25 Perfect, Affordable Valentine’s Day Gifts for Coworkers
Sure, Valentine’s Day is all about celebrating the people in your life who you love, but the average person will spend 90,000 hours at work over a lifetime — that's a third of your life spent with colleagues.
Whether you love them, just kind of like them or absolutely loathe them, you're sort of stuck with them, so gifting them a Valentine's Day present just shows your appreciation for their contributions, advice, help or what have you.
Here are 25 Valentine's Day gift ideas to inspire your thinking about what gifts to give to coworkers that aren't awkward and that shouldn't break the bank.
1. Sweetheart Chocolate Pretzel Pizza
This delicious pizza is a surefire way to express your appreciation on Valentine's Day. Who doesn't love chocolate or pizza?
2. Out to Lunch Tote
This Kate Spade tote is a perfect gift for any of your coworkers who love cooking their own lunch and bringing it in to eat. The coated-linen cover complemented by an insulated interior make this tote an ideal alternative to brown bags.
3. Productivity Planner
Any professional with a to-do list will appreciate a productivity planner to help them sort their ideas and manifest results. This one from Paper Source is designed to help your coworker beat procrastination and get more important work done.
4. Mint to Be Desk Collection
Help your coworker or boss get organized with this Dormify beautifully designed mint desk collection, including an organizer, a letter tray, a magazine file and a pencil cup. You can add folders, waste bins, desk lamps and more, too.
5. Geometric Paperweights
These geometric paperweights made of copper and concrete from Etsy will add a stylish touch to your coworker's busy desk. They can also be used as bookends.
6. My Nutella Spoon
A customizable Nutella spoon from Etsy is a great gift for the chocolate fiends in your office. Just enter the name of your coworker and any other relevant information to appear in your personalized spoon.
7. Stress-Reducing Candle
A candle that smells like "calm" can help your coworker destress. This lavender-scented Yankee candle, for example, is described as "lush lavender and rich vanilla [combined] with woody notes to make a cool sensation of night descending on a field in purple bloom."
8. Funny Coffee Mug
Mugs are an easy gift for coworkers — especially the ones who enjoy their coffee. Make it more fun by customizing a personal message (perhaps an inside joke) on the inside of this coffee mug from Etsy.
9. Chocolate Pencils
Everyone is always looking for a pen or pencil — somehow we always lose them. So why not gift your coworker a chocolate one for the next time they go ransacking their desk? These ones from Etsy are made to order.
10. Personalized Starbucks Cup
There's always one person in the office who is a little too obsessed with Starbucks. You know — the coworker who takes full advantage of their Starbucks card and drinks several cups of coffee a day. Gift them a personalized cup, like this one from Etsy.
11. Fuzzy Sock Cupcakes
There's little more comforting in life than fuzzy socks or cupcakes. Combine the two, and you have an unbeatable gift for a lucky coworker. Check out these fuzzy sock cupcakes from Etsy.
12. Personalized Candy Bar
Valentine's Day is as much about consuming copious chocolate bars as it is about celebrating the people you love. Let your coworker know you're grateful for them by gifting them a personalized candy bar that says so. Here's a great one from Etsy.
13. Beer Briefcase
What's inside your coworker's briefcase? Maybe it was a mess of papers. But it's beer now. Give your beer aficionado this beer briefcase, which clandestinely holds six bottles.
14. Air Plants
Maybe your office could use a little life. Gift your coworker air plants, which require very little maintenance. Here's a set of three natural seed pod containers with concolor air plants from Etsy.
15. Stemless Wine Glasses
For the wine connoisseur, consider stemless wine glasses designed with a special theme for Valentine's Day. This set of four spells out L-O-V-E, for example.
16. Massage Envy Gift Card
For your overworked coworker who could use a little self-care time, consider a gift card for them to put towards enjoying a spa treatment. Something like this from Massage Envy (price up to you), is great because there are locations nationwide.
17. “Donut You Know I Like You a Hole Bunch” Coffee Mug
For your work wife, this donut coffee mug perfectly sums up how you feel about your relationship — you like them a lot; in fact, you might even say you need them. It's ceramic, which makes it great for the coffee lover or hot chocolate enthusiast, and it comes made to order on Etsy.
18. Valentine's Day Cupcake Kit
Everyone loves cupcakes. Here's a kit for your coworker to bake their own. It comes with 48 cupcake cases and 24 heart toppers.
19. Sweets-Themed Bath Bombs
This Etsy bath bombs gift set includes a donut, candy, cookies and other Valentine's Day treats. Except, unlike all the other Valentine's Day sweets you're coworkers (and you) will be consuming that day, they're not for eating; they're for bathing — and your coworker will appreciate that, too, when they're practicing a little self care.
20. “Happy Valentine’s Day to My Work Wife” Journal
This blank, lined journal makes a great gift for your favorite female coworker on Valentines Day. She can keep all of her meeting notes, her to-do list, her "someday goals" or just her daily musings inside.
21. Personalized Custom Stationery
When you work in an office setting, all of your coworkers will absolutely need personalized custom stationery for their note writing. (Right?) This customizable stationery from Etsy is a fantastic gift for the organized coworker who likes a bit of pizazz. Just include the name you would like printed on your set in the comments box upon purchase, and specify any color changes you would like to the border, text and graphic.
22. Personalized Leather Lanyard
Does your coworker always use a lanyard to hold their keycard? Could it use some upgrading to be a little more... fashion forward? Consider this personalized leather option from Etsy that's professional while making a statement.
23. Home-Baked Cookies
Perhaps you don't feel that it's appropriate to go shopping for a Valentine's Day gift for your coworker, or you don't feel comfortable gifting just one or two people a present. If that's the case, why not bake some cookies and bring them in for the whole office? Chocolate chip cookies are always a hit, and you can find an easy recipe online, like this one for Ultimate Chocolate Chip Cookies.
24. Valentine's Day-Themed Fresh Flowers
Sure, maybe roses are a little romantic. But everyone loves fresh flowers. And you can order a Valentine's Day bundle for your work wife through ProFlowers. This bouquet of alstroemeria, known as Peruvian lilies, will add vibrant color to any bland cubicle or office space. It contains 100 blooms of Peruvian Lilies, which accounts for approximately four blooms per stem.
25. Valentine's Day Candy
Valentine's Day candy is a must on this holiday. You're going to see it lining the aisles of every supermarket and convenience store, tempting you to buy it (for yourself) anyway. This pack of Dove Valentine's Day Pink Champagne & Milk Chocolate Swirl Hearts is an easy Valentine's Day gift that will let your coworker know that you were thinking of them.
--
This article reflects the views of the author and not necessarily those of Fairygodboss.
AnnaMarie Houlis is a multimedia journalist for a gamut of both online and print publications, as well as an adventure aficionado and travel blogger at HerReport.org. She covers all things women's empowerment — from navigating the workplace to navigating the world. She writes about everything from gender issues in the workforce to gender issues all across the globe.
What Valentine's gifts have you found to work well for colleagues? Share in the comments to help other Fairygodboss members.
Why women love us:
- Daily articles on career topics
- Jobs at companies dedicated to hiring more women
- Advice and support from an authentic community
- Events that help you level up in your career
- Free membership, always