As the holiday season approaches and 2025 comes to a close, HR professionals are once again thinking about how to show appreciation for their teams.
While bonuses have been a year-end staple, many organizations are recognizing that gratitude doesn’t have to come with a paycheck. A 2024 report found that employees often view non-cash rewards as more meaningful symbols of appreciation.
If you’re looking for ways to make year-end recognition more personal, you are not alone. Many HR leaders are moving toward creative, experience-based perks that strengthen culture, connection, and morale. Below are six popular holiday reward trends making waves in workplaces this season that you can start implementing now.
1. Launch a gratitude week campaign
Before the holidays even begin, you can set the tone for the season by leading a “Gratitude Week.” Use your internal communication channels to highlight individual and departmental wins or post short video messages from executives. According to Gallup, employees who feel recognized are four times more likely to be engaged at work, so formalizing gratitude before the holidays is an easy, low-cost way to directly improve motivation and retention.
2. Support meal partnerships
While heavily cherished, cooking holiday meals can be a big source of stress, and as the economy continues to fluctuate, many employees may be rethinking how they celebrate holidays like Thanksgiving. Show your organization cares by offering tangible benefits such as a $50-$100 meal stipend, a grocery delivery code, or a partnership with a local restaurant offering discounted meal kits.
3. Provide paid volunteer sabbaths
If your organization values community service, you can strengthen your company’s social impact by offering employees one to three consecutive paid days for volunteering. Set up partnerships with local nonprofits, schools, or food banks to make participation easy. You can even encourage departments to volunteer as teams to build collaboration outside typical work settings.
4. Introduce flexibility passes
According to LinkedIn’s Global Talent Trends report, flexibility remains the #1 driver of job satisfaction, especially during high-stress periods like year-end. So, when your teams hit key year-end goals, reward them with flexibility passes like meeting-free days, compressed workweeks, or early signoffs on Fridays. You can require employees to earn these passes by hitting project milestones to keep things fair.
5. Schedule a quiet week
With back-to-back holidays, it’s easier for employees to burn out. Gartner research shows that burnout drops by up to 23% when companies intentionally build downtime into the calendar. You can designate the week between Christmas and New Year’s as a company-wide “quiet week” with limited meetings, reduced communication expectations, and minimal deadlines. If your organization can’t fully shut down, can you rotate schedules so everyone gets at least a few quiet days to recharge.
6. Create peer-nominated awards
On a similar note to the gratitude week campaign, end the year by asking employees to nominate peers who’ve made a real difference in workplace culture. Offering a symbolic prize, like an experience voucher or a company donation in their name, makes the recognition more memorable.
How You Can Put These Ideas into Action
When you’re ready to roll these out, you’ll get the best results by tailoring them to your culture and communicating them clearly. If your organization prides itself on collaboration, for example, a gratitude week or volunteer initiative will feel natural. If performance and results are central, flexible scheduling or extra time off might work better. You can even strengthen the impact by tying each initiative to a measurable outcome like reducing year-end turnover or improving engagement survey results. This way, you’ll have a clear story to share with leadership about each initiative’s value and ROI.
You can make your efforts even more effective by giving managers real ownership. Instead of rolling out programs from the top down, provide your leaders with specific frameworks that make appreciation a consistent behavior rather than a seasonal gesture.
Finally, make it a habit to ask for feedback once the holidays are over. Quick pulse surveys or informal check-ins can help you understand what worked best. Use what you learn to refine your approach for next year.
At the end of the day, you don’t need a massive budget to make the holidays meaningful for your team. What matters most is showing genuine appreciation in ways that reflect your organization’s values and long-term commitment to employee well-being.
Sources: Hinda, Forbes, Gallup
