Gifts for Coworkers

A good coworker gift is small, useful on a desk, and says nothing about their private life. That third rule is the one people break. This collection sticks to desk-sized gear from many brands, with a rating and review count on every product, so you can judge whether a thing is genuinely useful or just photogenic before it turns up in front of the whole team.

Most of what is here improves the desk they already sit at. Organizers such as the On Point Wood Desktop Organizer and the Minimal Wooden Desk Stationery Organizer, plus the Office Hub Sleek Desk Organizer Monitor Stand, which clears the mess and lifts the screen in one go. A Home Office Wooden Monitor Riser Stand for anyone still working off a laptop with their chin on their chest. An Ergonomic Wrist Pad Office Friendly Desk Organizer. Lighting, from the Modern Mini Desk Lamp to the Automatic Dimming Adjustable Atmosphere Desk Lamp. Cooling for the person who is always too warm: a Portable Mini Air Cooling Fan, a USB Mini Desk Air Conditioner, a Wireless Portable Quiet Fan Circulator Air Cooler. And a little desk personality, meaning the Perpetual Motion Kinetic Art Science Toy, a Wood Block Calendar, the Office Wizard Mini Desktop Trash Can.

Match the gift to the occasion, because the occasion sets the budget. Secret Santa and team draws suit the small stuff: a desk toy, a wooden calendar, a mini trash can, a stationery tray. A personal thank you goes further, so a wrist pad, a good lamp or a fan for the colleague who complains about the aircon all summer. Group gifts for someone leaving or setting up a home office are the only sensible use for the big items in this collection, meaning the Ergonomic Minimalist Work Home Adjustable Table, the wooden and European style office desks, or the Office Comfort Adjustable Leather Comfy Chair. Do not buy a coworker a desk on your own. It reads strangely and it will not fit in their car.

What tends to miss. Anything scented, because a shared room has no opt out. Humour that assumes their taste, which is why the Passive-Aggressive Office Energy Desk Sign is brilliant for a close teammate and awkward for the person two desks over. Anything that eats desk space, since most people are already fighting for room. Mugs, because every office kitchen is already full of them. And remember the trip home: a colleague on public transport has to carry your gift, so bulky is a burden dressed up as generosity.

If you barely know them, read their desk. Cluttered means an organizer. A laptop flat on the surface means a riser. A jumper on the back of the chair in July means a fan, and the opposite means leave the cooling alone. Nothing to go on at all? The Mavigadget Gift Card exists for exactly that, and it beats guessing badly. Sort by rating, check the reviews for build quality and desk footprint, and shipping is free with most orders moving within a day, which matters when the office party is on Friday.