Working for the same company for ten years must require patience and dedication, both of which, hopefully, should be acknowledged. And in some companies, they are; some employers make sure to let their long-term employees know that they are valued and appreciated, especially after hitting a mark as significant as a decade.
However, not all of them have the same understanding of what the token of appreciation should be; that’s why in some companies, an employee might get a pen, while in others, a cruise trip. These are just a couple of examples of what members of the ‘Ask Reddit’ community have received after spending a decade at their workplaces. Shared in a thread started by u/miami72fins, their answers covered all sorts of gifts from great to terrible, all of which you can find on the list below.
A trip for 2 anywhere in the world (reimbursed up to $7500). My Wife & I did a 17 day trans-atlantic cruise from Florida to Europe for less than $2000 out-of-pocket.Almost 9 years here. My company gave me a six figure stock bonus (vests over 4 years). I will likely stay here as a result.
If companies reward employees, meaningfully, then employees are more loyal and willing to work hard.I work at a midsize HVAC company (about 250 employees), got a signed hockey stick by the whole team and some really good tickets for a game. My boss knows I'm a big hockey fan so it was pretty sweet to get.
Aside from that, they've generally been good to me over the years and it's the reason I've stuck around so long.
Edit: Well that's a lot more responses than I expected. For those who asked, it's the Hurricanes and I work in Service.I took a voluntary separation and got 10 months of pay on my 10th anniversary. Best choice I have ever made. Found a new job with a 15% raise that started a few weeks later.At Starbucks, at 10 years you get an extra couple of shares of stock, an award, and you are eligible for one year off with no loss of stature when you come back(it’s called a coffee break) and, if you are over 55, been with them for over ten years and then retire, you get a pound of coffee a week and 30% off for the rest of your life.A tie clip. I am a woman.I remember working in a fast food joint (think, very large global chain). I started in '96 and in '08 I got my reward for ten years service.
It was a pen and pencil.
Yup.A paper saying they planted a tree in another province that I will never see.I got $1000x yrs of service every year at my last job I lasted a little over 15 yrs.Not a goddamn thing.
You think a company that gave raises of 4¢ (yes, that's correct. 4 American cents) gives a s**t about you working there for 10 years?
One coworker got a 1¢ raise. He complained, and they fired him.
F**k LKQ.I got to pick an item - fancy steak knives I actually really like and a $250 gift card to my favourite bike shopEither a $2000 TAGheuer watch or $2000 worth of travel credit. (Took the travel)I bounce around too much for my jobs so I asked my mom who was in finance from the late 80s on.
Her 10 year anniversary was a cell phone and a week-long trip to Italy. She also got a stipend in the form of traveler’s checks.
Her 20th was done as a group of other 20 years where they were flown out to dinner at the CEOs house and then a vacation.
Her 30th was a selection of vacations but she opted for the cash bonus.
Today, I’m pretty sure most anniversaries would be forgotten and it would be a normal day for a lot of workers. They don’t really do “big” stuff anymore.10 years was too long ago to remember. For 30 years, I received an "AI-personalized" video of my career, in practice a 60.000-sharp seconds video glorifying the company, where the first two seconds were "[insert name here], remember what we did together".
In other words, a level of b******t well beyond a diarrhea epidemic in any large herd.23 years this year they gave those with 20 years service a free breakfast! Those who were off that day got nothing…I hit 25 years recently. I got some headphones that I picked out of a catalog and a thank you card where a bunch of people misspelled my name.A cheap pin along with my continued employment.
A previous job gave me a nice mantel clock at 5 years. That clock is now almost 30 years old and still works great.Fortune 75. Letter, actual pen/paper, thanking me for my 10 years, extra week of vacation, monetary award, and an anniversary gift chosen from a catalog ($300 bakeware set).
The 20 year was even better; all the above but grabbed a lever action rifle instead of bakeware.I got a plaque with my name spelled wrong on it.I got 500 Pounds, 2 extra days holiday ( I now have 37) and dinner for my spouse and I.
At 20 years you get a another month's wages and dinner for up to 20 people.Very large Fortune 100 company - I got to make a selection from a rewards catalog site and got $$ for a celebration dinner. I chose a tent and two sleeping bags. At 15 years, I chose a mountain bike. Never got my celebration money. Just hit my 20 year. I chose a large $400 LeCreuset Dutch oven this time and I have $200 to spend on a celebration dinner with my team or with my family and friends. I’m taking just my friends out for a nice dinner this Friday at our local Japanese steakhouse and slapping the corporate card down.I'm an older guy, so hitting the 10-year mark made me eligible for retiree health insurance.
And I think they still have that, though they've unfortunately discontinued the defined-benefit pension for new employees.We get a Rolex at 15 yearsThe concrete thing is an extra week of paid vacation. You started with two weeks when hired, then you got 1 week at 3 years, 1 week at 5 years and 1 week at 10 years. Also a big congrats and recognition company wide email from the company and a little plaque.17 years with a government company and I got a ham sandwich and a paper certificate to thank me for my years of service.
I don’t eat ham.In the past, we used to get to pick from a catalog of company branded stuff. I think 10 years would have gotten you something valued at approx $1,000. I was in our India office one time when they were celebrating work anniversaries and the people who hit 10 years were given a gold coin with the company logo. Waaaaaay cooler than what we got in the US but my understanding is that gold is highly integrated into the culture.
Besides that, you would also be eligible for a longevity bonus that would be paid annually alongside your standard bonus. Depending on tenure, it would be between 5-15% of your annual. Finally, at 10 years you would also be eligible for a 1 month sabbatical. Basically get a month off paid for you to do something productive other than work.
None of these programs exist anymore. They were all phased out over time. Now, I believe you get a congratulatory email with a certificate of appreciation you can print.My stepdad worked for Aetna insurance over 20 years and was given a $5 Starbucks card.I got to choose from a few items, all of which we adorned with the company logo, two small rubies and a small diamond. I picked the pocket knife.A substantial bonus check and more PTO. Also a raise shortly thereafter but that was part of the annual performance review rather than explicitly related to an anniversary.A gold ring. At 15 years, they put a diamond in it, and at 20 years get a gold watch.
At ten years full time, got a third week of vacation. At twenty I'll get a fourth week.
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