Learn From These Worst Holiday Gifts for Employees

We’ve all received some bad gifts in our time: that ugly shirt from Grandma, those ugly socks from your parents, that weird homemade vase from the cousin you barely know. But you’d be surprised by the list of the worst holiday gifts for employees.

Our annual Holiday Branded Pay study has surveyed thousands of employees over the past several years, and the question about the worst gifts received continues to surprise us and make us laugh (or shake our heads).

In the spirit of teaching employers what NOT to do, here’s a selection of 25 of the worst holiday gifts for employees, as submitted by our survey respondents.

READ MORE: Making Our Incentive Management Tools Work for the Holidays

The Cheap, Useless, and Underwhelming

In our 2024 study, nearly half of the 1,261 U.S. participants said they’re underwhelmed by their companies’ holiday gifts for employees. And no wonder, given these less-than-joyful examples.

1. “Some old dollar-store perfume.” (Definitely doesn’t pass the sniff test.)
2. “A tote bag that immediately tore and a handle fell off.” (A tote bag that carries stuff? Pfft!)
3. “A headband flashlight.” (Is your office in a cave?)
4. “Toilet paper stacked to look like a snowman.” (Two-ply, we hope.)
5. “A pair of socks with a silly pattern.” (Wait, have they been taking advice from your parents?)

Substandard Company Swag

There is such a thing as good swag, but this definitely isn’t it.

6. “A magnet of the company name that did not even stick.” (Did you really want that on your fridge anyway?)
7. “Cheap, neon-colored sunglasses with the company logo on them.” (Let’s find a rave!)
8. “A screwdriver with the company logo on it.” (Sounds like someone’s in a fix.)
9. “A fanny pack with the company logo.” (You’ll be so trendy, though!)
10. “A company calendar.” (To keep track of all those job interviews?)

Edible (and Not-So-Edible) Gifts

It used to be that you could hardly go wrong with food as a gift, but, well, apparently you can.

11. “A lunch-size bag of chips and three pieces of candy.” (We’ll trade you for half a PB&J!)
12. “Eggs.” (That’s a hard one to crack…)
13. “A tin of chocolates that were past their expiration date.” (Chocolate never goes bad, right?)

So Close, Yet So Far

Eighty-three percent of our respondents say they prefer gift cards and prepaid cards as holiday gifts for employees, but only a quarter report getting them. These exceptions actually did get gift cards, but not the kind they wanted.

14. “A $5 gift card. What am I supposed to buy with $5?” (Five lottery tickets, maybe?)
15. “A half-used gift card for Dunkin’ Donuts.” (Sounds like they need safer digital rewards…)

Truly Confusing Trinkets

These unusual holiday gifts for employees really need no introduction.

16. “A troll doll.” (Color us confused.)
17. “An award with my boss’s name.” (Is that supposed to be aspirational?)
18. “A pet rock.” (How vintage.)
19. “A hideous Chia Pet.” (They’re branching out, apparently.)

The Gift That Wasn’t

A large majority of employees consistently say that getting holiday gifts makes them feel valued (81%) and energizes them for the new year (74%), but employers apparently aren’t getting the memo.

20. “Nothing at all — as usual! (At least you expected it?)
21. “Nothing. I was told I was lucky to have a job.” (Burn.)
22. “Nothing. It’s the gesture that counts.” (Or the lack of gesture, as the case may be.)
23. “A handshake.”
24. “An email from the president thanking us for our hard work and wishing us a wonderful holiday season.”  (Take THAT to the bank!)
25. “A notice that the office is closing, and I need to find a new job.” (OK, that’s even WORSE than nothing.)

You can do way better with your holiday gifts for employees if you stick with simple-to-send, fun-to-receive digital gift cards and prepaid cards from BHN Rewards. Make sure even those go over well with these insights on holiday gift cards!

about the author

Hannah Prince

Hannah is a reformed journalist who has more than 15 years of experience and now focuses on content marketing for innovative tech companies.

Hannah is a reformed journalist who has more than 15 years of experience and now focuses on content marketing for innovative tech companies.