Inexpensive Gifts Your Co-Workers Will Love This Christmas
Here are some of the best gifts for your favorite co-workers.
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Picking out holiday gifts for co-workers can be tricky. While you’ll want to get everyone something tailored to their personality, you also don’t want to break the bank and buy them a gift they’ll hate — or worse, report to human resources.
Rest assured, there are plenty of cheap, work-appropriate gifts for every type of co-worker in your office. Click through to see some of the best gifts for tight budgets that your colleagues are sure to love.
Items for the Grumpy Co-Worker
Every office has one: the lovably grumpy co-worker that finds fault with just about anything. Give them a gift that will make them smile — or one that plays to their cloudy nature.
Studio Headphones
Price: $15.99
If you have a co-worker who is constantly grumbling about noise in the office, a pair of Sony Studio Series Headphones should put them in a calmer, happier state of mind.
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Candy Dish
Price: $24.95
For the co-worker who has a hard time staying peppy, a candy bowl for their desk might be their golden ticket to happiness. Crate & Barrel’s stainless steel server has two bowls, perfect for keeping sweet and salty treats side-by-side.
Emoji Plush Toy
Price: $3.66
Embrace your naturally gloomy co-worker’s personality with an emoji. Chunlin’s sad emoji plush toy comes with a small rope and suction cup, which your co-worker can use to attach to their office bookshelf, cubicle or chair.
Items for the Office Jokester
The office jokester makes Monday mornings in the office a lot more pleasant. Show your appreciation with a gift that nods to their perfect comedic timing.
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A Comedy Film Marathon
Price: $5
What better way to spend a Friday night than with a bowl of popcorn and a slew of hilarious movies? This Laugh Out Loud Movie Collection features three of Bill Murray’s most celebrated films — “Ghostbusters,” “Groundhog Day” and “Stripes” — allowing your office comedian a chance to laugh at someone else’s jokes for a change.
Stand-Up Comedy Survival Guide
Price: $12.99
If you think your funniest co-worker might have a future as a stand-up comic, get them a guide that explains to them what it takes to be successful in the field. Jerry Mabbott’s “Stand Up Comedy Survival Guide” is a memoir mixed with a primer on everything stand-up, from writing a joke to warming up a crowd.
Watch Ya’ Mouth Party Card Game
Price: $9.99
The Watch Ya’ Mouth Party Card Game is a perfect game for the person in your life who isn’t worried about looking foolish. The rules are simple: players wear mouthpieces and say silly phrases — like “Bob plays bingo with popcorn and pineapple” — while their teammates try to guess what they are saying.
Items for the Messy Co-Worker
Messy co-workers cause themselves and others headaches by perennially misplacing things and forgetting deadlines. Send them into the new year in a more organized fashion with these gifts.
Drawer Organizer
Price: $9.99
Whether it’s pens or Post-its, your messy co-worker always seems to come up short. A drawer organizer, like this one from Room Essentials, could prove to be, well, essential. With five different-sized compartments, they can personalize their newly clean space to their heart’s content.
A Simple Agenda
Price: $11.27
Your scatterbrained co-worker probably needs some structure in their life. A perfect gift for both students and professionals, this weekly agenda contains pages of undated weeks, making it easy for them to customize their schedule and keep track of those important meetings.
Desktop Charging Station
Price: $14.99
Have your co-worker tidy up that jumble of cords on their desk with this charging station. The station comes with a USB cable, as well as several small storage compartments. And, it can charge any phone with a Lightning connection.
Flash Drive
Price: $26.23
This chic 64 GB metallic flash drive from Samsung makes for one of the best office gifts and has enough memory for all of your disorganized co-worker’s files. The key ring hole ensures that it won’t be just another thing left behind.
Items for the Reliable Co-Worker
The reliable co-worker tends to make sure everyone else’s work is in on time, along with their own. Show how much you appreciate their conscientiousness with a gift that will help them unwind.
A Classic Board Game
Price: $19.99
Get your co-worker into an off-the-clock state of mind with this retro 1986 edition of Clue, the classic Hasbro board game.
Wine Cooler
Price: $24.95
Rosé or chardonnay? Regardless of their drink of choice, that always-on associate deserves to kick back after a long day at the office with a chilled bottle of wine. This French Kitchen Marble Wine Cooler helps them do just that.
Items for the Tardy or Absent Co-Worker
Every workplace has that one co-worker who just can’t seem to make it to the office on time. While they might be devoted, ensure they become punctual as well by giving them a stylish yet pointed gift.
Bedside Alarm Clock
Price: $14.24
Deliver an elegant but not-so-subtle hint during the holidays by gifting your tardy co-worker an alarm clock. The Crosley analog alarm clock has a silver tone metal case and comes equipped with a classic bell alarm.
Voyage Faux Leather Passport Case
Price: $28
A passport holder is the perfect holiday gift for the co-worker that’s constantly traveling the world. This passport case from Matt & Nat is made out of faux leather and should help inspire your absent co-worker’s next bout of wanderlust.
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Items for the Always-Sick Co-Worker
Whether it’s from overwork, stress or taking care of sick children, some co-workers always seem to be under the weather. These gifts will help them start off the new year on a healthier note.
8G Greens Dietary Supplement
Price: $14
Late nights at the office might have some of your co-workers feeling a bit run down. 8G Greens Dietary Supplements are an ideal way for your colleagues to get the nutrients they need so that their performance remains top-notch.
Body-Solid Tools 5mm Yoga Mat
Price: $21
Yoga is an excellent way to decompress and slow down, which might help your always-sick co-worker fend off stress-related illness. This Body-Solid Tools 5mm Yoga Mat is the perfect gift to kick-start a yoga practice, and its bright red color adds the ideal festive touch.
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Eucalyptus Oil
Price: $9.99
If your co-worker is constantly coming down with a cold, eucalyptus essence could get their respiratory system back on track. SpaRoom’s Eucalyptus Oil helps treat congestion, asthma, coughs and other sinus related issues.
Items for the Intern
A good intern strives to make a good impression and work just as hard as you. Let them know you appreciate their hard (and perhaps, unpaid) labor with one of these inexpensive office gifts.
Clay Art Jumbo Porcelain Coffee Mug
Price: $30
If your office intern also happens to be a college student, they are probably running on loads of caffeine and dreaming of their future. A porcelain mug like this one from Clay Art (paired with a small Starbucks gift card) lets them know you view them as part of the team.
Inspirational Art
Price: $24.99
An intern in their formative years of professional development would likely appreciate some words of wisdom from a mentor. Ambesonne’s hanging tapestry comes printed with the inspirational message, “Start believing in yourself and do not stop.”
Veraflame TrueFlame 6-Piece Flameless Candle Set
Price: $16.99
Odds are your intern lives in a “starter” apartment. Veraflame’s TrueFlame 6-Piece Flameless Candle Set gives the same warm glow of a real candle, but lasts far longer — perfect for the budget-conscious intern that wants to make their dreary studio a little cozier.
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Items for the Tired Co-Worker
When you ask your co-worker how they’re doing, do they tend to respond with “tired”? If so, help them get a decent night’s rest with some of these practical gifts.
Silky Lavender Sleep Mask
Price: $10.30
Your tired office neighbor will likely appreciate a sleep mask. The Retail Import’s Silky Lavender Sleep Mask comes in a rich purple color.
Sound Oasis White Noise Machine
Price: $41.99
Be it the bustle of city streets or an overactive mind, the Sound Oasis White Noise Machine gently drowns out any unwanted noise. Users can choose from multiple white noise effects, and the machine’s portability means your co-worker can take it with them on business trips.
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Hum Nutrition Beauty zzZz tablets
Price: $10
If deadlines and endless to-do lists keep a co-worker up all night, give them a bottle of Hum Nutrition’s Beauty zzZz tablets. These tablets come in a sleek, dark container and are packed with melatonin, B-vitamins and other all-natural ingredients.
Items for the Overworked Co-Worker
Some co-workers need work like the rest of us need sleep, air and water. Give these co-workers a gift that reminds them to take a step back, or at least make their perpetual perch in the office chair a little more comfortable.
Farmaesthetics’ 3-Piece Lavender Facial-to-Go Set
Price: $36.00
For the co-worker who burns the midnight oil and still arrives at the office before everyone else, the gift of self-care and relaxation is almost priceless. Farmaesthetics’ 3-Piece Lavender Facial-to-Go Set comes with a cleanser, exfoliator and nourishing lotion that leaves skin feeling healthy and refreshed.
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Foot Massager
Price: $39.99
The lucky co-worker with the standing desk might feel a little sore around the toes come end of the day. The HoMedics Triple Action Shiatsu Foot Massager rejuvenates those tired soles through a heated, deep-kneading massage that gently melts away all tension.
‘Do Not Disturb’ Signs
Price: $19.99
Since the overloaded co-worker isn’t a big believer in work-life balance, they’ll likely appreciate an elegant “Do Not Disturb” sign for their office doors. Quality Clever’s leather “Do Not Disturb” sign with silver lettering comes with two signs — one for the regular office and one for the home office.
Herbal Teas
Price: $14
Herbal teas like this organic herbal tea set from French cosmetics company CAUDALÍE will help your stressed out co-worker relax, and the set’s flavors — red vine, cinnamon, blueberry, cassis and sweet orange zest — are perfectly suitable for the holidays.
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All prices were accurate as of Nov. 8, 2017. Prices are subject to change at the retailers’ discretion.
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