Over a year after a pandemic that forced most businesses to close or work remotely, covid-19 levels are slowly coming down. Pretty soon more and more organizations will have employees slowly returning to the office. A lot has changed in the last year plus,and now welcome back to work is a delicate phrase.
Many businesses are choosing a hybrid office model that mixes remote work with partial or optional time spent in the office. Others are likely to return fully to the office, however, employees will need some time to readjust. It will not be an easy transition to the physical office and will be a challenge for both employees and office managers.
Having a back-to-work kit will help make the move to the new normal and a lot less anxious for many people. Welcoming your employees after the lockdown entails more than just disinfecting their workspace. Many employees are likely to have had experienced some form of a challenge when they were working from home. Gifts are a great way to lift employee’s spirits and put them in the mood to resume their former productive selves. Here are some ideas for back-to-office swag ideas for employees.
Welcome Back Employees With These 11 Swag Items
- Hand Sanitizer
- Snack Packages
- Custom Mask
- Water Bottle
- Tech Essentials Kit
- Desk Plants
- Stress Ball
- Grocery Tote bag
- Desk Organizer
- T-Shirts
- Coffee Mug
1. Hand Sanitizer
2. Snack Packages
After remote work for a year plus, employees are used to always having a clean and sanitized work environment. Companies can maintain that feeling of cleanliness by giving workers a sanitizer. A hand sanitizer with a company sticker on it is a simple idea but is a handy gift that will help ensure all employees have proper cleanliness. It’s also really useful when you don’t have access to water and soap.
Welcome your employees back with some snack packages. This transition back to the office can be stressful for employees, snack packages help to reinforce a warm welcome back to an organization.This care package has it all from sweet to savory. Each box comes with a variety of eight individually wrapped snacks. Products in the image below may be substituted of equal or greater value. The box can be shipped as is and can be customized to fit your employee or your brand.
3. Custom Mask
This one may be obvious but is still a very useful gift. A face covering, or face mask makes a great gift for the current pandemic. Yes, mask restrictions have loosened, but employees will appreciate the extra mask. With face-covering being mandatory in most indoor spaces, companies should try to make sure that all employees are well-equipped and own more than one of these.
4. Bottles
Many people are avoiding communal use items, so it’s best to throw away those individual cups and have everyone use their own bottles for drinking water. This is a good way to increase cleanliness at work and keep employees from moving around too much since they already have enough water by their desks.
5. The Tech Essentials Starter Pack
Make sure employees are fully equipped for their hybrid workforce by giving them a pack full of branded tech. Plus, these are all great items for remote work too. More and more companies are transitioning to flexible work-from-home days. A new study by Microsoft found that 66 percent of business decision-makers are considering redesigning physical spaces to better accommodate hybrid work. This tech pack is the perfect way to enable the hybrid worker and make for easy transitions.
6. Desk Plants
After a year plus of possibly working remotely, office workers are excited to get back to their desk. Give them custom desk plants to help them decorate their workspace. These smart desk plants include a passive hydroponic which ensures the plants always have enough water. Simply plant your seeds in the soil, pour some water into the reservoir, and put your planter in the reservoir.
7. Stress Ball
Pandemic safety is one part of wellness, but so is finding ways to help team members adjust to the mental, emotional and physical tolls that come with transitioning back to the office or adapting to hybrid and remote models full time. The pandemic caused people a lot of anxiety. Give your employees a company branded stress ball to help deal with some of that anxiety.
8. Grocery Tote Bag
In 2021 people are more than aware plastic bags are bad for the environment. Adding an eco-friendly grocery tote bag to your employees’ swag box is a no-brainer. This shows that you not only care about your teammate but the environment as well.
9. Desk Organizer
Keeping your desk clean and clutter free can be a challenge. Space can be limited at the office. Help clear up your desk area with an eco-friendly desk organizer. This organizer is made of recycled cardboard and features five colorful tabs of sticky note strips. It also includes a small pad of yellow sticky notes and a notepad cube. Each organizer has a space for all of your pens, pencils, highlighters, and other writing utensils.
10 T-shirts and Hoodies
We couldn’t miss mentioning t-shirts and hoodies. They can be as versatile and creative as you want them to be, depending on your company’s aesthetics and colors. Who doesn’t love free clothes? Branded t-shirts are also a great way to make new employees feel comfortable within an organization.
11.Coffee Mug
A coffee mug may seem like an obvious gift. It’s a household item that some workers use on a daily basis. It’s more than just an item that can get you into your employee’s and clients houses, it will actually be appreciated and used by employees.
Use These Gift Ideas to Welcome Back Employees into the Office
Keep in mind that the return back to the office is a transition period. After a year of remote work, there will be a different office culture than before. Especially for new employees who may have been onboarded in the past year. Keep this in mind when choosing these welcoming gifts. Embrace the change and use these gifts to welcome back employees in style.
