Once again, as a manager, you are faced with the task: an employee gift has to be chosen. It is a farewell, a 25-year anniversary, a big sales target that was hit, or a retirement. You have done it before: bottles of wine, pens with the company logo, designer tech. It works - but it is rarely something that is remembered.
In this article I want to argue that a hand-painted personal painting is the best employee gift you can give. Especially for employees who have meant something special to the company. It typically costs the same as a good bottle of wine or a designer bag - but the effect is entirely different.
Why employee gifts so often fail
Let us be honest. Most employee gifts are forgettable for the same reason: they are impersonal. A bottle of wine is something the recipient could just as easily have bought themselves. A designer bag says nothing about the person. A pen with the company logo typically ends up in a drawer.
Even the "luxury" gifts - fine restaurant vouchers, weekend breaks, Apple accessories - have the same problem: they are generic. They show that you have given a gift. They do not show that you have seen the person.
A hand-painted painting is the opposite. It is made for this one person only. It cannot be given to anyone else. It tells a story that only makes sense to the recipient. And it hangs on the wall at home for many years - as a constant reminder that the company valued them.
What a hand-painted painting can be as an employee gift
We have painted hundreds of corporate paintings for employee gifts. Here are some of the typical ideas that work:
Farewell after 25-30 years of employment
An employee leaves the company after half a working life. A painting of the employee together with the team, taken on a good day - for example at a company event or a lunch. Or a portrait of the employee alone. It is a gift that says: "We remember you. You meant something here."
Retirement
When a respected colleague retires, a hand-painted portrait is a powerful gesture. It can be a formal portrait of the employee in a suit - or something more informal, for example a photo from their favourite hobby (fishing, sailing, gardening). The work becomes a tribute that hangs in their home for the rest of their life.
25-year anniversary
An anniversary calls for something special. Instead of the traditional watch or piece of jewellery, you can give a painting of their family, or a painting taken from a special memory from their time at the company - for example a photo of their first department or a special project group.
A big sales target or achievement
When a salesperson has delivered beyond expectations, or a team has closed a huge deal, a painting can be the recognition that is remembered. A portrait of the salesperson with the trophy, a team picture at the milestone, or a symbolic motif (for example the office building painted in a particular style).
Leadership awards and top employees
Many companies have annual awards - "employee of the year", "manager of the quarter" and so on. A hand-painted painting adds an entirely different weight from a glass plaque. It hangs in their home, where the family sees it. It tells the story every time they have guests.
Price range - what should I expect?
Our corporate paintings cost 495-1,095 CHF depending on size - floating frame and free shipping are included. For comparison:
- A quality bottle of wine (a good case): 250-550 CHF - gets drunk and forgotten
- A designer bag: 650-1,300 CHF - generic, rarely personal
- A weekend-break voucher: 800-1,600 CHF - one weekend, then gone
- A watch or piece of jewellery: 800-2,400 CHF - fine, but rarely a story
- Hand-painted personal painting: 495-1,095 CHF - hangs on the wall for 30-50 years
The price per year that the recipient still values the gift is extremely low. It is one of the most cost-effective employee gifts we know.
How the price is calculated
With us the pricing model is entirely simple: one fixed price per size - floating frame and free shipping included. A 60x40 cm painting costs 495 CHF. A 70x50 cm costs 645 CHF. A 100x70 cm costs 1,095 CHF. Custom sizes (40-150 cm) are chosen directly on the product page - the same price per cm² as the fixed sizes, frame and shipping included.
There are no extra costs for complexity, number of people, background or other details. A solo portrait and a five-person group picture cost the same, as long as the painting is the same size.
Invoicing and tax treatment
We naturally issue an invoice with VAT to businesses. Employee gifts can generally be booked as a business expense, provided they stay within the usual bounds (the exact rules depend on your situation and your canton - always check the precise details with your fiduciary or tax adviser).
Please note: we do not give tax advice, and you should always clarify with your fiduciary how an employee gift should be treated in your situation. In practice, however, hand-painted art as an employee gift is a perfectly ordinary expense item for many companies.
Delivery - directly to the recipient or to the office?
We deliver by insured, trackable parcel shipping (DHL/UPS) throughout Switzerland, and you can choose:
- Delivery to the office: You can present the gift in person, for example at a farewell reception or anniversary dinner.
- Delivery directly to the recipient's home: A good idea if you want to surprise the recipient, or if it is to be a gift for home on a special day.
In both cases the painting is delivered safely packed and mounted in a floating frame (included in the price), ready to hang straight away.
Practicalities: which photo can you use?
We need one or more photos of the employee. These can be:
- A formal company portrait (for example from LinkedIn or your intranet)
- An informal photo from a company event
- A private photo from the HR archive (with consent)
- A photo supplied by the family (a good idea if you want to surprise with a private motif)
We can also bring several photos together - for example adding the team in the background, or painting the employee together with their spouse and children.
Timeline - how early should I order?
Our normal delivery time is 2-3 weeks. That means you should order at least 3 weeks before the day the gift is to be presented.
If you have a tight deadline (for example an anniversary dinner on a specific date), contact us when you order. In the vast majority of cases we can meet your deadline - but the earlier the better.
Examples of employee gifts we have painted
For an accounting firm we painted a 60x80 cm portrait of a partner who retired after 38 years. The painting was presented at a formal farewell reception and now hangs in his home. The family wrote to us afterwards to thank us - it was the most meaningful gift he had ever received.
For a medium-sized manufacturing company we painted an 80x100 cm group portrait of a team of 6 salespeople who had delivered the company's best sales year ever. The painting now hangs in the sales department as a constant source of motivation.
For a tech company in Zurich we painted a portrait of their CTO, who left the company after 12 years to start his own business. It was presented at his farewell party. The CEO told us later that it was the only gift that had made the CTO cry.
Why a painting and not a photograph?
The question comes up from time to time: "Why not just give a large printed version of a professional photo?"
Three reasons:
- A hand-painted work has weight: It is not a printed product. It is art. It is something you hang in the finest room, not in the hallway.
- A painting can correct the photo: We can remove backgrounds, bring several people together, give better light, remove distracting elements. A photo is bound to reality - a painting is bound to the reality you want.
- It is about the relationship, not the transaction: A photo print says "we have ordered a gift for you". A hand-painted painting says "we have taken time for you".
What about a company logo or corporate motif?
If you want your building painted, a particular company activity, or something more abstract - not a portrait - we can do that too. Paintings of buildings, scenes from production, or symbolic motifs work well as corporate gifts.
Read more on our page about corporate paintings.
The guarantee
We give our full satisfaction guarantee on all paintings - corporate gifts too. If the painting does not hit the mark, we adjust or repaint it at no extra cost. We have 4.5/5 on Trustpilot from 1,689 reviews.
How to get started
It is simple:
- Find one or more photos of the employee
- Choose the size and, if you like, a frame on our site
- Upload the photo and pay - we issue an invoice with VAT
- We paint by hand and deliver in 2-3 weeks
If you need help choosing the size, motif or frame - or if you need several people brought together in one painting - write to us and we will be glad to advise. Also take a look at our FAQ for practical questions.
Employee gifts that are remembered
The next time you are faced with choosing an employee gift, ask yourself one question: "What will the recipient still have in 20 years?" The wine is drunk. The bag has faded. The voucher has been used. But the painting still hangs on the wall - in the home, in the family, in the room where children and grandchildren see it and ask: "Who is that?"
That is the story an employee gift can create. It is the kind of gesture that binds employees and company together for many years after the formal employment relationship has ended.