Employee Appreciation Day 2026
Make Every Employee Feel Valued This Employee Appreciation Day
Celebrate Employee Appreciation Day on Friday 6th March, with gifts that make your team feel genuinely valued. Each WellBox gift includes a charitable donation and free UK delivery.
Our Top Employee Appreciation Day Gift Ideas
This is a small selection of our most popular Employee Appreciation Day gifts. Take a look at our full collections for more gifting ideas for your staff.
Ordering more than 25 gifts?
Talk discounts and bespoke gift customisation with real life Mancunians 🐝
Employee Appreciation Day Gifts Teams Love
Employee Appreciation Day is held on the first Friday of March every year. It provides the perfect opportunity for employers to recognise their staff and show appreciation for all their hard work.
Research shows that having a ‘manager who cares’ is one of the top employee must-haves. An employee recognition program should include regular gifting, not just for special occasions like Employee Appreciation Day and holidays, but also for crucial employee milestones such as new hires, anniversaries, or to celebrate met targets.
Supporting local Charities
Giving Back With Every Gift
We’re on a mission not only to help companies look after the people they care about with thoughtful gifting, but also generate a wider positive impact and support local charities by giving back.
With every gift sent, a donation is made to a local or national charity to help with their work.
It’s a system where everyone benefits.
Giving Back
Trusted by 1,000s of brands
"The overall feedback from colleagues was absolute appreciation at the quality of the gifts, but equally the ease at which our portal allowed them to make their choice and the very quick delivery."
"The team at WellBox were easy to contact suggested some very professional branding ideas while following our strict brand compliance guidelines to the t! I will not hesitate in using them again, and in fact, I look forward to it!"
"Great communication, delivered and met our expectations. Easy to upload our information."
"The packages all arrived
early or on time, and the clients all loved it. I think the addition of the charity donation is a really nice touch and important within the sector we're in."
The Happy Human Blog
We're discussing employee engagement, wellbeing, and corporate gifting insights on the Happy Human Blog. Get expert advice and creative solutions to transform your corporate culture.
Employee Appreciation Day Gift FAQs
What is Employee Appreciation Day?
Employee Appreciation Day is celebrated on the first Friday in March. It's a dedicated time for companies to recognise and thank their teams for their hard work and contributions. It's a meaningful way to boost morale, strengthen company culture, and show genuine appreciation, especially in remote and hybrid working environments.
Is Employee Appreciation Day the same in the UK and the USA in 2026?
Yes. Employee Appreciation Day is celebrated on the first Friday of March in both the UK and the USA. In 2026, Employee Appreciation Day will take place on Friday 6th March 2026.
What are some Employee Appreciation Day ideas for 2026?
There are many meaningful ways to celebrate Employee Appreciation Day, whether your team is office-based, remote or hybrid. The most effective ideas combine recognition, personalisation and a tangible gesture of thanks.
1. Send a personalised gift
A curated gift with a personalised message shows genuine appreciation. Whether it’s a food hamper, a healthy snack box, or a wellbeing gift.
2. Surprise your team with time back
Gift an early finish, a half-day, a “no-meeting” day or even an extra day of annual leave. Time is one of the most valued rewards and demonstrates trust and respect.
3. Organise a team breakfast or lunch
Bring everyone together with a team breakfast or lunch to celebrate achievements. For hybrid or remote teams, you could send snacks or lunch vouchers so everyone can join in from wherever they’re working.
4. Write handwritten thank-you notes
A handwritten message can have a powerful impact. Mention something specific about the individual’s contribution, effort or attitude, personal recognition makes employees feel genuinely valued.
5. Send digital gift cards
Digital gift cards offer flexibility and instant delivery, making them a convenient option for remote teams. They’re especially useful when you need a quick but thoughtful solution.
6. Host a Lunch & Learn session
Combine appreciation with development by organising a Lunch & Learn. Provide food or send snack boxes while offering a session focused on professional growth, wellbeing or team collaboration
What are some thoughtful Employee Appreciation Day Gifts?
Thoughtful Employee Appreciation Day gift ideas include:
- Food hampers for sharing or enjoying at home
- Snack boxes for office and remote teams
- Wellbeing and self-care gifts
- Digital eGift cards and vouchers
- Baked goods and sweet treats.
What should I write in an Employee Appreciation Day message?
An effective Employee Appreciation Day message should be:
- Personal and specific
- Sincere and appreciative
- Focused on the employee’s contribution
Example message:
"Thank you for your continued dedication and hard work. Your contribution makes a real difference to our team and culture. We truly appreciate everything you do."
What are employee appreciation gifts and why are they important?
Employee appreciation gifts are thoughtful, meaningful items given to employees to recognise their contributions, milestones, or wellbeing. When employees feel valued and appreciated, it directly impacts engagement, morale, and retention. In hybrid and remote workplaces, physical gifts create a tangible sense of connection that digital recognition alone can’t replicate, helping employees feel seen, appreciated, and aligned with company culture.
Can we add our company branding to Employee Appreciation Day gifts?
Absolutely. Include a personalised message with each gift at
no extra cost. For larger orders (25+), we can create bespoke branded gift
boxes with custom packaging and product selection. Contact our Manchester team
to discuss options.
What’s the difference between employee appreciation gifts and corporate swag?
Employee appreciation gifts and corporate swag serve different purposes. Appreciation gifts are designed to recognise people and mark meaningful moments in a more personal, thoughtful way. Corporate swag is often used to build shared identity or brand awareness, particularly for team events or onboarding.
What if our team has various dietary restrictions?
Every food and drink gift can be made vegan and gluten-free. You don't need to place separate orders; gift redemption pages let your team select their own preferences, and we handle it all. We also offer no-alcohol options.
How do you handle gifting for remote and hybrid teams?
We make gifting easy for remote and hybrid teams with secure, employee-led address collection and free UK-wide delivery. Employees enter their own delivery details via GDPR-compliant links, reducing admin and errors, or you can create your own upload. Gifts are delivered to your office or directly to homes with tracking, ensuring every employee receives the same experience.
How does the Gift Redemption Page work?
Simply order your gifts and select 'create a redemption link.' You can either send the link directly from our platform or generate it and send it via email. Employees click the link, enter their delivery address and dietary preferences, and we ship directly to them. You can track all redemptions from your dashboard. It's fully GDPR compliant, we never share employee data.
What happens if someone doesn't redeem their gift?
You can see who hasn't redeemed gifts on our platform and send reminder emails directly. Unredeemed gifts aren't charged, so you only pay for what's actually sent.
Bringing The Gifting Experience Up-To-Date
Here are a few ways our customers use WellBox deliver happiness and make their business gifting memorable, unique and stress free.
Celebrating Milestones
Finding unique gifts for birthdays,
babies, and retirements becomes difficult as a business grows.
Send personalised gifts ad-hoc or automatically at planned dates, all from one initial upload. Choose the gift in advance, or let the recipient choose their own from a selection.
Addresses Guaranteed
With staff working remotely or hybrid, keeping track of their current, up-to-date address can be a challenge.
Our Gift Redemption pages eliminate the guesswork and ensure no more incorrect addresses.
Branded Gift Portals
Buying gifts for a lot of people that you don't really know is tough.
Our Gift portals let recipients select their preferred gift and provide their own address and dietary preferences, reducing the hassle of bulk gifting.
Closing More Deals
Account execs and sales pros use WellBox to make a lasting impression by standing out in all the digital noise.
Whether you send a £10 Costa card, a branded wellness hamper, or a £100 bottle of Veuve, we help you leave a memorable impression with your prospects.
Welcoming New Starters
HR professionals trust WellBox to send branded gifts to new starters before they join the team.
Provide a consistent experience for new hires regardless of whether they’re remote, in-person or hybrid and wow your new starter with sustainable branded merch.
Hitting CSR Goals
Both clients and staff are increasingly seeking businesses that share their values and support charitable causes.
Companies partner with WellBox to meet their CSR goals. Our gifts help you make a real, tangible social impact. and give back to those in need.
Building Brand Loyalty
Improve brand loyalty by
acknowledging and rewarding customers at every stage of their journey.
Customer success teams send gifts to clients who reach important milestones. Personalised, branded gifts celebrate their success and strengthens their connection to your brand, fostering long-term loyalty.
Warehousing Branded Inventory
Storing all of your branded merchandise in the office can be a liability when you need to send something quickly. We can warehouse and dispatch your inventory on its own or include it in our gifts to save time, cost and space.
Use our online portal to manage your order, check inventory levels and personalise gift messages prior to dispatching gifts.
Staying Compliant
Handing over sensitive customer or staff data is a scary proposition. Sleep easy knowing you’ll never have to share sensitive employee data with us.
We operate our own technology on our own dedicated server based in Manchester, UK which is ISO27001 certified, PCI-compliant and secured to UK government IL4 standards.