Here are more ideas about gifts for your boss or your special coworker. Here are additional ideas including photo albums.
Gift Baskets
No matter how close you are to your coworker, chances are you are familiar with some items, hobbies, or food choices that bring her pleasure. A ready-made gift basket filled with selections of her favorite things makes a popular and appreciated gift.
Baskets I have seen include an assortment of teas, biscuits, and a tea pot for the tea lover and a selection of coffee, jams, and scones for the coffee lover. Ready-made baskets for people who enjoy a particular food such as chocolate or popcorn are also available. Baskets of foods or fruits and other items that celebrate a particular heritage such as Italian or Greek or a particular region such as California or Michigan make popular choices, too.
The fun part with baskets is that you can also make one yourself by selecting a theme, then the basket, and filling it with items from various stores. If you have the time, making up your own basket will likely save money. You also have the whole world of stores from which to select the items that fill your basket. You can customize the gift to your coworker's taste.
When my uncle worked at Ford, he once received a basket of grapefruit with a grapefruit knife and a set of serrated spoons from his coworkers. As a grapefruit-lover, it was a perfect gift for him, a gift that kept on giving; he used the knife and spoons for years.
- Gift Baskets: Chocolate and Candy
- Gift Baskets: Cheese and Crackers
- Gift Baskets: Fruit
- Baskets to Fill With Your Selections
Books or Book Store Gift Certificates
When you are familiar with a person's reading interests, books are an attractive gift choice. The main dilemma I have experienced is identifying a book she doesn't have already. Some people talk about what they are reading or their reading interests; others don't.
You face the same dilemma with magazine subscriptions, another possible gift choice. For a reader, select a recent business or people-management best-seller. Or, play it safe, and give your colleague a gift certificate to a local or online bookstore. You never go wrong when she can make her own choice. Not as personal as some of the earlier gifts I recommend, a book store gift certificate is still a valuable choice.
- Award Winning Books
- Five of My Favorite Business Reads
- Little Books With Big Impact
- Best Audio Books About Management for Road Warriors
- Must-Do Reading - Book Reviews for Business and Management
- Management Books for the Human Resources Book Shelf
Gift Certificates
You can always purchase a gift certificate to a popular online or local store. Assuming you select a store your colleague frequents, this is a no-fail gift. Think about your coworker's hobbies and recreational activities as well as her goals and dreams. I'm sure you'll select the right store.
Engraved Items
Look around your coworker's office. What does she keep on her desk or display in her cubicle? Often you'll find framed certificates of classes taken, awards won, and honors bestowed. Consider purchasing articles engraved with staff signatures, sentiments for the recipient, or an honorary mention of the day or occasion. These may be paperweights or framed prints, plaques or book ends. When you select quality items, these are valued for years.
- Ideas About the Types of Items That Can Be Engraved
Beyond these ideas for gifts for your boss or coworker, use your imagination. I'm a big fan of desk toys and searched long and hard one year to purchase a variety for a coworker. Take a look at: The Office Playground for fun desk toys. Dream on about gift-giving, but remember that a card and a thoughtful verbal exchange are often all that is needed for your boss or coworker to feel recognized and rewarded.
Looking for more gift ideas? Here are additional ideas including photo albums.
