Best Office Gift Ideas

Whether you are shopping for an office birthday for your best workmate, or if you have someone who you don’t feel like you know that well in Secret Santa, this list of best office gift ideas will help you find the perfect item. From jokey presents to more functional and practical ones, this office gift ideas list has suggestions for coworkers of all ages and personalities. 

This list is split into two sections: gifts that are perfect for the office itself, and other ideas of gifts to give your coworkers. Be sure to save it for the next time you need some gift inspiration! 

Best Office Gift Ideas

This section will focus on individual gifts for each person, but that they can use in their area of the office – to either help them with their work, or to make their space feel a little more homely. 

Photo Frame

personalized chocolates

The classic office gift idea, a photo frame means that employees can be reminded of their loved ones, and happy memories that they have shared, while they are in the office. Photos are always nice to add a personal touch to someone’s desk, plus they can make for great conversation starters – someone could be passing by and notice that they have kids the same age. 

Photos of loved ones can also serve as a sort of motivation – an employee could be reminded of a future holiday with their family that they are working overtime to pay for, or a photo of parents or grandparents could be an incentive to work harder to make them proud.

Stress Ball

It’s no secret that work in any field can be stressful. Try to eliminate this stress, or at least calm it down, by giving your coworker a stress ball. 

You can get stress balls in all sorts of shapes – some great ideas are this No products found. (which claims to help you ‘squeeze out your best ideas’) or these No products found. featuring inspirational quotes like ‘I can, I will’ and ‘prove them wrong’ – providing positive self talk that could help a lot with someone’s work attitude! 

These stress balls might just provide them with the inspiration that they need when dealing with a difficult situation in the workplace. 

Miniature Henry Desk Vacuum

Everyone knows the famous Henry the Hoover, who has been keeping homes clean since 1981. The first Henry the Hoover was supposed to be a toy, but just happened to have the vacuum functionality – very soon it became a hoover that was used by young and old around the world!

You can take Henry into your workplace too, by gifting someone a miniature desk vacuum. It’s inevitable that sometimes desks get messy – this could be from eating something that spills crumbs, or by sharpening pencils on the desk. This nifty vacuum can help to get rid of all the little bits of rubbish on the desk, and can make for a great five minute spring clean!

Coffees of the World

A great gift for either a specific person in your office or the office as a whole could be a coffees of the world gift set. This Whittard set offers coffee from Sumatra, the Domincan Republic and Ethiopia, among many others. If you gift this to the whole office, you could have a coffee tasting experience with this set, sampling all the different blends – or try a different one each day! 

Alternatively, it’s a fantastic gift for an individual employee who loves their coffee and tasting food and drink from around the world, either at home or in the office. You could also get someone a tea tasting set, filled with tea from around the world. 

Shoe Shine Kit

If you work in a formal office, requiring you to wear smart shoes, and you are buying a gift for someone who takes a lot of pride in their appearance, this shoe shine kit could be a really great idea. It features brushes, cloths and polishes and easily tidies up any shoes. They could even take it into the office for some lunchtime shoe-shining, and it could be a great way to quickly neaten up and get an extra boost of confidence before important meetings. 

Message Book

If you want an alternative way to communicate with your best mate at work, think about investing in a message book. These are flipbooks with messages which you can change and display how you are feeling or any comments. For example, this flipbook has messages like ‘Longest Day Ever’ or ‘TGIF’. 

If you want to make a homemade gift, consider getting a blank notebook and making your own messages for each page – this way you can personalise them for the person who you are gifting the book to! 

Whiteboard

For something a bit more practical, think about gifting someone a desk whiteboard. These can come in all sizes, depending on the space available – you can get huge whiteboards if there is a wall behind them, or small self-standing boards that can sit on your colleague’s desk. Your colleague can use it to plan their week, leave messages for people or get artistic and doodle. You could also give them some whiteboard accessories, like multicoloured pens, an eraser or magnets to put paper up.

I love spreadsheets mug

If you have any co-workers who work with data and are constantly talking about spreadsheets, and are happy to take jokes about how much they like spending time with Microsoft Excel, consider getting them this ‘I love spreadsheets’ mug. It’s relevant to their job, and everyone will know what mug is theirs when doing a tea or coffee round!

Reusable Coffee Cup

If you know someone who gets a Starbucks on their way to work every day, you could gently suggest they become a bit more environmentally conscious by giving them a reusable coffee cup. Not only does this help the environment, but it also gives them a small amount of money off each order – saving them money in the long run! They will also be more likely to remember to use this if you are in the office every day when they come in with a coffee. 

Globe or world map

office globe gift

If you have a colleague who loves to travel and is always talking about visiting different countries, think about getting them a globe or a world map that they can put on their desk. That way, they’ll always be able to find countries to reference when talking about them in conversation, and can look at it for future travel inspiration! If they don’t have much desk space, mini globes are also available, or you could get them a blow up globe that you could use for office games!

Gifts for Coworkers – Outside the office

Sometimes you might want to give your colleagues things that they can use outside the office. This includes jokey presents based on things you know about them from office chit chat and banter, to really useful products that you think they might use in their day to day life. Here are some of the best gifts for coworkers to use outside their office. 

Smartphone Sanitizer

Smartphones are used by most people constantly throughout the day. But this means that the screens can become petri dishes of germs, and must be frequently sanitized. So, how do you sanitize a smartphone? Using wipes or spray could cause water damage, so the best way is by making use of UV light. 

In order to keep workplaces clean and employees healthy, this UV light smartphone sanitizer gets rid of most germs in an easy, safe, and effective way. Simply put your smartphone inside and plug in the cable, and let it sanitize it independently. It’s an ideal gift for a coworker to use both in the office to prevent the spread of germs, and in their personal life. 

Mindfulness Book

mindfulness book office

If someone has a highly stressful role, they might appreciate a book of mindfulness to help them with their hectic days. Mindfulness is the act of being present in the here and now, so this book will contain meditative exercises and breathing techniques. They can use this in their personal life, or take it to the office to do on their lunch break. 

Colouring Book

Adult colouring has taken off a lot in the last few years, and a colouring book is a really thoughtful idea to anyone struggling with stress. They are meant to help people calm down and stay focused on the present moment, so can be a great addition to someone’s morning or evening routine. Make sure that you include a note with the benefits of adult colouring books, and some pencils of course!

Scalp Massager

Do you have an employee who is always complaining about headaches? This scalp massager will help them relax and unwind a bit more – whether they take it to the office or use it at home! There are flexible metal rods which move up and down the scalp, threading through hair and ultimately providing a relaxing DIY massage. 

Bottle of Wine Glass

If you have any wine fans in your office, you could get them a huge wine glass that fits an entire bottle inside. These glasses have been made to fit 750 mls of liquid, giving ‘I’ll just have one glass of wine tonight’ a new meaning and making office drinks a lot more fun! Or, if your colleague has a hard time choosing between wine or coffee, you could get them a ‘coffee or wine’ flip over glass. Alternatively, if they prefer gin or beer, you could get them a ‘ring for gin’ or ‘ring for beer’ bell. 

Recipe Book

If you have a colleague who wants to learn to cook more, you could give them a recipe book to use at home – or even in the office kitchen! BOSH do great vegan recipe books, creating all sorts of delicious dishes in plant-based versions, and Joe Wicks’ Lean in 15 recipe book creates delicious meals – in just 15 minutes! These recipes are mainly targeted to busy but active people who want to create quick but healthy breakfasts, lunches and dinners – they could even make some in the office kitchen during their lunch break. 

Leaving Gifts for Colleagues

If your workmate is leaving, you might want to get them a specialised gift to mark the occasion – something that will say ‘thank you’ and ‘I’ll miss you’ in one. Here are some ideas…

Personalised Chocolate

personalized chocolates 1

It is possible to purchase chocolate from many chocolatiers with your own message on it. You can leave a message about them leaving or a private joke, and enjoy it with them on their last day in the office. 

Personalised Pens

Again, it’s also possible to get pens which have ‘good luck’ or ‘thank you’ lettering on them, expressing your wishes towards the employee who is leaving. They can use these at their new job, or around the house if they are retiring. 

Funny Mugs

If your co worker is leaving, there are lots of funny mugs you can get them with witty catch phrases – like this ‘good luck finding a co worker as great as me!’ mug. Depending on your office dynamics, you could get them ones about how much you’ll miss them, or even something about well done for escaping from the office!

Personalised Coasters

Gifting someone personalised coasters is a really thoughtful present. They can use them either at home or in their new job, and it’s a small gift that won’t take up too much room but proves to be very useful as they protect tables from coffee stains. They will also be reminded of you, their kind ex-colleague, every time they drink a hot beverage and look at it! 

Conclusion

These office gift ideas are perfect for birthdays, Secret Santa, or leaving gifts. Make sure to choose appropriately, depending on who is receiving the gift, why they are getting it and what occasion it is for. Hopefully this list has been a source of inspiration for when you are choosing your next office gift! 

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About Jess

Hello, I'm Jess and I take care of all of the imagery we use here at Spacehop. Although I'm not as tech savvy as some of the other here, I have worked in HR for several years, so you'll probably hear me imparting some of my wisdom here on occasion.

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