Gifts for Coworkers: Ideas for Their Desk

Desk toys and gifts, coworker by coworker

For their desk

On a shared desk, a useful object lasts longer than a knickknack. The Magnetic Fidget Pen ($37.99) writes, then reshapes itself thanks to its magnets into a phone stand or a small toy, and it comes in a gift box. On the Magnetic Perpetual Calendar ($38.99), three magnetic spheres show the weekday, the date and the month: you move them each morning. The Orbital Solar System Desk Toy ($53.99) stands about 9 inches tall and needs no power at all: a push of the finger sets its green spheres turning again.

For long meetings

A meeting that drags on makes anyone want something between their fingers. With the Magic Spinner ($29.99), the spiral cage spins and the sphere in the middle seems to hang in midair. The Metal Oloid ($59.99), a solid metal shape born from two circles, rolls with a steady wobble across the table or between the fingers. You will find more ideas to keep hands busy in our gifts that help them unwind.

Small budget

For a small thank-you or a first gesture, a modest budget is enough. The Cube Fidget Toy ($19.99), a 1.4-inch cube with metal balls, fits in a pocket. The Flipo Flip Fidget Toy ($16.99), square or hexagonal, is handled discreetly without bothering the people at the next desk. The Infinity Mirror Cube (from $19.99) is solved by sliding its mirrored pieces, in silver or gold tones.

Going away

When the team chips in, the budget allows a bigger object that will mark the new office. The Swinging Sticks ($175.99) set two aluminum sticks swinging on battery power, and its 16-inch height suits a cabinet or a shelf. The Landscape Hourglass ($72.99) redraws a sand landscape every time its 10-inch round frame is turned. The Magnetic Levitating Pen ($107.99) floats above its magnetic base, then writes on any paper. For a coworker who is retiring, our retirement gift ideas fit better.

The office geek

For the coworker who always asks how things work, the Low Temperature Stirling Engine Coffee Cup ($74.99) sits on a hot cup of coffee: the heat alone turns its wheel, no flame needed, at around 180 rpm. The Science Rubik's Cube ($28.99) shows a famous equation with every twist, and a stand comes with it so it can stay on the desk between solves.

How much to spend?

A few rules for gifts at work

At the office, the right gift takes the others into account. In an open office, choose something silent: keep objects that click, like the steel balls of a Newton's cradle, for a private office. Steer clear of anything too personal: a science object stays neutral and is easy to talk about at the coffee machine. For a group gift, pick something that travels safely to the next office. For a gift exchange with a fixed budget, our Secret Santa ideas are better suited, and our gift boxes save you from matching several objects yourself.