Budget gift ideas for employees under $25

Gifts from a manager or business to employees

This page is for a manager, owner or office lead buying for staff. It is different from a coworker gift exchange, where peers buy for each other. When you are buying for several people, treat everyone the same: one price, one type of item, one note.

Check your company's gift policy and ask HR or payroll if cash and gift cards are handled differently from other gifts. Rules vary by company and by country, so do not guess.

Ideas that work for a whole team

• A shared item with a personal note. The same notebook or mug for everyone, with a different handwritten line in each.
• A good snack box or coffee and tea set. Easy to split by diet if you ask first.
• A desk item. A phone stand, a cable organizer or a plant for the desk.
• Warm socks, a blanket throw or a hand warmer. Low risk and practical.
• A small gift card to a lunch place near the office. Pick a place most people can use and add a note.

Spend the same amount on everyone. People compare, and an unequal gift can sting more than no gift.

How to keep it fair

1. Set one price per person before you shop, and keep to it.
2. Buy the same item, or a small set of equal items, for everyone.
3. Do not gift based on performance or on who you like best.
4. Include part-time and remote staff, and tell everyone when the gifts will arrive.
5. Skip anything personal, such as clothing sizes, wellness or diet items, and alcohol unless your policy allows it.

Gifts for remote employees

For remote staff, either ship the same gift to their home or send a digital gift. Ask for a mailing address with a clear note about how it will be used and who will see it. Ship at least a week early. If you do not want to collect addresses, a digital gift card with a note is the easiest option.

For a team that wants to swap gifts among themselves instead, set up a Secret Santa for remote teams with a $20 to $25 limit.

If the team would rather do a gift swap

Some teams prefer to draw names, so each person gives and receives one gift. That keeps costs low for the business and gives every person a gift picked for them. Hollyhush draws the names from one link, with no app or account, and a budget and swap date shown on every page. Read Secret Santa gifts for coworkers for what is safe to give.

Start a team swap and set the $25 limit in one step. Create your group, free

Desk and day items most people can use.

Check diets and allergies before you order for a team.

For a cold office or a long commute.