It’s necessary to emphasize employee value if you want to develop a forward thinking company, especially when you realize that retention is at an all-time low. Employees who feel undervalued become disengaged, which in turn has a negative effect on the company itself. Decreased productivity can lead to financial loss and the risk of employee churn can be costly too. 

You should also consider a new professional trend in which dissatisfied employees lean on social media to voice their frustration, causing further damage to the organization’s brand and reputation.  

Although these facts can be uncomfortable to face, these scenarios are easily avoidable by prioritizing employee appreciation in your company culture. 

What better way to help employees feel valued than through creative and personalized DIY appreciation gifts? 

Affordable and Easy DIY Employee Appreciation Gifts

Here is a list of effective DIY employee appreciation gifts for you to gain inspiration from:

Gifting Food

There are a lot of simple and useful ways to turn ordinary food into a special gift. Let’s think outside the chocolate box! 

1. Herb and Spice Blends

Many people are mindful about food additives and chemicals, so why not make a pure herb or spice mix for your employees? 

A creative and thoughtful gift, you can add a special touch by using glass jars for these blends and even tying a handwritten label to make it specially curated for each team member. 

It may sound like a daunting task, but there are countless recipes available online and on platforms such as Pinterest to help you achieve a high quality blend. 

2. Infused Olive Oil 

Not only is this a delicious addition to salad and other meals, the presentation of infused herbs with olive oil makes for a beautiful display. 

You have tons of flexibility in creating your own infused olive oil and they are easy and quick to make. Try herbs like rosemary and oregano, add dried chilies or even fruit peels to originally flavor the oil. Your employees will definitely appreciate the thought that went into this gift!

3. Preserves and Pickles

A traditional and historic method of food preservation, pickling is a convenient method to impress your employees. Homemade pickles are easier to make than you may think and only require slightly advanced planning to ensure they are ready to gift. 

So, what can you pickle? Almost anything that grows naturally! Fruits, vegetables, eggs and even meat can be pickled to add an original flavor. 

You can think outside the box even more and consider the health benefits - for example, food in fermented brine contains healthy bacteria that will only benefit your employee’s diets. This is a wonderful gift for health-conscious team members! 

Here are a few ideas to inspire you:

• Kimchi originates in Korea but is also enjoyed all over the world. To make this fermented dish, simply mix ingredients like cabbage, hot peppers, salt and anything else your employees could enjoy and create something both delicious and inexpensive!

• Gherkins or pickled cucumbers are often made with small cucumbers. They are ideal to use and you can gift a large quantity at once because they are small, firm, and retain their crunch.  

• Preserved radishes are a delicious addition to tacos and burgers.

• Pickled carrots are particularly appetizing with aged meats and cheese.

• Gari is pickled ginger traditionally served with sushi.This tasty root can also be chopped up into salads and added to stir fries when it’s preserved.

• Pickled onions are both long-lasting and versatile. Several spices like cinnamon, cumin and even limes can be added in the pickling process to achieve different flavors.  

4. Pre-Mixes

Make the cooking process easier by gifting employees all-in-one, layered premixes. Both easy to make and affordable, these are a successful DIY employee appreciation gift that not only taste good, but look good when displayed in clear mason jars. 

There is also no shortage of premix ideas. Think chocolate chip cookies, brownies, coffee cake mixes and so many more. For those who lean toward savory food, there’s a wide variety of soup-in-a-jar, salsa and dip premix ideas too. Again, hundreds of recipes available online!

Plant Gifts 

5. Succulents 

Succulents are manageable and ideal desk plants since they are easy to grow, small in size and add a beautiful touch to any workplace. Make this gift more special by planting the succulent in a hand-decorated tin/pot, or even a teacup!

6. Cast Iron Plant

This is a low maintenance and easy to care for plant that can grow in low light and persevere in varying conditions. These are ideal for the inexperienced gardener and employees in an office space. 

Add a personalized touch with a hand painted terracotta pot for the plant! Pinterest is the go to application for providing productive DIY potting inspiration. 

Personal Care Products

You will be surprised by how easy personal care products are to make! The best part is that DIY care products eliminate the harmful additives found in commercial products and can have an added health benefit for your employees. 

Depending on how they are made, these are also great for accommodating vegan team members. Another added bonus is that these products use simple, everyday ingredients, making them affordable and worthwhile.

7. Foot Scrubs 

Show your employees you care about their wellbeing with a comforting foot scrub. These can be made with salt and sugar combined with olive and essential oils, and when combined, you will have an incredible scrub that leaves the skin soft, smooth and happy.

8. Hand Creams 

Creams are another easy to make DIY employee appreciation gift. There’s a variety of bases you can use, including shea or coconut butter, and you can add a little essential oil for fragrance too! 

9. Room Spritzers

The easiest of all personal care products to create, room spritzers only need a few drops of essential oil mixed with Himalayan or sea salt, and combined into water. 

Perfect for freshening up any workspace, you can add that personalized touch by displaying the spritzer in a quality spray bottle with unique labels. 

Personal care products can suit individual preferences by using different essential oils and ingredients. These DIY employee appreciation gifts are fragrant and beneficial to employee health, making them ideal for recognizing your employees!

Color Therapy

10. Gifting with Mason Jars and Pots

Color therapy is defined as the therapeutic practice of using different colors and light to promote healing and positive emotions. This is a creative and thoughtful way to show your employees that you actively prioritize their welfare. 

This gift can be as easy as filling jars or containers with items of the same color in order to encourage peaceful emotions. 

For example, blue is heavily associated with relieving stress, negative thoughts and pain so you can easily fill a jar with sweets in blue wrappers, flowers, bath salts, charms or other small items to encourage relaxation. 

You can also write a note and explain the healing properties of the colors for your employee to convey the thoughtfulness of the gift.

In Summary

DIY employee appreciation gifts are less to do with how much money you spend and more to do with the thought behind them and the effort you put in. 

Remember, appreciation is a critical factor for maintaining a motivated and productive workforce. Do your best to create a company culture in which staff are recognized and you will notice immediate improvements to employee engagement and talent retention. 

While DIY employee appreciation gifts are a personal and meaningful way to thank employees, they are not always a practical solution for ongoing recognition.

That’s why you may want to consider a rewards platform like PerkUp, the go-to place for companies striving to increase employee engagement and staff retention!