The 9 Best Gifts for Co-Workers

The 9 Best Gifts for Co-Workers

Friends are often described as the family we choose, and similarly, co-workers can be seen as the family selected for us by the forces of capitalism. Whether your colleagues are in-person teammates, virtual confidants, or even your office spouse, it's important to show them they are valued and appreciated beyond just being "work friends." Thoughtful gifts can brighten their workday or workspace. After all, these are the people with whom we spend a significant portion of our lives together.

1. Forever flowers

Lego Cherry Blossom Celebration Gift

A delightful ode to spring, this charming 430-piece set features sprays of pink and white flowers accented with light green leaves. Assembling the two branches offers a mindful experience, and the best part? These flowers will never wilt.

We adore LEGO botanicals for spaces that lack natural light or for those who might forget to water real plants. The poppy pink LEGO Cherry Blossoms add a touch of sophisticated cheer to any desk or cubicle, requiring minimal maintenance—just an occasional dusting. Plus, with 430 pieces, the assembly process is enjoyable and relatively straightforward.

2. Sophisticated sweets

BonBon Medium Gift Box

This purveyor of elevated Swedish treats offers a delightful mix of its best-selling candies, including sweet, sour, chocolate, and black licorice options. These treats come beautifully packaged in a glossy box tied with a lovely ribbon.

The BonBon Medium Gift Box features sparkly sour mini strawberries, shiny chocolate-covered rice puffs, and sophisticated Swedish Fish, creating an adult version of a whimsical candy shop. A favorite among Wirecutter’s kitchen team, this New York City shop imports premium Swedish candies that arrive gift-ready in an elegant box. Larger gift box sizes are also available for those looking to share the joy.

3. Work buddy

Smoko Potato Light

This adorable, pint-sized light-up potato is a charming and rechargeable companion for your desk.

Both home offices and in-person workspaces can sometimes feel empty and lonely. Brighten your co-worker's day with the delightful Smoko potato. Simply pat its round head or tummy, and this cute spud will emit a gentle glow in one of three brightness levels, powered by a USB-rechargeable battery. Combining whimsy with practicality, this little potato is sure to create a brighter, more cheerful workspace.

4. Perfect pear

MoMA Pear Pod Multifunctional Desktop Organizer

This shiny plastic pear serves as both a stylish desk decoration and a practical organizer for office essentials.

In a delightful blend of form and function, this sleek pear not only enhances your workspace but also helps keep it tidy. Measuring 9 by 6 inches (roughly the size of a standard potted plant), it efficiently stores pens, pencils, chargers, earbuds, and other small daily necessities that might clutter your colleague's desk. And if they’ve transitioned to a fully digital setup with no physical tools in sight, it can always be repurposed to hide away a secret stash of candy.

5. Sweet treats

Reese's Variety Gift Pack

Indulging in sweet treats during the workday not only satisfies hunger but also boosts morale.

If you have a co-worker with a penchant for chocolate and peanut butter (and who doesn’t?), this Reese’s variety pack is the perfect gift, offering a month’s worth of delightful mood boosters. It includes 30 full-size packages featuring six different Reese’s varieties, such as classic Peanut Butter Cups, Sticks, White Creme Cups, Take 5 Bars, Pieces, and Big Cups. While the selection may seem a bit random, that adds to the excitement. A side-by-side taste test can uncover surprising preferences about your colleague's candy choices!

6. Go-anywhere charger

Belkin BoostCharge Pro Portable Wireless Charger Pad with MagSafe

This charger provides fast wireless charging and features easy magnetic alignment, making it ideal for iPhone 12 and later models.

If your work buddy is constantly asking to plug in their phone at happy hour, help them with their low-battery struggles. The Apple-certified Belkin Boost Charge Pro Portable Wireless Charger Pad with MagSafe, which includes a built-in kickstand, is our top choice for the best Qi wireless charger for iPhones. In our tests, it even outperformed Apple’s own MagSafe Charger in speed.

7. Sweet succulents

Sprout N Green Live Box

This box of small yet vibrant succulents makes for a simple and affordable gift that can enhance someone's plant collection or brighten their workspace.

Plants not only purify the air but also add a touch of life to any environment, including cubicles. The Sprout N Green Live Box features three tiny, resilient succulents that are perfectly sized for a desktop and easy to care for, even in low-light conditions or recycled air environments. To make it even more convenient for your recipient, consider ordering it with terra-cotta pots for a small additional fee, eliminating the need for repotting.

8. Better cold brew

OXO Compact Cold Brew Coffee Maker

This cold brew coffee maker is designed to produce bold iced coffee and is easy to assemble.

The OXO Compact Cold Brew Coffee Maker is a smaller version of our top-rated cold brew maker, brewing 16 ounces instead of 32. This makes it ideal for the cold brew enthusiast at work who also enjoys the option of making it at home. Standing under 9 inches tall, it won’t take up much space, so you won’t feel guilty about adding another kitchen gadget to your colleague’s collection. This compact yet powerful model consistently creates strong, smooth coffee that can be diluted to suit individual preferences.

9. A permanent scratch pad

Quartet Glass Desktop Dry-Erase Easel

This letter-sized glass dry-erase board resists staining and helps eliminate desktop paper clutter.

The 8½-by-11-inch Quartet Glass Dry-Erase Desktop Easel can lie flat or stand up easel-style, effectively reducing the mess of sticky notes and scratch pads in workspaces. It is designed to resist stains and ghosting (it comes with a dry-erase marker), and the included clip keeps bills or invoices neatly organized. As work-from-home expert Melanie Pinola noted, “It’s almost cathartic to purge random notes and have a clean slate at the end of the day.”

If you're looking for more gift ideas suitable for the workplace, check out our selections Gifts Under $100.