). AirPods Pro offer exceptional battery life, an incredible audio quality that helps people be heard during meetings, and sound cancellation capability that helps people focus even in loud or distracting places.

Phone Grips

Have you ever seen those expandable knobs that people put on the back of their phones? They’re a huge craze, and for good reason. They make it even easier to grip your phone and avoid dropping it. They’re really useful, and also pretty inexpensive, making them an awesome business gift idea for the holidays. And, best of all, if you’re giving them to customers and clients, you can brand them with your company logo to keep you top of mind all year round. Check out Popsockets for a huge variety of styles. 

Wireless Chargers and Charging Station Racks

For the tech-fanatic who has every device – and every cord that comes with it – you might want to consider giving a charging station rack to hold all of their smartphones and tablets. You also can’t go wrong with a wireless charging station that can conveniently charge everything from their phones to their smartwatches, all in one convenient and wire-free place. 

Reusable Water Bottles and Coffee Mugs

For a handy and environmentally-conscious corporate gift idea, you might want to look into reusable water bottles and coffee cups. For instance, S’well bottles are a high-quality option, and they’re available in a variety of styles. Or for something a little more unique, you might like the Nomader Collapsible Water Bottle. You can also consider giving reusable coffee containers to help your colleagues or customers stay warm through the winter. We love the ZOJI Zojirushi mug which can keep drinks hot – or cold – for up to six hours. 

eGift Cards

If you’re not sure exactly what to give your team, don’t worry: eCommerce makes this extra easy! Consider giving them an eGift card. This could be for something general, like Amazon, or a sporting good retailer for the outdoorsy folks at your office, Starbucks gift cards for the coffee lovers, or a restaurant gift card.

The Fall ZZ Plant

Think a plant can’t be beneficial for mental and physical wellbeing? Think again (for more evidence, check out our blog post on the topic). With this low-maintenance desk plant from The Sill, you can literally give your colleagues or clients a breath of fresh air since it will purify the air around it.

Gifts That Keep on Giving

For the person who has it all, or if you’re looking to give a gift to an entire organization, there are a ton of awesome corporate holiday gift ideas for employees and clients that keep on giving.  

Charitable Donations

The holidays are the perfect occasion to do some good in the world. So, when you’re looking for business gifts, you might want to think about donating to a great cause on behalf of a colleague or customer (for more insight and examples, read our blog post: 5 Inspiring CSR Success Story Examples). Organizations like Kiva allow you to make loans to entrepreneurs and small businesses from across the world. And the best part is that, with a 96.8% repayment rate, the person or company that you donate on behalf of can take those funds and reinvest them over and over again. 

Group Skills Training Programs

Give your team the gift of investing in their development both personally and professionally. With group skills training programs (which are available both in-person and in a virtually hosted format for remote teams), you can help your employees build key skills that they can take with them throughout their careers and lives.

Virtual Team Building Activities

Around the holidays, employees often just want to relax and socialize with one another. And with virtual team building activities, you can help them do so in a fun, productive, and cost-effective way.

Here are a few holiday-themed virtual team building activities you might like.

Virtual Winter Jeoparty Social

What’s better than spending a winter day hunkered down in a warm alpine chalet with a hot drink? Doing it while socializing with your remote team, having fun as a group, and channeling your competitive spirit!

With Virtual Winter Jeoparty Social, your team will get out of the snow and step into your own cozy ski cabin to take part in a virtual Jeopardy-style game show infused with an ultra-social twist.

In this activity, your group will break out into teams and compete through multiple rounds of winter-themed Jeopardy-inspired virtual trivia questions, winning (or losing!) points for each. Between each round, you’ll take part in a unique social mixer challenge and wager a little (or a lot!) in a round of Final Jeoparty.

Virtual Holiday Time Machine

Embark on an adventure with your colleagues as you step into the Outback Time Machine and take a trip back through holiday pop culture history.

This fun, fast-paced holiday-themed virtual team building activity is packed with nostalgia and features challenges focused on familiar holiday favorites, from trivia about movies, songs, toys, and TV shows to rounds of charades and more.

Your virtual game show host will get your group warmed up with a couple of “table-hopper rounds” (also known as breakout room mixers) and split you into teams. Within minutes, your home office will be transformed into a winter wonderland game show stage with your own live dedicated host and buzzers.

Frost’s Virtual Holiday Trivia 

The holiday season is all about coming together and celebrating! So, in Frost’s Virtual Holiday Trivia, you and your team will be invited to join the Frosts in the lounge of their brand-new ice hotel. While you’re there, you’ll compete through three rounds of holiday and winter-themed trivia questions, earning points for each one answered correctly. But the fun doesn’t stop there! You’ll also become better acquainted with your colleagues as you take part in a round of Frost’s Icebreaker Questions.  

Elf’s Virtual Merry Mingler 

As the holidays get underway, sometimes all you and your colleagues want to do is celebrate the season and spend quality time together. And with Elf’s Virtual Merry Mingler, that’s exactly what you’ll do.  

Set in a venue in Santa’s North Pole village, this virtual holiday team building activity is made up of a series of social mixer activities that are all about sharing a laugh, creating some positive festive energy, and letting teammates enjoy each other’s company—regardless of the geographical distance between them.    

Virtual Holiday Hijinks 

If you and your team love a high-energy activity, then Virtual Holiday Hijinks is perfect for you.  

This festive holiday-themed virtual team building activity is a perfect addition to any office holiday party. It’s all about working collaboratively to tackle a variety of physical, cerebral, and skills-based challenges, such as: 

• Cookie Conundrum – Luke made 42 holiday cookies. He brought half of them to his office. He ate one third of the cookies that were left. Then he gave 8 cookies to his neighbor. He left the rest of the cookies out for Santa. How many cookies did Santa get?   
• Elf Yourself – Each team member needs to create the most unique gift you can using only the items available to you. Snap a photo of everyone showcasing their gifts.   
• Junk Yard Jingle – Record a 5-second video of a teammate creating the beat to a holiday song using objects found around your house or office. Be sure to practice getting your notes right as the instrumental version has to be in tune!   

Each team will compete to complete as many challenges as possible, earning points along the way. Whichever has the most points when time runs out will be crowned the Virtual Holiday Hijinks Champions!  

Virtual Yuletide Showdown

Celebrate the holidays and give back to those in need with your team by competing in a festive, high-energy team building activity packed with trivia, brainteaser, and scavenger hunt-style challenges. Teams will have to race against the clock to unlock each of the six holiday-themed challenge categories and earn the most points.

Work-From-Home Holiday Gift Ideas for Employees and Clients

For remote employees, giving gifts that can help make their home offices a little bit more fun, functional, or enjoyable are a great bet.

Here are a few suggestions you might like.

Home Office Tech Items

Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic and forced remote work, your team could benefit from helpful items that make remote work easier. This could be things like a great headset. And the good news is they don’t have to be expensive. We love this Mpow USB headset for an affordable, high-quality option.

Saje Wellness Essentials Gift Set

One of the most zen additions to any home office is a diffuser and some essential oils. And Saje offers a wellness essentials gift set featuring a festive limited-edition diffuser and three holiday-themed essential oils: Glacier Edition and Liquid Sunshine Diffuser Blend as a Peppermint Halo Roll-On.

Happy Lights

In many places, the fall and winter months can be shorter days and more darkness. This, in turn, can be tolling on your team’s wellbeing during the best of times, let alone during the pandemic. Happy lights (also known as Light Therapy Lamps), use full-spectrum light that imitates sunshine and, in turn, gives you your daily boost of sunshine-induced happiness.

Levitating Bluetooth Speaker

If you want to blow people’s minds, check out this Infinity Orb Magnetic Levitating Bluetooth Speaker. This device plays audio or music wirelessly as the speaker seemingly floats in the air above the base using magnets. It’s as much of a cool conversation piece as it is functional.

Give the Gift of Togetherness

With so many teams being forced to work remotely, in-person camaraderie and engagement may be suffering. So, if you’re looking for corporate holiday gift ideas for employees and clients that will bring people together, virtual team building activities are a great option. They’re a fun way to wrap up a year of hard work by celebrating together and having some fun – all while increasing collaboration, communication, and teamwork – with colleagues located all over the city, country, or even the world.

Wool Felt Mouse Pad

Help your colleagues make their home office a little more stylish with a small but significant gift: a beautiful mousepad crafted from merino wool and natural cork from Grovemade… We know what you’re thinking, and yes: mousepads can be beautiful.

The Master Theorem: A Book of Puzzles, Intrigue, and Wit

There’s no doubt the pandemic has been a bit of a brain drain and, for those who feel under-stimulated working from home, this book full of brain-twisting puzzles might be exactly what they need to keep themselves feeling sharp and inspired.

This year has been challenging for employees and organizations around the world. So, it’s a good idea to consider gifts that will help brighten people’s moods during the pandemic. This can include:

The holidays present a great opportunity to show your colleagues and clients you’re thinking of them and in turn build even stronger relationships.

What gifts are you getting for your peers this holiday season? Let us know in the comments section.

Learn More About Team Building Activities for the Holiday Season

For more information about team building activities for your workgroup this holiday season, just reach out to our Employee Engagement Consultants.