Employee Christmas gifts & rewards: Please them all this festive season
22 October 2025
It’s time to start planning your festive rewards and employee gifts for Christmas. It’s a puzzle. Trying to find that one gift that will please an entire workforce comprised of different ages, ethnicities, and interests. 2025 Christmas bonuses and gift budgets will likely be tighter than last year due to the National Minimum Wage and NIC increases impacting the availability of surplus funds. Meaningful rewards that meet the needs of all are more important than ever. Read on to find the right choice and flexibility while maximising your budget.
In a hurry? Here are the three things you need to know about why Pluxee eVouchers are your best choice this Christmas.
1. They offer universal appeal through choice and flexibility: One gift suits everyone, and they're ideal for diverse, multi-generational teams. Employees can choose from hundreds of retailers, from luxury treats to essential groceries. Saves HR time sourcing multiple gift types while still feeling personal and inclusive. Especially valuable for supporting employee financial wellbeing during the expensive festive season.
2. They’re cost-effective and hassle-free for employers: Pluxee UK offers two solutions, eVoucher Codes and eVoucher Cheques, providing budget flexibility while still delivering meaningful rewards. eVouchers are tax-efficient and more valued than the same amount added to payslips (which are taxed).
3. They help retain talent and boost engagement during a critical time: 66% of employees would leave if they don’t feel appreciated. eVouchers act as a simple but impactful way to recognise hard work, enhancing motivation and morale when it matters most. You can also use them beyond Christmas as ad hoc rewards, supporting ongoing employee engagement and wellbeing into the new year.
Got time to stick around? Let's dive a little deeper.
It’s been quite a year, with some industries hit by rising expenses on multiple fronts. UK manufacturers, for example, are navigating increased salary costs and global tariffs, impacting revenue and any performance-related bonuses.
While we acknowledge the challenges, the festive season isn’t the time to withhold reward, no matter the circumstances.Workplace Wellbeing Professional (WWP) published that 14% of people are least motivated during the winter months.
How you thank your workforce for all they’ve helped you achieve during the year sets the tone for when they return in the new year. If they return. 66% of employees would quit if they don’t feel valued or appreciated.
January has historically always been the busiest month for job applications, and there’s a demand for skills across a variety of sectors. Your Christmas rewards strategy can help you retain your talent, as we’ll explore later in this blog.
Why eVouchers are the employee Christmas reward that suits everyone!
We’ve set the scene, so now back to the topic at hand: eVouchers and how they can make the cold, dark days of winter that little bit brighter for your entire workforce.
Research reveals that 89% of employees say that having a choice regarding their Christmas rewards (WWP), and this is where our eVoucher Cheques come into their own, giving your employees the chance to spend their festive reward from a choice of hundreds of retailers.
There are up to five generations working within your business. Within that, there are different demographics, genders and ethnicities, and your mission is to find one gift that will please them all. Yes, just one gift, because your HR teams are already under pressure, and sourcing multiple options isn’t the best use of their time.
eVouchers offer multiple options within one digital solution, allowing your employees to choose how and where they spend them.
eVouchers & financial wellbeing support
The ‘how’ they spend their festive reward matters as much as the ‘where’. You’re not just giving them the chance to spend with their preferred brand, but in a way that best suits their needs.
They could choose to treat themselves to something they’ve always wanted but not dared splurge on, or they could choose to spend it at their local supermarket to alleviate the expense of feeding the family at Christmas.
That’s the power of choice, and that’s how a simple eVoucher delivered to your employees’ inboxes can enhance financial wellbeing at the most expensive times of the year.
83% of employees would prefer to receive £50 via an eVoucher than £50 extra cash in their monthly pay slip, which is subject to tax (WWP).
eVouchers & the January health kick
43% of Brits make a New Year’s resolution relating to getting healthier (Forbes). We won’t dwell on what that figure looks like for those who carry on beyond the first three months of the year, because we’re not here to judge.
What we’re here to say is that employees could choose to spend their Christmas eVoucher on their physical or mental health. It’s good for them and your business, as we explore in our blog, ‘Inspiring Healthy Lifestyles and the Business Benefits that Follow’.
Wellbeing is personal, and an eVoucher suits every pace of life from walking to yoga, running to riding. We partner with retailers to equip them with everything they need to see their best intentions through.
eVouchers & the joy of instant rewards
While this is a blog about the festive season and Christmas rewards, you don’t have to wait until the end of the year. 56% of employees prefer being surprised and delighted with unexpected rewards.
Stock up on retailer-specific eVoucher Codes and issue ad hoc rewards throughout 2026 to keep morale and energy high.
What should I give my staff for Christmas on a budget?
The reality is that many businesses will need to scale back on their festive plans, whether that’s a party, budget for meals, or the pot allocated for bonuses and rewards.
We’ve talked about the flexibility and inclusivity, and how eVouchers help you please everyone in one fell swoop. What about the perks for your business?
eVouchers: Value for money
eVouchers are a high-value, low-cost Christmas reward that allows you to gift your employees in a meaningful way while maximising your budget. We have two options, eVoucher codes and eVoucher cheques, and here’s how they save you money:
- eVoucher Codes: Ideal for when you want to get a retailer-specific eVoucher. Perhaps you’re encouraging employees back to the office and want to give them an eVoucher for a local coffee shop or restaurant. When you buy in bulk from one retailer, we can offer a discount.
- eVoucher Cheques: Perfect for when you need us to handle the admin (because we can distribute these on your behalf) and when you want to give the gift of choice. We only invoice you for the eVouchers your employees redeem. If they don’t use them, you don’t pay for them. We can’t really say fairer than that!
Balancing rewards and cost pressures
Employees expect you to show appreciation at Christmas. While there are other ways to say thank you, which we’ll touch on later, a financial boost at the end of the year makes the most significant impact.
The median pay increase for January 2025 was 3%, and many experts predict that salary increases will fail to keep up with inflation. Supporting employee financial wellbeing with cost-effective solutions and ad hoc rewards helps bridge the gaps.
If you’re scaling back on your 2025 Christmas rewards budget, there are some essential things to consider, including the most tax-efficient approach. Keep in mind how you communicate your decisions and emphasise the value of non-cash benefits and rewards.
What are good employee Christmas gifts?
Obviously, we think eVouchers are a brilliant employee Christmas gift. They’re flexible, inclusive, efficient, eco-friendly and deliver real value without hurting your bottom line. However, we did mention non-financial perks above, and next, we’ll explore a few that make good employee Christmas gifts.
1. Flexible working
You genuinely cannot put a price on flexibility. It’s the most in-demand non-monetary employee benefit.
Whether your people need to work late in exchange for a longer lunch or through lunch so they can finish early to pick up the kids, let them set the pace in December. Think about it: if you’ve agreed on what work needs doing and when it’s required, does it matter if they complete it at 8 pm instead of 3 pm?
Some of your employees may feel more comfortable working irregular or even compressed hours during this period, so flexibility can be a win-win for both parties. The best way to find out? Ask.
2. Extra holiday allowance or days off
There's plenty to get done at Christmas, so one of the best ways you can reward your employees is to give them a bit of extra time to tick those things off the to-do list.
Plus, there’s a lot to be said for companies that know the importance of a work-life balance and giving your employees the luxury of extra time off, over and above their usual holiday allowance, can be really good for both morale and wellbeing.
3. Make life at work more fun
You have a business to run, but allowing your teams to take some time out during the working day to enjoy social activities is great for employee morale and improving your company culture.
Organising Christmas activities throughout the month, such as dress-up days, online quizzes or virtual Christmas Pictionary, has proven to be very popular with employees across all industries.
4. The feel-good factor & social value
97% of employees say that seeing their employer show an interest in and caring for their community makes them feel more motivated (WWP).
Often, the gift your employees want —not just at Christmas, but all year round —is the chance to make a difference. Speaking about his time volunteering at a Milton Keynes foodbank, Pluxee UK employee, James Bancroft, said,
It's great that Pluxee is involved - I love the fact that it is a half day and different colleagues. It is hard work, but it's an opportunity to make a huge contribution.
Giving your employees a chance to boost their morale by helping others positively impacts their mental wellbeing, and businesses can encourage employees to initiate this practice. Of course, it costs companies to fund volunteering time, but the benefits to the employee, business, and those being helped within the community far outweigh the initial expense.
How do you say thank you to employees at Christmas?
We’ve discussed how you can reward and motivate your employees during the end-of-year sprint and ensure they return to you once the festivities are over. Next, we’re going back to basics to explore all the different ways you can say thank you.
Respect individual preferences
At this point, we must make something clear. Not everyone likes Christmas, and not everyone observes Christmas. Whether it’s for religious or personal reasons, there will be members of your team who don’t want to engage in the festive fun – so don’t force them to.
While every employee in your business will value an eVoucher as an end-of-year reward, not all of them will appreciate them as a Christmas gift. Understanding which employees will favour a ‘Thank you’ over ‘Merry Christmas’ is vital for creating an inclusive culture.
Provide assurance for the future
Give the gift of peace of mind, especially after what may have been a rocky year for your business. Ensure you end the year on a positive note. It’s OK to acknowledge the difficulties you’ve overcome while communicating your plans to make 2026 a better year.
An effective way to show your employees you have faith in them and the business is to provide opportunities for them to develop. 76% of employees are seeking a clear development path from their employer (Guthrie Jensen).
If your industry is facing skills shortages, upskill from within. It’s cheaper than hiring new talent and creates a loyal and engaged workforce.
Employee Christmas cards: what to write
We’ve tackled eVouchers as the best choice for Christmas rewards, non-financial rewards and other ways you can say thank you through respect and growth. It’s all helpful stuff, but sometimes the simplest tasks are the ones that present the most blockers, like figuring out what to write on your card!
If you go digital with our eVouchers, you could scrap the physical card altogether, but you still need to write something.
Rule number one: Identify those who don’t celebrate Christmas and ensure you select a non-Christmas-themed visual. As for the message, you can keep it to the point: You’ve been a legend this year. Thank you for all your hard work.
In a smaller business, you could be more personal and specific by calling out an individual achievement or challenge that they’ve overcome.
It doesn’t need to be rocket science, but it does need to be authentic.
Keep the momentum going beyond Christmas
We’ve highlighted why Christmas rewards matter: morale, energy, motivation, even employee wellbeing and retention. Set the scene now and keep the momentum going into 2026 and beyond, creating an Employee Value Proposition (EVP) that helps your business thrive through the rocky periods as well as the smooth.
1. Salaries stretch further
You may not believe it, given how we’ve sung the praises of eVouchers during this blog, but they’re actually our second-favourite employee Christmas reward.
Hard to believe, we know, but nothing tops the Pluxee Cashback Card.
You can read the Viridor Case Study for the full story, but here are the highlights:
- Our Pluxee Cashback Card allows employees to earn up to 15% cashback instantly with over 80 UK retailers.
- You can load employee rewards onto the balance and let employees add funds as they go.
- The value of their rewards grows when they earn cashback, and it’s a long-term financial wellbeing solution you can offer your entire workforce.
The Pluxee Cashback Card is the Christmas gift that keeps on giving, and as a virtual-only solution within the Pluxee Employee Experience, it reduces your carbon footprint, too.
2. Create a culture of recognition
Keep the appreciation going by embracing a culture of recognition. Discover why it matters and how to get it right in our blog, ‘Employee recognition: The ultimate guide for employers’.
Peer-to-peer recognition is a powerful tool, and when you build in instant rewards, you’ve got a winning combination and happy employees. Recognition forms the core of the Pluxee Employee Experience, and you can read all about it here – ‘Pluxee Employee Experience: Employee recognition platforms’.
3. Embed a holistic wellbeing solution
You can make it even easier for employees to stay healthy all year round by embedding health and wellbeing solutions into your EVP.
Pluxee Employee Experience contains a suite of wellbeing tools that include perks to improve physical and mental health. Discounted gym memberships, a digital health platform that provides access to an Online GP, and an Employee Assistance Programme that gives mental health support, 24/7, 365 days a year.
All of this, inside a user-friendly app which gives employees access to everything in one place.
Please everyone during Christmas and beyond with Pluxee UK
We started this blog shining a light on our eVouchers, and if you’re ready to place an order and get your Christmas rewards ticked off the list, then click here.
We then deviated somewhat, exploring all the ways you can show your employees appreciation, including the non-financial perks that make a big difference. From there, we dipped our toe into longer-term solutions, a sustainable strategy for recognising, rewarding and supporting your employees all year round.
What it all comes down to is that your Christmas rewards can make a significant difference, boosting morale, increasing productivity and helping you retain the skills you need to help your business thrive.
Sources: Workplace Wellbeing Professional, Forbes, Guthrie Jensen, Jobvite.
