Unique Employee Appreciation Gifts

Bar Gift Ideas for the Perfect Home Bar Setup

With so many bars and restaurants closed or opened at a much-reduced capacity because of the coronavirus pandemic, there’s renewed interest in home bartending and building out a home bar. If your loved one is into this trend, sending them a gift filled with home bar essentials is a great way to brighten their day.

One of the most important home bar essentials is good glassware. Bar glassware should aspire to make drinking at home as special as their favorite watering hole. And of course, the type of beverage should dictate the type of glass.

Unique beer glasses are a great place to start if you are putting together a beer gift set for their home bar setup.   

A wine gift set is also a good bet. We recommend choosing basic but high-quality glasses designed to enhance the sniffing, swirling, and sipping experience. You could also include a good wine decanter with their wine gift. If they are new to home bartending, they may not realize how much a decanter can bring out a wine’s flavor.

Classic lowball glasses are also home bar essentials. These glasses make a great bar gift because they are multipurpose. They can be used for drinks that need to be muddled, served on the rocks, or used for serving a neat pour of liquor.

And of course, a set of cocktail glasses, will always be a welcome bar gift. Martinis, Manhattans, Sidecars, and Cosmos are all served in this classic glass. 

No bar gift set would be complete without some fun snacks and accessories. Coasters, candles, sweet and savory treats, and amusing games are ideal and will make the bar gift feel extra special.

Employee Gift Ideas: 3 Expert Tips for Employee Appreciation Gifts During the Holidays

Tip #1: The Best Holiday Employee Gifts Work to Close the Distance

Let's face it, the pandemic has been more than a little stressful and, in spite of all the social media activity and Zoom calls we're having, we're all feeling disconnected from our work team.

That's where a motivational gift can do the heavy lifting for meaningful recognition. A thoughtful gift can go a long way when it comes to closing the distance everyone is feeling by boosting morale and providing reassurance during these difficult times.

Tip #2: Think Individual Holiday Employee Gifts

Long gone are the days when a single large gourmet food gift basket for the whole office was a good bet for a holiday staff gift. Now, smaller individual gifts are very much de rigueur because employees are working from home.

There are two really important things to remember when it comes to individual holiday gifts for employees. First, employees know that company swag is not a gift, so avoid any employee gift idea with a company logo. Second, if you go the mini gift route, make sure you choose a thoughtful gift set that is well curated in order to avoid seeming cheap or like an afterthought. That means going beyond a logoed coffee mug or gift card if you want to boost employee morale.

Tip #3: Embrace the Virtual Office Party

Needless to say, you're going to need to re-imagine your office holiday party this year. One way to reward your team is with a virtual holiday party paired with meaningful employee appreciation gifts. A virtual office party needs to be structured a lot differently because casual in-person mingling is not an option. So make sure you have a specific, well-structured party plan focused on employee engagement at all times, such as a game, competition, or give-away. Making your virtual party a memorable special occasion can help boost employee satisfaction, motivation, and retention.

A virtual office party activity that's a surefire winner is sending your holiday employee gifts to your guests ahead of the virtual events so that everyone can open their gifts simultaneously while you're online together. If you're looking for an easy way to make something like this happen, get in touch! We'd love to help create the perfect gift experience that's customized for your company culture.

Bonus tip: Make sure your virtual office party is not more than 1-2 hours long. Zoom fatigue is a reality so you should aim to make your virtual party short, meaningful, and sweet.