Diving into the world of working from home may sound like a dream at first, but can eventually reveal some obstacles with time. With a change of environment comes change your day to day work preferences as well. To make the transition easier, the following gift guide is designed to make work life a little less complicated when at home. While this guide is aimed for a friend, these office gifts are also useful and suitable for a coworker, family member, or even your own at home office space.
1. Desk Calendar
It’s often easy to get a little more sidetracked with your schedule while working from home. A personalized desk calendar with your favorite photos together will help keep a friend on top of their schedule!
2. Coffee Mug
Getting out of bed in the mornings is already hard enough when you have to commute to work, let alone when you’re just going down the hall to the living room. If your friend needs their coffee fix to get them going in the A.M., consider designing them a coffee mug.
3. Large Format Prints
Large format prints are also a great way to spice up your office as a remote worker! Since wall art can be pricey, these prints are a more affordable option while still being high quality.
4. Desktop Plaque
Transform your friend’s desk space by customizing a desktop plaque with your favorite photo of the two of you. This is a great way for your friend to still feel close to you while working from home.
5. Wall Art
Work space can play a big role in your productivity through the workday. Enhance your friend’s home office by turning some of their favorite designs, memories, or photos with loved ones into customizable wall art.
6. Fleece Blanket
Early mornings and late nights often get chilly at home. Blankets are a great gift that can be used both in and out of the workspace. Rather than just buying them a standard blanket, customize a fleece one to keep them warm and smiling while they are feeling cold throughout work.
7. Easel Calendars
Easel calendars are a fun, modern alternative to desk calendars. They take up a little less space than desk calendars, so they are the perfect gift for a friend whose desk is already almost full and on the brinks of overflowing.
8. Mason Jars
Aside from being very cute and aesthetically pleasing, these stylish jars are also useful for beverage needs, pen and pencil holders, and desk decor.
9. Magnets
Personalized magnets are great for decorating magnetic bulletin boards and filing cabinets. Some people actually enjoy collecting magnets as well. Consider customizing one for a friend if you know they have use for magnets in their office space.
10. Noise Cancelling Headphones
Working from home can get noisy, especially if there are young children or furry friends running around. Help your friend immerse themselves in the work zone with some nice headphones to tune out the noise.
11. Coasters
There’s nothing more annoying than damaging your work desk with stains from your cups. Make your friend some unique beverage coasters. Not only will she thank you, but her desk will too.
12. Photo Tiles
Photo tiles are a great way to keep a positive energy in the workspace. Whether it be a motivating quote or a favorite memory, this thoughtful gift will help your best friend keep a positive mindset while working.
13. Essential Oil Diffuser Kit
Even when working from home, it’s easy to feel stressed. An essential oil diffuser kit works to relax you and remind you of the comfort your home typically brings. Sometimes the sense of comfort gets lost when you mix both home and work.
14. Keepsake Plates
A keepsake plate is very useful for those snacker friends out there. Customizing a plate will not only hold their favorite snacks and keep them energized all day, but also bring a smile to their face.
15. Stainless Steel Water Bottles
If your friend enjoys their water at a certain temperature, a stainless steel water bottle is the perfect gift. The stainless steel in these bottles will keep their drink of choice either warm or cold throughout the workday.
16. Puzzles
Taking a mental break sometimes is necessary throughout the workday. Surprise your friend by designing a puzzle with your favorite picture of your friend group to give them a fun escape from their work life.
17. Notebooks
With your mind constantly running between keeping up with meetings and projects, it can be easy to forget things. Your friend can use a notebook to jot down important details as they come up.
18. Sticky Notes
Similar to the notebook, custom sticky notes help serve as little reminders throughout the day. Depending on preference, they can be more useful than a notebook with taking less space and being sticky enough to be put on display.
19. Desk Elliptical
Busy work days often leave little time for working out. This exercise gadget is extremely useful for the fitness junkie friend of yours. A great way to kill two birds with one stone.
20. Customized Pencils
Customized pencils are a fun little way to keep motivated as well. When designing the pencils, have some fun with it by adding your favorite sayings or inside jokes. Since pencils are small, a thoughtful idea would be bundling together the pencils into a custom pencil holder as well.
21. Clipboard
If your friend is constantly on the move, consider customizing a clipboard. With a clipboard, they can always have a portable desk around when it comes time to run both in and out of the house.
22. Mouse Pad
If your friend uses a desktop computer at home, try customizing a mouse pad. Mouse pads are very practical gifts that often go overlooked with the increasing popularity of laptops.
23. Computer Mouse
If you want to go the extra step, bundle a custom mouse with the mouse pad mentioned above. That way your friend is set and ready to go with the accessories they need to use their desktop.
24. Pillows
Sitting at a desk all day can prove to be problematic for the back. Once you have back pain, it’s not as easy to keep focused on your tasks. A nice pillow is a great addition to the work chair, especially if your friend works long hours.
25. Standing Desk
A standing desk can also help relieve back pain, and give your friend a break from sitting down all day. While a desk is a little more on the pricier side, it’s worth considering since you could be preventing future health problems for your friend.
26. Monthly Planner
Planners are a great gift for your disorganized or busy friend. A custom monthly planner will narrow down their busy schedules and keep your friend on top of their daily responsibilities.
27. External Webcam
As computers age, their webcams do too. Aging causes fuzzy and blurry quality when it comes time for meetings on platforms like Zoom. An external webcam will revamp your friend’s video quality during important work meetings.
28. Pen and Pencil Holder
Pens and pencils are one of the easiest things to lose in the office space. Designing a friend a pen and pencil holder will prevent them from wasting time looking for that one pen they can never find.
29. Desk Name Plates
Although you’re working remotely, it’s always fun to have cute decor to spice up your desk. Believe it or not, but it can actually make working more enjoyable. Personalize your friend a desk name plate to make the desk a little more inviting.
30. Gift Basket
The idea of a gift basket is a very unique and flexible approach. Consider what your friend needs in life currently. If they are feeling stressed, try putting together a wellness and skincare gift basket for them to dive into once they’re off the clock.
31. Paperweights
A cluttered desk often brings a cluttered mind. Designable paperweights can help in keeping both your desk and papers organized. This gift would come in handy for a friend who is also a little more traditional with their works and doesn’t prefer everything online.
32. Binder
If your friend doesn’t want a stack of papers on their desk, think about getting them a binder as an alternative to keep their papers organized. Instead of getting a plain one, mix up the traditional binder by customizing it with some of their favorite things.
33. Desk Caddy
A custom desk caddy is another useful tool to keep the office space organized. It’s similar to the pen and pencil holder concept, but actually takes it up a notch by having much more space to hold more items other than just writing tools.
34. Wireless Phone Charger
When working from home it’s necessary to always be digitally connected. That’s hard to do if your smartphone is dying or if you’re not near an outlet to keep track of it while it’s charging. With a wireless phone charger, your friend’s phone will always be easily accessible.
35. Wine Glass
A glass of wine is perfect once the workday is done and your friend needs to unwind by taking a little time for themselves. If your friend enjoys a nice glass of wine at the end of the day, give them a little something to look forward to by customizing their very own glass.
36. Pint Glass
Similar to the previous idea of a custom wine glass, a personalized pint glass is better suited for the friend that prefers beer at the end of the day rather than wine. Nonetheless, a great way to unwind at the end of the day.
37. Framed Prints
Framed prints are a great gift idea for personalized office decor! Ask your friend what their favorite photo lately is and surprise them with a framed print.
38. Gift Cards
Gift cards generate mixed feelings since they can come off as impersonal, but they can actually be a useful gift. If you choose to go this route, make the gift card a thoughtful gift by paying attention to what your friend needs and what stores they are constantly shopping at.
39. Photo Cubes
Photo cubes can provide a more unique approach towards desk decor. Since you can customize each side of the cube, try filling it with different aspects of their lives that make them happy. Some examples include pictures of the two of you, photos of loved ones, and few of their pets.
40. Notepad
Custom notepads are a smaller alternative to notebooks. Notepads will help in keeping your mind less cluttered, as well as on top of your daily tasks. Since they’re smaller, notepads are also easier to travel around with if your friend is always on the go.
41. New Office Chair
Working remotely means you’re responsible for all your gear. The good news is you’re no longer stuck with that uncomfortable office chair. Splurge on a nice, ergonomic chair for your friend. Their back will thank you.
42. Clip Photo Frame
Take your favorite photos of you and your best friend from the year and turn them into a clip photo frame. You can have some fun with designing this gift idea by also adding a fun caption to the photos on the frame.
43. Candle
Candles are a great idea to gift your friend a calming environment. An interesting twist on the candle gift is to try and recreate one of your favorite vacations or memories with them. Customize the candle with pictures from those days, as well as with a scent that can take them back to the past.
44. Photo Book
Design a photo book to remind your friend of the good times you’ve shared together. When they are discouraged throughout the week, picking up the book will make them smile and motivate them to work hard until the weekends or when you have time to see each other again.
45. Potted Plants
Potted plants or any kind of greenery for that matter really work well with livening up the work space. Plants are also a good alternative to flowers as decor because they can last longer without requiring long amounts of time to care for them.
46. Socks
Long hours sometimes call for cold temperatures. While they’re a small gift, personalizing socks is a fun way to make sure your friend is warm while working. If your friend has a pet, try customizing the socks with faces of the pet on them—guaranteed to get a smile.
47. Keychains
Keychains are also a small gift, but will show your friend that you’re thinking of them. Even though they’re small, a keychain is something they will look at various times a day when going in and out of the house.
48. Premium Poster
Posters can serve as motivation as well when they highlight favorite places or motivational quotes. Keep your friend’s workplace fresh by designing them a poster with their favorite scenic views and a nice quote to keep them going.
49. Ceramic Bowl
A ceramic bowl comes in handy for lunch and snack breaks throughout the day. Since your friend most likely already has many basic bowls in their pantry, try customizing a bowl with fun pictures or their name on it to make it more of an exciting gift.
50. Snack Subscription Service
Your body always needs food for fuel to keep up your energy at work. Something nice about in person offices is that they typically provide a coffee station and some kind of snacks for workers throughout the day. Mimic the work office snack bar by purchasing a snack subscription service that’ll appear right at the doorstep.
Wrapping Up
Finding a great gift for your friend can prove to be quite challenging. Making their lives easier one step at a time while working from home is something they will greatly appreciate. Whether your friend is looking for ways to completely renovate their at home office space or simply spice up the space they already have, this gift guide is a great starting point for finding the perfect gift.
If you enjoyed this gift guide on ideas for friends who are working from home and want to dive further into the topic, make sure to check out the following content below:
