From Reward Vouchers to Digital Cards: How Employee Gifting Is Evolving

Employee rewards have seen a major shift in the last few years. Earlier, rewarding employees used to be as simple as handing out a voucher, but times have changed. Teams are spread across time zones, expectations are higher, and budgets are under scrutiny.

Traditional reward vouchers, while once popular, were never built for today's hybrid workforce. They are restrictive and hard to manage. In fact, in a recent survey conducted by Bonusly, 44% of employees say they would prefer a gift card as an employee reward.

This very reason is why businesses are shifting to clever solutions like digital cards. This not only streamlines the process of reward distribution but also enhances employee experience, making rewards more personalised.

Why Employee Reward Vouchers Are No Longer Effective

Gone are the days when employee recognition meant handing over store vouchers. Employees now want rewards that are flexible and well-thought-out. Research suggests that over 55% of employee engagement is driven by non-financial recognition. Here are some reasons why reward vouchers are no longer effective:

1. Lack of flexibility: Most vouchers are limited to a specific store, brand, or product category. This reduces their perceived value, especially if the reward doesn't align with an employee’s preferences or needs. Often, employees redeem them just to avoid waste, rather than out of genuine satisfaction.

2. Misses Personalisation: Vouchers are one-size-fits-all, offering little room for customization based on employee interests, life stage, or achievements. A generic gift can dilute the intended impact of the reward and make employees feel underappreciated.

3. Limited Usability: Vouchers can expire quickly, get misplaced, or fail to work in certain stores or online. This leads to friction and reduces the likelihood of the reward being used effectively.

4. Manual Process: Procuring and distributing vouchers, especially when managing a big team, requires manual coordination and multiple follow-ups. This increases admin load on HR and finance teams.

What Today's Workforce Wants from Employee Gifting?

One in every five workers globally is working remotely today. As workplaces evolve, so are employee expectations around rewards and recognition. Today's employees want to be rewarded in a way that feels less like a transaction and more like their unique contributions.

They want convenience, flexibility, and personalization. Companies that adapt reward systems that align with their employees not only increase trust, but also retention and loyalty.

However, this isn't just about employee satisfaction. It is also about business outcomes. When employees feel underappreciated, they feel less engaged at work, are demotivated, and it weakens the culture of the organization.

Digital Cards: The Future Of Employee Gifting Solutions

This is where digital cards come in. Designed for today's workforce, they offer the flexibility, convenience, and speed employers and employees are looking for.

CleverCards Employee Benefits Card is a digital Mastercard that can be issued and sent instantly via email to all employees. They can use their CleverCard online or add it to Google Pay or Apple Pay and make contactless payments at over 50 million merchants worldwide.

These cards address key pain points for employees and employers, like:

1. Instant delivery: Cards are delivered instantly to all employees via email. No more manual distribution.

2. Real-time tracking: Employees can track their spending and available balance on the CleverCards app in real-time.

3. Complete control: Employers can use the card offline or online using contactless to over 50 million merchants around the world. This means no restriction to store-specific usage.

Digital cards deliver a gift experience that is rewarding for employees and scalable for organizations at the same time.

Digital Cards vs Reward Vouchers: Which Is Better For Employee Gifting

Employee gifting is now more than ever a reflection of how well a company values its people. Offering employees a generic reward voucher sends a message that rewards are a formality, not a priority.

Vouchers restrict employees to where they wish to spend them. They expire, are forgotten, or require employees to go out of their way to redeem them. Meanwhile, the HR teams spend hours procuring, distributing, and tracking them.

Digital cards, on the other hand, signal respect. When employees receive a flexible, instantly usable reward, it sends them a message that they are valued. For HRs, it means less manual work, better visibility, and more efficiency.

How CleverCards Are Transforming Employee Gifting In 2025?

CleverCards offer employees what they need most. Flexibility and personalisation to spend their reward however they wish. For employers, it simplifies logistics and operations. Since these cards can be procured and sent instantly online, which means no manual distribution and no shipping delays.

Employees also enjoy the card without worrying about reimbursements or misplacing a physical card. CleverCards was built to redefine employee rewards in modern times. Because employee gifting is more than a transaction. It is an opportunity to build meaningful connections with their employees.

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