Yes, you can give your family and friends home office gifts for the holidays. No, they won’t hate you (too much) for making them think about work while they’re off. In fact, they might appreciate you trying to make their 9-to-5 a little more comfortable.
I speak from experience as a remote worker: a good office gadget can make a big difference. Just don’t be surprised if you start eyeing these home office gifts for yourself—I did.
It pulls a laptop, phone, and watch charger into just one device.
Does your desk have one charger for your laptop, another for your phone, and a third for your watch? The TESSAN MAGIC 64W 6-in-1 Desktop Charging Station combines them all into one hub. The main USB-C port puts out up to 65W, enough for most laptops. The wireless stand handles phones up to 15W for Qi. I love that it eliminates cable-and-charger mess on my workspace.
Best for: Crowded desks with a laptop, phone, tablet, and watch to charge.
Perfect for adding extra outlets to any office that was wired before everyone had 6+ gadgets.
Know anyone with an office that’s always one plug short? TESSAN’s Wall Surge Protector Plug Extender plugs into a single outlet and turns it into eight AC outlets across 3 sides. It also has one USB-C and two USB-A ports for topping up a phone or earbuds. With 900 joules of surge protection, it keeps your monitor and laptop safe.
I’d put one behind a desk or in any spare-room-turned-office space. At $27.99, it’s also the most affordable pick on this list.
Best for: Small home offices and older rooms short on outlets.
The sculpted shape keeps their hand supported and the battery lasts for 70 days on a single charge.
Everyone’s working on their mouse, all day long. So, if you’re scouting home office gifts, the Logitech MX Master 4 is the first one I’d buy. Its scuplted shape supports the whole hand, and Engadget singled out its nearly silent main buttons as a highlight.
There’s a new haptic panel under the thumb that opens a customizable menu of shortcuts. The 8,000 DPI sensor track on glass and the mouse switches between 3 devices. I might want this one for me…
Best for: Multitaskers bouncing between a laptop and a desktop.
It pairs with four devices and works with both Mac and Windows layouts.
Do you type for a living? Me too, which is why I care about how a keyboard feels and looks. The Satechi SM3 Slim Mechanical Backlit Bluetooth Keyboard achieves both.
It’s a full-size, 108-key board with a number pad and low brown switches. They’re tactile and quiet enough that they won’t annoy anyone during your next call. The aluminum body has a clean, Apple-friendly look, and Tom’s Guide went as far as saying it outclasses Apple’s Magic Keyboard.
Best for: Writers, editors, programmers, and anyone else who types all day.
Of all the gadgets here, this is the one that’ll change a person’s workday the most.
I’ll admit I used to write off Stream Decks as gear for Twitch streamers. Then I thought about how much of my workday is the same handful of clicks, over and over.
The Elgato Stream Deck Neo gives you eight customizable LCD keys, two touch points (for flipping between pages), and a small info bar. You can program a key to open an app or join and mute a Zoom Call. Then, there’s my favorite: you can program a key to do different things on a press, double-press, or hold. Repetitive tasks eliminated.
Best for: Meeting controls and automating repetitive tasks.
When it comes to working at a desk, it’s all about lighting. The BenQ ScreenBar Halo 2 clamps onto the top of a monitor and illuminates the desk below it. The front light reaches over 1,000 lux, with color temperature you can dial from warm to cool.
That’s the part I’d notice most during later-afternoon and evening work. An ultrasonic sensor turns it on when you sit down and off after about five minutes away. So it’s like a workspace that adapts to you, when you need it.
Best for: Evening work and desks with no room for a lamp.
Super practical for hybrid or remote work.
Help a person not look like they’re calling in from a cave with the Logitech Brio 501. It’s one of the most practical work-from-home gifts on this list. We named it the best webcam for the money in our AI webcams roundup.
It records 1080p at 30fps, and Logitech’s RightLight 4 with HDR corrects for dim rooms and bright windows. Auto-framing (through the Logi Tune app) keeps you centered. I like the show mode, which lets you tilt the camera down to share what’s on your desk.
Best for: Daily video calls and client meetings.
Good friends don’t let friends drink lukewarm coffee.
Prevent them from having to warm their coffee in the microwave for the umpteenth time with the Ember Tumbler. From the makers of the wildly popular self-heating coffee cup, this 16 oz tumbler holds drinks at the precise temperature they set, between 120°F and 145°.
Ember rates the battery at up to three hours, and it stays warm all day on the included charging coaster. It comes with two lids: a leak-proof handle lid for carrying and a sliding sip lid for your desk. The version adds a new chip that Ember says makes Bluetooth pairing more reliable.
Best for: Slow sippers and long meeting days.
A true desk essential for tightening, assembly, or taking apart.
This isn’t your typical office gadget, but hear me out. Eventually, something in your home office will need adjusting, fixing, or breaking down. In those instances, there’s the HOTO 25-Piece Electric Screwdriver Kit.
It comes with 25 steel bits in a magnetic case, an extension rod, and three torque settings. It ‘s also good-looking enough to leave out on the shelf, which is more than I can say for most toolboxes.
Best for: IKEA furniture assembly, monitor arms, and PC tinkering.
They (or you) sit at a desk every day. So if one of these things makes their workspace more organized, comfortable, or fun, that’s reason enough to buy. In the throes of back-to-back Zoom meetings, they’ll look at that desktop charging station and appreciate how tidy their desk looks on their busiest day.