Celebrating an anniversary at work with gifts will make employees more likely to stay, according to a new report, which indicated that employers may be neglecting this valuable retention strategy.
Nearly three in four (72%) employees in a new Snappy poll revealed that work anniversary gifts would make them more likely to stay at their organisation.
Work anniversary gifts are employee recognition gifts designed to celebrate tenure, contribution, and employee milestones within an organisation.
According to the report, work anniversary gifts make employees feel seen, appreciated, connected to company goals, recognised for long-term contribution, and invested in by leadership.
“Unlike transactional rewards, work anniversary gifts reinforce the relationship between employees and the organisation over time,” the report read.
Despite these benefits, the same report found that only 47% of employees have ever received a work anniversary gift from their employer.
Missing out on a key retention perk
The findings indicate that employers may be missing out on a crucial benefit offering that can boost retention, as well as engagement and appreciation, which have been on a recent slump based on global data.
Snappy’s poll, which included 1,500 full-time employees, found that 85% of employees believe work anniversary gifts would make them feel more appreciated.
Another 88% said getting gifts from employers would increase their engagement and collaboration.
It comes as a recent report from the Achievers Workforce Institute last year revealed that all generations in the workplace do not feel recognised at work.
A separate report from Gallup earlier this year also revealed that global employee engagement has dropped to 20% in 2025, its lowest level since 2020.
According to Snappy, work anniversaries create a “scalable opportunity” for employers to fix the recognition gap in workplaces.
“Work anniversary gifts are no longer just symbolic gestures of employee recognition moments,” the Snappy report read.
“They are increasingly becoming part of how organisations reinforce engagement, contribution, motivation, and workforce performance at scale.”
How to improve anniversary gift-giving?
But simply giving a gift for an employee’s anniversary might not be enough, as the workforce is critical over whether recognition programmes at work are genuine, according to the report.
In fact, only 32% of Snappy’s respondents believe their organisation consistently gets appreciation right.
“The most effective programmes make recognition feel personal to employees while remaining scalable for the organisation,” the report read.
It noted that great work anniversary programmes commonly include:
- Personalised gifting over generic rewards
- Active manager involvement in recognising employee contributions
- Public recognition through visible appreciation
- Consistency by ensuring milestones are recognised annually
- Flexibility across global teams
“Work anniversary gifts and other forms of meaningful recognition reinforce that employees are not simply completing tasks. They are contributing to the long-term success and momentum of the organisation,” the report read.
“They reinforce that employees are helping drive organisational momentum, customer experience, innovation, and long-term business success.”