16 of the Best Remote Employee Gifts for Onboarding

How are you helping your new remote employees feel welcome? Remote work has become more prevalent than ever, and despite how comfortable it has become for many of us, finding ways to help new remote workers feel like they’re a part of the team can be challenging. However, our experts have some ideas to navigate it. Gifting custom promotional products is an excellent way to engage your remote employees, ensure they feel seamlessly connected to everyone, and promote your brand simultaneously. What’s more, remote employee gifts can help with retention and employee happiness. Below we’ve shared some of our favorite custom products for welcoming new employees and showing some remote employee appreciation.  

Custom Office Supplies

Give your new remote employee something they can actually use and help them get started on their home office.

 Pilot Pens and Papermate Pens

Custom pens have long been a fantastic way to spread brand awareness, and having a pen that writes smoothly and comfortably is (in our opinion) completely underrated. That’s why we love custom pens like Pilot G2 Premium Gel Roller Pens for their high quality and Papermate InkJoy Click Pens for their wide color selection.  

 Notebooks with Pens

Another wonderful choice for welcome gifts is custom notebooks with their own pens. The Eco-Spiral Notebook with Pen is essential for anyone looking for a sustainable option. The Function Erasable Notebook with Pen features special erasable and reusable paper when used with an erasable gel pen and allows you to scan and share notes via text message and email—making it especially useful for sharing ideas while working remotely.   

Custom Drinkware

A great choice for working at home or on the go, this custom drinkware provides something hot or cold to sip on all day long. All of these collections are laser engraved, which elevates the look of any custom logo and remote employee gift overall.  

Arctic Zone drinkware 

Simple yet sleek and practical, custom promotional water bottles and tumblers are always a hit! Arctic Zone features Thermal HP® double-wall vacuum construction to keep drinks hot for up to 12 hours and cold for up to 48 hours (!). 

MiiR drinkware 

MiiR’s Thermo 3D™ double wall vacuum insulation technology will keep drinks fresh for hours. As an added benefit, MiiR also gives at least 1% of revenue to nonprofit organizations whose work empowers communities while benefiting the health of their natural environments. 

Ember Laser Engraved 10 oz. Stainless Steel Temperature Control Mug  

These custom mugs are both impressive and practical. This Ember mug will keep drinks at an exact temperature, so they’re never too hot or too cold. Use the Ember app to set the perfect temperature and the smart LED will let you know when it’s reached it. Your remote employees will love spending less time getting up to warm up their coffee. 

Custom Backpacks 

Working remotely doesn’t always mean working from home, so help your remote employees get to and from where they’re going with custom backpacks that foster company pride. 

The North Face Stalwart 15” Computer Backpack

These spacious and protective custom backpacks from The North Face are must-haves for your remote employees on the go. Featuring an organization panel, a 15” padded laptop sleeve, and 26 liters of space, all of their gear will be protected and accessible. Add your business logo with beautiful custom embroidery, and you’ve got some sharp remote employee gifts!  

OGIO Commuter Transfer 13” Computer Backpack  

These OGIO backpacks aren’t just any backpacks—they’re specifically designed for commuting in style. With both a laptop compartment and a large main compartment, your employees will have plenty of space to transport everything they need for the day, whether they’re going to the office, the gym, or a meeting. These backpacks are also customized with embroidery to make your custom logo look its best. 

Custom T-shirts 

While we offer a wide selection of customizable products, our bread and butter is the kind you can wear! 

Allmade Tri-Blend T-shirt and New Era Tri-Blend T-shirt 

Both of these custom tees are super soft and lightweight—perfect for staying comfortable while powering through the day. The New Era Tri-Blend T-shirt is also moisture-wicking, making it a great addition to your new employees’ activewear collection. 

Nike Dri-FIT Micro Pique Performance Polo 2.0 and Sport-Tek Performance Polos

Polos are excellent for nailing that business casual look on those Zoom calls. Add your custom logo to this performance fabric, and you’ll have some pretty spiffy remote employee gifts! The Nike Dri-FIT Micro Pique Performance 2.0 is also available in women’s and tall sizes so you can make sure everyone has the perfect fit.    

Custom Hoodies and Jackets

A great transitional layer for all seasons, custom hoodies and sweatshirts are the ultimate choice for versatile custom apparel. 

Champion Collection

Champion hoodies and sweatshirts are one of our favorite brands at Custom Ink. Choose from unique styles like the Champion Women’s Reverse Weave Cropped Hoodie and the Champion Powerblend Zip Hoodie. Your team is sure to appreciate such cozy remote employee gifts that they can use all year long. 

The North Face Skyline Full Zip Fleece Jacket

Go for something extra special with this mid-weight fleece that is both soft and sturdy. Also available in women’s styles, this custom jacket looks sharp with custom embroidery on the left chest. Premium custom apparel like this is sure to show that remote employee appreciation that they deserve!    

Custom Hats and Beanies 

Custom hats are great gifts for anyone because they look great on everyone! 

Carhartt Hats and Beanies

Embrace the rugged and versatile look of Carhartt with their cozy hats and beanies. Stay warm and stylish with the Carhartt Watch 2.0 Beanie, or keep the sun in check with the Carhartt Rugged Professional Trucker Hat. Either option looks great with your logo embroidered on the front. 

New Era Beanies 

Beanies by New Era have a classy yet casual look that works for many occasions. Choose one with or without a cuff, pom-pom or no pom-pom. New Era is known for its clean and sophisticated style, and these custom beanies are no exception. Whichever custom beanies you select, they’ll look great with custom embroidery and your logo. 

Custom Tech Accessories

Get your new employees a head start on setting up their home office with some awesome custom tech gear.

JBL Clip 4 Portable Waterproof Bluetooth Speaker 

This sleek and cool custom speaker is a wonderful choice for new remote employees to jam out to a playlist while crushing their to-do list. Being portable and waterproof, this speaker can be taken out of the office—to the beach, a picnic, a hike, on vacation, and beyond. This speaker looks especially great when it features your custom logo.  

Hush Active Noise Cancelling Bluetooth Headphones 

If they need to keep it quiet, these premium headphones let them take their meetings without disturbing others and cancel out any distractions. They’ll be able to easily work in a noisy cafe for a change of scenery or cancel out the grating sound of the lawn mower outside—all thanks to you. 

Laser Engraved Pep 4,000 mAh Power Bank 

When they need to charge up their devices throughout the day, your new employees can reach for this awesome power bank, courtesy of you. The laser engraving adds a level of sophistication and elevates any company logo. Custom tech accessories like these make excellent remote employee gifts that help them immediately feel like they’re part of the team.

You might be wondering, “How am I supposed to get this custom gear to my remote employees?” We’ve got you covered. 

Connecting your group in custom gear has never been easier. No matter how many employees may be working remotely, we’ve simplified the process so that you can focus on your group’s experience. With Custom Ink, you can ship to multiple addresses! No more manually opening, organizing, repackaging, and remailing your group’s gear. Collect your addresses (or let us do it for you), choose your design, and we’ll take care of the rest. You can also choose to use our Group Order Form, which allows everyone to place their own orders, find and enter their sizes, and even have them shipped directly to their homes. Once you’ve saved your design in the Design Lab, you’ll have the chance to start a group order or ship to multiple addresses. Your group members can select their own sizes using our unique Sizing Line-Up feature. 

Sharing custom products with your team is a powerful way to feel connected from a distance, and it’s especially effective at helping employees feel valued and engaged. Show your remote workers you care with custom apparel and accessories.