We can guess the scenario. It’s your [enter mum, dad, brother, sister, aunty, uncle, nephew, niece, other-family-member-name here]’s birthday and you’ve left it until last minute to find them a gift. You’re racking your brain and just can’t decide whether to get another bottle of wine, some flowers or something a little more inspired.
If they work from home, you can look no further. We’ve compiled (in our opinion) the ultimate gift list for any at-home worker. Not only will they appreciate your gift, but it will be something they can use on a daily basis to make their working life that little bit more enjoyable and efficient. So with that, let’s get onto our 10 gifts for the home office.
- A new desk lamp
Adequate lighting is a must when you work from home. Whether it’s a task light that can be used when making notes or writing a to-do list or something a bit more modern (blue-light reduction lamp, anyone?), it’ll definitely transform the home office into a brighter space that’s also much more practical.
There are tons of designs available that match any and all budgets, from clip-on lights to salt lamps, traditional swing arm lamps to solar-powered lamps.
- A light-up keyboard
Introduce a bit of colour to any home office with an RGB keyboard. That’s a keyboard that has individually lit keys (Red, Green and Blue, hence its name) that can be customised in thousands of ways via software. They’re completely personalised and offer some great visual effects and functional lighting.
While typically considered a ‘gamers’ keyboard, they can come in handy for anyone that works from home. It’s particularly handy for applying different colours to highlight the keyboard shortcuts you use all the time.
- Some new stationery
Stationery experienced a brief decline as the digital world started to take over. But now, it’s decidedly cool again and is getting a resurgence from Gen Z and millennials. This resurgence even has its own name: stationerycore.
Pens, notebooks, diaries and planners are becoming necessary lifestyle items for people to track and create all sorts of things. They’re a form of mindfulness and self-expression and seem to be a way of rebelling against the completely digital world we now live in.
This is a wonderful gift idea for anyone who works from home. Not only is it a super affordable gift, but there are an infinite number of designs to choose from, so go wild!
- A wireless phone charger
Phones always die at the least opportune moment, like in the middle of a work call. But this could be a thing of the past if you just purchase a wireless phone charger for your person who works from home!
They can be fitted anywhere, from a coffee table to an office desk, so there’s no more wondering where the charger went, or how on earth to detangle it from the hundreds of other cables around the desk. They usually come with a cable access grommet, but it means any smartphone can be placed on the charger for instant battery power. A time saver and a practical gift.
- A USB plug-in fan
Offices are renowned for getting warm, even home ones. All that machinery and overhead lighting warming up the room and making it unbearable on a sunny day, even with the window wide open.
Any at-home worker will seriously appreciate a fan to create a lovely breeze during such hot spells. Even better, there are miniature versions that are powered from your laptop or that clip onto the side of the desk.
- A new yearly wall calendar
Does anything really beat a physical wall calendar where meetings and other tasks can be added with a pen? Is there a better feeling than aggressively crossing off a meeting that was cancelled?
Wall calendars are still a thing, and they can be really handy for showing an entire month at a glance. Whether your gift recipient likes cats, dogs, cars, flowers, art or British Roadworks (yep, there really is one of those), you’ll definitely find the right calendar for them.
- An ergonomic office chair
No one likes to be uncomfortable at work, but equally no one likes to complain about their office chair to their friends and family. If you can sense the chair is an issue, then purchase a brand new one for their birthday.
A proper ergonomic office chair is all about adjustability for maximum comfort and support. These can be adjusted in all sorts of ways, from the seat depth and chair height to the arm rests and the lumbar support, meaning they can adapt to every type of body to reduce the aches and pains associated with sitting at a desk for long periods.
Designed and developed by engineers, it’ll be the best home office gift they’ve received.
- Bluetooth headphones (with a microphone)
No office worker should be without a good set of headphones. Many people love to work while listening to their latest parenting or muder mystery podcast, others enjoy some relaxing classical music (or headbanging rock, to each their own). They also come in handy for video calls, particularly if you can gift background-noise reducing ones which are super handy when in a public place with lots of chat around.
- An ergonomic mouse
An ergonomic mouse is such a great upgrade for any home worker. Unlike a regular mouse, it’s specially designed to keep your hand in a more natural and neutral position, reducing things like carpal tunnel syndrome. They look funky, and may take some getting used to, but once people switch they never look back! It would make a great gift for any friend or family member who works from home.
- A lumbar support backrest
If an entire office chair is out of your budget, then a new lumbar support backrest is a great alternative. These can really help to support the back, particularly the lumbar thoracic, which is the part of the spine that curves inwards. Most supports will attach to any existing office chair, be it a super cheap one from the supermarket or a more upmarket one.
So there you have our 10 gifts for the home office. Work-from-home gifts are often overlooked but they can be some of the most useful ones, and we’re sure you’ll find someone who will think they’re useful, as around 28% of British workers at least partly work at home. Who knew?
