The conclusion (give money) is obvious. Employees are here for the money. Having an interesting job, a good work environment, perks, flexibility, etc... is a n

The conclusion (give money) is obvious. Employees are here for the money. Having an interesting job, a good work environment, perks, flexibility, etc... is a nice plus but no matter what you are doing, none of your employees will work for free. Employees are not stupid, when they receive gifts, they know where the money is coming from, and it is money they could have received as extra pay, and they most likely would have made better use of that money than whatever gift they received. Give them money, that's why they are here. There may be some good reasons for other gifts: taxes. If you give money to your employees, it may be considered salary and taxed as such. An gift card may not, and it can be almost as good as cash depending on where you can use it.