It’s old news at this point, but a lot more of us are working from home these days. Whether they’ve been doing it for years, or are new to the home office life, odds are there is someone on your list who is working remotely this year. While the circumstances around it might not be ideal, it does open up a lot of great gifting opportunities. Silver linings, right?
From home office furniture to health and fitness tech, there’s a ton of gift options for the non-commuter in your life. Here are just a few work-from-home gift ideas if you’re in need of a little inspiration.
Keep them comfy and aligned with an ergonomic office chair
If your loved one is working from home, it’s likely that they already have a chair to use. But is their chair everything that it could be? For some, the transition to working from home may have been sudden, and they might have started using a temporary chair that ended up being not so temporary. If someone you know is still using a dining chair, folding chair, or even a bar stool at their workspace, then do their spine a favour by gifting them an ergonomic office chair.
An ergonomic office chair is designed to be adjustable, so you can fine-tune its dimensions to promote perfect posture and comfort for long days at the desk. A great example is the Xenali High Back Manager & Executive Chair. Not only can the seat be adjusted by height and depth, but its high back provides the head and neck support your loved one needs to power through their next virtual meeting. And the sleek, padded armrests are a comfy added bonus.
The great thing about gifting an office chair is that there’s a ton of variety to fit any kind of space, style, or budget. From a simple ergonomic task chair, to the most decked out gaming chair, you’re sure to find something for the home office dweller in your life.
Help them keep their fitness goals on track with a smartwatch
Even with the right office chair keeping your body in ergonomic comfort, it’s not the best idea to stay sitting all day, every day. This is even more important for people who work from home and don’t even have a commute to get them on their feet. If you know someone who’s looking to be more active while working from home, you might consider gifting them some wearable tech.
Let’s take a look at the Fitbit Versa 2 Special Edition smartwatch. In addition to tracking heart rate, calories burned, and steps taken, it allows you to set daily fitness goals and workout reminders to help keep you on track. It also displays text, call, and e-mail notifications, so you can keep an eye out for that next important message with just a glance at your wrist. You can even set timers to remind you of your next coffee break.
And for the extra busy home officer worker in your life, the Versa 2 has Alexa built in. That means you can set reminders, get weather updates, and even control smart home devices hands-free, without even lifting a finger from the keyboard.
Help them stay productive at work with noise cancelling headphones
Not everyone has an ideal workspace when it comes to working from home, which can make staying focussed on your work a challenge. If your giftee is frustrated with noisy interruptions from kids, roommates, or pets, then consider getting them noise cancelling headphones this year.
Noise cancelling headphones have special features to help block out ambient sounds. If I were in the market for new headphones to use in my home workspace, the Bose QuietComfort II over-ear headphones would definitely be near the top of my list. They have everything you could need in a pair of headphones while working from home. The over-ear design is made for comfort, so your loved one can wear them for their entire workday without getting sore ears. They’re also wireless, so you can discretely head to the kitchen for another cup of coffee while still staying connected to your phone call.
Best of all, the Bose Connect App can let the home office worker in your life adjust their noise cancellation level to their specific preference, so they can filter out the neighbour’s lawn mower while still keeping an ear out for the kiddo in the next room. You can’t go wrong!
Give the gift of healthier lunches with an air fryer
One of the biggest benefits of working from home is the access to freshly cooked meals without having to rely on less-than-healthy fast food options. But between phone calls, virtual meetings, and actually getting some work done, can anyone do all the prep, cooking, and still have time to eat within their brief lunch hour? Thankfully, air fryers are on the scene to solve your loved one’s healthy, home-cooked lunch problems.
An air fryer is kind of like a tiny, powerful oven. It pumps and circulates hot air into a compact space to mimic the effects of deep frying, with only a fraction of the oil (or sometimes none at all). This makes for healthier fried meals that are still delicious and crispy. Many of them, like the T-Fal ActiFry Genius Air Fryer, feature fry baskets that are dishwasher safe, so any home office worker can prep, fry, eat their home-cooked lunch, and then toss it in the dishwasher—all before getting to their next video call.
Keep their home office humming with computing accessories
But maybe the work-from-homer in your life is a bit trickier to shop for, and you’re not sure what they’d get the most use out of. In that case, a handy new computing accessory is a safe bet for almost anyone with a home office.
Wireless mice and keyboards can help simplify any home office, but you can take your gift even further with something like this Logitech M570 Wireless Trackball Mouse. Not only does its unique shape promote optimal comfort, but the trackball design allows you to keep the physical mouse in place while controlling your on-screen cursor with just a scroll of your thumb. That means no running out of desk space when dragging a file across multiple screens, or accidentally knocking over your coffee cup.
Another strong option is the Razer Ornata Chroma V2 Backlit Gaming Keyboard. Its customizable backlit keys provide better visibility in dim lighting and look super cool doing it. It also comes with a built-in wrist rest to keep any home office worker comfortable and in ergonomic harmony.
Make their home office the best it can be
From office chairs, to appliances, to a simple computer mouse, there are a ton of working-from-home gift options out there for any type of worker or lifestyle. Consider your loved one’s current home office setup, and whether there are any pain points that could be solved with a little home office tech.
And if you’re still looking for ideas, check out Shelley’s article on 5 Gift Ideas They’ll Love, or explore BestBuy.ca for the latest and greatest tech gifts. Happy gifting!
