Corporate gifts are something you should consider giving to top performers, valued employees, important clients, or administrative staff. When the holidays roll around, it’s traditional for business owners and executives to purchase business-appropriate gifts. But gift-giving doesn’t have to be limited to the holiday shopping season. Giving gifts year-round is a great way to improve staff morale, thank an important client, or reward a key player in your company for outstanding work. No matter what your reason for shopping for a business gift might be, we’re here to help you find something thoughtful that’s still on-budget. The following gifts are perfect for people within your organization, or for clients, investors, or board members. Read on to get inspired ideas for business gifts.
While candles might not seems like the most compelling of gifts, I personally enjoy them. I use enough candles to justify someone giving me one as a gift. Still, free money with my candle does sweeten the deal. Every single one of these candles comes with a $2 bill. Some come with more than that, up to $100, and some come with a code that can be redeemed for a special $2,500 grand price. Not bad for just a candle. They’re relatively inexpensive, and there’s an element of surprise to every gift. Plus, with lots of scents to choose from, you can pick a different scent for each person, and make your gift feel more personalized. Who knows? Someone in your office may even find the “jackpot” worth $2,500.
Everyone knows your office runs on coffee. Starbucks gift cards are a nice option for anyone who likes coffee, tea, or pastries. It’s a safe gift that will work for practically anyone inside or outside your org. This convenient gift pack gives you four $10 cards. If you want higher denominations, you can opt for these Starbucks cards, which are available in $25, $50 and $100 amounts. If there isn’t a Starbucks near your office, you could also consider Peet’s Coffee gift cards or Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf gift cards. You could also consider restaurant gift cards, particularly if you’re shopping for someone who isn’t a huge fan or tea or coffee.
A pen is a traditional business gift. A fine pen is the mark of many an executive. If you’re shopping for high-end pens to give as a business gift, Montblanc is the first name that comes to mind. Made to exacting German standards, this elegant pen ships in a gift box, and even has an individual serial number. Because of its premium price tag, this is a gift that is best suited for close colleagues, immediate superiors, or other important people in your business.
While these aren’t exactly a gift by themselves, don’t underestimate the power of an individually-written thank you card. When thanking a client for their business, be sure to touch on one or two highlights of your working relationship that will both remind them of the good experience they had and make them feel like you’re paying attention to the details. When thanking an employee, indicate exactly how they rose to the challenge at hand. Feeling valued goes a long way toward loyalty.
Even if you love your job and office life in general, everyone can relate to a little light-hearted joking about the grind. I certainly go to my fair share of meetings every week, but I’m always prepared – both to banter and to actually give the status updates.
Frequent fliers know that neck pain is a given on a plane. Travel neck pillows are common, but few actually do the job they’re supposed to do. This option from Trtl takes a different approach and is more of a padded brace that keeps the head at the perfect angle. It’s less bulky than normal travel pillows and actually supports your neck where you need it. Available in gray, black, or coral.
Is your client or employee a bicycle commuter? Once they get to the office, they’ll need somewhere to stash their bike. This little device is billed as the world’s smallest bike rack. It works by gripping the tires instead of anything else and comes in sizes to accommodate road bikes, hybrids, or mountain bikes. A handy mounting guide is included right in the packaging.
This book would make an equally good gift for the employee you’re mentoring for a leadership position or the client who is launching a new business or initiative. It examines the culture around business leadership and asks us to bring courage, trust, and empathy to the leadership role to create stronger, braver leaders. If you don’t know Brené Brown, check out her TEDtalk on vulnerability to get an idea of her approach.
Large snack boxes are particularly good for teams, whether it’s your own or a client’s. It takes a lot of energy to stay on top of your game, so sending along some quick eats for the office keeps people fueled up to tackle the next project. There are 60 different snacks in this box, including a variety of candy, granola bars, chips, cookies, crackers, and more.
If you really want to go all-out, think outside the box. This pick is probably better aimed at employees than clients, but then, I don’t know your clients. Setting up a cleaning service (even if it’s just once or twice a year) could be a real boon to those of your employees who are in the office more than 40 hours a week. I work about 60-70 hours most weeks, and I can personally attest that my house cleaning lags now and again because of it. Removing stress in other parts of life can help ease stress in the workplace and make people feel valued.
Once, when I was in the final stages of buying a car, a sales rep at the car dealership gave me a couple of toys for my dog, who I’d only mentioned once or twice. It wasn’t necessary at all; the deal was already done and I was happy customer. It was just a nice gesture that showed attention to detail and appreciation for the business. Buying a gift for your employee’s or client’s pets is a nice touch and shows you are about them as people, not just as a transaction.
Everyone knows the name Eames from the eponymous chair, but few are aware of the total impact Charles and Ray had on postwar office culture. Equal parts design and philosophy, this book will interest fans of mid-century modernism as well as those seeking to understand the interplay between the personal and the professional.
Depending on deadlines, just remembering to eat lunch everyday can prove to be difficult for some people. Help them remember to be intentional about their sustenance with this bento box that makes healthy meal prep and planning easy. It’s airtight when sealed and completely BPA free.
I always recommend headphones as a good business gift or office gift. The ubiquity of open office layouts makes it very difficult to design, program or analyze without some way of blocking out the noise and putting on some motivating jams. Pair that with even a semi-active travel schedule that requires public transit commuting or regular flying and the need for noise cancelling headphones becomes obvious. I like this inexpesive option from TaoTronics, which has continued to improve over the last few years. A five minute charge gives you about 25 hours of play time and they look rather sharp.
Anyone who must commute with their laptop everyday needs a worthwhile bag in which to transport it. Whether employee or client, this bag manages to be inexpensive but worthy of abuse while looking pretty smart. It’s made of ballistics nylon and padded in all the right places to hold laptops up to 17 inches. The all-black look coordinates with virtually any outfit.
Whether it’s a colleague who has just started with your firm or a client for whom you’ve just designed marketing materials, giving a simple gift like a business card holder is a nice touch. For clients, it’s a value-add and a lovely way of presenting your finished product, particularly if that business is new. For new colleagues, presenting them with this filled with cards listing their new position is a good way to make them feel welcome. These stainless steel versions are available in six colors, while the leather variant is available in 13 different colors and textures.
An Uber gift card is great for employees who travel frequently, or for anyone who lives in a city. They’re also great for transporting clients, especially if you opt for UberX. These gift cards are also an nice gesture to make sure everyone gets home safely after the office Christmas party. This card is redeemable via the Uber app within the U.S. in cities where Uber is available.
Do you run an office fitness initiative? Encourage healthy hydration with these infuser water bottles. People can place fruits, fresh mint, or other natural ingredients into the bottle to make their water taste great. Every cup is leakproof, BPA-free, dishwasher-safe, and shatterproof. Plus, the bottles hold 24 ounces, but still fit in the average car cupholder.
A gardening gift is a nice gesture during the coldest months of the year, when we could all use a little more greenery in our lives. Additionally, a little bonsai tree makes a great gift because it symbolizes a person’s growth within the company. Plus, if your corporate philosophy takes cues from Japan, then a bonsai tree really is a spot-on choice. This kit from Plant Theatre includes everything they need to grow three mini trees. A similar kit we like from Nature’s Blossom has the materials to grow four trees.
We included one of these kits on our best gifts under $25 post if you’re looking for more ideas around that pricepoint.
Looking for an affordable, practical gift for your sales team, or for people in your organization who travel frequently for business? These hardside carry-on suitcases are ideal for frequent flyers. They are compact, rugged, free-wheeling, expandable, and available in multiple colors. You could further customize them by applying your company’s logo sticker to the exterior of the bag, if you so choose.
Fruit baskets are a traditional holiday gift, but you can also give them year-round as birthday gifts or performance incentives. They’re a healthy way to thank someone for their work over the past year, or to build a relationship with a new client. This particular basket contains two varieties of pears, two varieties of apples, oranges and mandarins, and a fruit in season. There are also some other assorted snacks, such as cheese and almonds. Do note, however, that this basket contains potential allergens. If you have anyone on your gift list with a dairy or nut allergy, you should avoid this basket.
