Are you looking for creative and funny work anniversary gifts for that all-important work anniversary coming up? There are a wide variety of creative ‘workaversary’ gifts that can help you show your employees that you respect and value them.‍

We’ve gathered the five best funny work anniversary gifts for employees. These ideas will certainly make their workplace anniversary memorable.

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Top Five Funny Work Anniversary Gifts

If you’ve read our eight tips for boosting employee morale, you know how important it is to show appreciation towards your employees. Showing appreciation makes them feel valued, and a valued employee is a loyal one.‍

Employees universally love funny work anniversary gifts. Not only do these types of anniversary gifts entertain your workforce, but they can be just the sprinkle of humor your company culture needs.‍

But when choosing funny work anniversary gifts, it’s crucial to do some careful thinking. You want to be funny, not tacky or insensitive! ‍

Here are the five best and funniest ‘workaversary’ gifts that employees love:

1. Tell A Story With A Slideshow

Whether you and your employees work remotely or on-site, this is an easy-to-create, accessible, and well-loved gift.‍

A week or two before the employee’s anniversary, ask their coworkers to write down memorable quotes about the employee. Keep this a secret, though… you don’t want to spoil the surprise! You can create a slideshow with photos and fun images showcasing the employee’s time at your office. P.S. Zoom recordings count too! ‍

You can also include highlights, such as awards, their best work, or any successful projects that the employee has worked on. Throw in a few of those fun quotes and sayings from their coworkers to add more personality to the slideshow. Plus, remember to slide in a meme or two.‍

The goal is to keep the slideshow lighthearted and fun. Also, feel free to add some fun music or sound effects for extra comedic effect, too. ‍

What makes this funny work anniversary gift special is that the star employee can keep and share it. It’s a gift that shows how much your company values this person by having everybody participate in this great, fun-filled morale booster.

2. Make A Funny Corner

Our second idea is to provide meaningful recognition by creating a custom corner of joy and appreciation. This gift is perfect for coworkers that share an office. ‍

The first step is to create a hamper filled with a variety of fun office essentials. Do this at least a week before the actual anniversary date. Some great gifts to include in this gift hamper are:

• A personalized mug. Keep it funny.

• Add a gimmicky gadget such as a finger yoga toy. It’s perfect for office workers.

• Include some much-appreciated stationery, such as pens and sticky notes.

• Remember to add a personalized diary.

• Company branded items are always fun - employees will love that.

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You can also print a funny poster, preferably with the employee’s face on it, and put this up in your ‘corner.’ Make sure to position the hamper somewhere central (like near the water cooler) and ask employees to fill it with tiny, custom gifts throughout the week.‍

There’s no need to keep this appreciation corner a secret. It builds excitement, and the star employee will burn with anticipation to dig into that fun-filled hamper.‍

Come the day of the employee’s anniversary, get your staff together near the appreciation corner. You can hold a little ceremony to celebrate together. Remember to take plenty of photos of the employee diving into their hamper.

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Related: 40 Work Anniversary Funny Quotes To Brighten Your Team’s Day

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3. The Dundees - A Fun-Filled Award Show

Do you remember the famous American tv show, The Office? You’ll find that there were plenty of hilarious moments so why not help yourself to a page from their book and hold a mock award ceremony? ‍

You don’t have to call it The Dundees. Rather, we suggest that you give it a special name that resonates with your company and its exciting office culture. Remember to keep things fun and upbeat. Award everybody, including the employee of the hour, with fun-filled trophies or certificates if you are on a tight budget.‍

At the end of the day, the main idea is to go with funny, silly awards. Some honorable award-winning mentions are:

• Top office chef

• Paper-jammer of the year

• Office DJ

• Stationery hoarder

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It’s important that the awards remain light-hearted and good-natured. Be sensitive when thinking of awards to give, as not everybody may appreciate being the Slack Spammer of the Year. ‍

If you really want to ramp the fun amp, hold your award ceremony at a karaoke bar. Allow everybody to participate and be a star. ‍

Don’t forget to record the fun moments. Soon, your employees will be looking forward to the next exciting awards event, and it’ll be the talk of the office for weeks on end. That’s how you keep employees motivated, upbeat, and entertained.

4. Make It A Group Activity

Our next ‘workaversary’ idea is a group activity. In secret, grab all your employees, excluding the employee of the hour, and plan a particular song. Amp it up to eleven by adding a fun dance and even music. On the day of the star employee’s anniversary, everybody arrives at work a bit earlier to surprise them.‍

As soon as the employee arrives, everybody starts singing and dancing like pop stars. Remember to have somebody film the entire silly song and dance routine. Not only will your employee have something exciting to look back at years later, but you could also post the video to your favorite social media platforms. ‍

Everybody will be talking about the group of employees at that fun company that had a better dance routine than NSYNC did in the nineties.

5. Be Somebody Else For The Day

This funny work anniversary gift idea is guaranteed to drive your employees crazy. This “workaversary” idea is great for office workers and even remote workers meaning everybody can join in and appreciate it.‍

If you know your employee very well and know their favorite TV show or movie, this idea will be perfect.‍

Secretly let all of their coworkers know that they should dress up as a character from that specific show or movie. Imagine the employee’s surprise when there’s a Zoom meeting, or they step into the office, only to find that everybody is dressed like a character from their favorite show.‍

This gift shows that the company truly knows and cares about this employee and what matters to him/her. It’s an easy way to improve morale and entertain all your employees at the same time.

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Why Do We Celebrate Work Anniversaries?

You may wonder why it’s so important to celebrate those workaversaries. Yet, there are perks to celebrating a work anniversary. ‍

When you celebrate these milestones correctly, they remind employees why they love your company. It will increase their morale and loyalty, resulting in people who want to deliver their absolute best. ‍

Celebrations are also easy to pull off and won’t cost the company tons of money. It’s probably one of the easiest ways to retain your top talent and attract new talent. Employees will be thrilled to tell their friends and family about the incredible company they work for and the funny work anniversary gifts they receive.‍

Therefore, investing time into officially celebrating a work anniversary is crucial for any business wanting to be competitive. Some important work anniversary dates to remember are:

• The 1-year mark

• A 5-year work anniversary

• A decade of employment

• A 15-year work anniversary

• The big 20-year milestone

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The longer the employee has been with the company, the bigger the stakes, and you will need to up the ante to show your appreciation. 

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So, Do You Need An Employee Anniversary Gift Program?

Research shows that 80% of employees would rather have more benefits and perks than have their salary increased. ‍

Keep in mind that not every company will need an employee anniversary gift program, but it's definitely an incredible perk. We’ve learned that employees appreciate and respond well to special benefits and perks. At times, it’s the little gestures that count the most.