Best gifts to buy a boss on Amazon.

The 20 Best Gifts for Every Type of Boss

The 20 Best Gifts for Every Type of Boss

Things we endorse.
Dec. 11 2017 7:15 AM

The Best Gifts for Every Type of Boss

Hit that perfect sweet spot of just personal enough.

171209_PICKS_boss-lede

Photo illustration by Slate

This article originally appeared on the Strategist.

logo-TheStrategist

Buying a gift for your boss can be a potential minefield. Spend too much and you risk making her feel uncomfortable. Spend too little and you might as well not get anything at all. We went and found gifts for every type of boss there is, all of which hit that perfect sweet spot between too personal and just personal enough.

Advertisement

For the Frazzled Boss

171209_PICKS_1-Productivity-Planner.w540.h356.2x

Don’t try to get them to bullet journal (not happening). Instead, try a productivity planner with inspirational mantras and proven organizational techniques.

171114_Button_Buy_Dark

For the Frazzled Boss Into Florals

171209_PICKS_2planner
Advertisement

If your boss needs a reason to get into a 17-month planner, what better one than this gorgeous illustrated version from Florida company Rifle Paper Co.?

171114_Button_Buy_Dark

For the Boss With a Sad Office Desk

171209_PICKS_3plant

Zhuzh it up with an optimistic succulent in a neat, clean-lined terrarium.

171114_Button_Buy_Dark
Advertisement

For the Boss With Office-Chair Posture

171209_PICKS_4posture

Those cheap desk chairs do a number on your back, but the BackJoy forces you to sit better (here’s another chair add-on we love for better chair posture, too).

171114_Button_Buy_Dark
Advertisement

For the .0001 Percent Boss

171209_PICKS_5book

If your boss is megarich (and has a sense of humor), a tongue-in-cheek take on the very moneyed class, in the vein of The Official Preppy Handbook.

171114_Button_Buy_Dark

For the Thirsty Boss

171209_PICKS_6water
Advertisement

Our very favorite water bottle—and coffee thermos and beach beverage holder—is something your boss won’t even know they needed.

171114_Button_Buy_Dark

For the Extra Thirsty Boss

171209_PICKS_7flask

When your boss needs something a little stronger than coffee, you can’t beat the original Stanley flask (throw in a mini bottle of bourbon for good measure).

171114_Button_Buy_Dark
Advertisement

For the Boss Who’d Rather Be Golfing

171209_PICKS_8golf

We get it—something about the back nine and par and a birdie or whatever. Now they can putt in the office.

171114_Button_Buy_Dark

For the Fit Boss

171209_PICKS_9flex

The new super-slim Fitbit tracks steps and sleep patterns but is also swim-proof—for the triathletes who have to clock in.

171114_Button_Buy_Dark

For the Youth-Obsessed Boss

171209_PICKS_10moisturizer

Save this for a boss you’re chummy with (it can come off as, um, insulting), but the power of retinols for reducing fine lines and wrinkles is undeniable.

171114_Button_Buy_Dark

For the First-In, Last-Out Boss

171209_PICKS_11Thrive

Not subtle by any means, but gifting them Arianna’s book on the importance of work-life balance may be the best gift they (and you) every get.

171114_Button_Buy_Dark

For the Boss Who’s Obsessed With Luke

171209_PICKS_12mug

A lot of Stars Hollow–themed gifts are too cheesy to use in real life—this mug is actually cute, even if you’re not a Gilmore fan.

171114_Button_Buy_Dark

For the Boss With Low Blood Sugar

171209_PICKS_13snack

Healthy(ish) snacks from Today show health expert Joy Bauer.

171114_Button_Buy_Dark

For the Yoga-at-Lunch Boss

171209_PICKS_14bag

A gym bag doesn’t have to look like a gym bag—this one from Baggu’s cool enough for work, weekend, and even a night out.

171114_Button_Buy_Dark

For the Boss Who’s Always Cold

171209_PICKS_15throw

Help them regulate the temperature with a cozy Pendleton wool blanket.

171114_Button_Buy_Dark

For the Boss Who’s Stressed

171209_PICKS_16sand

Our favorite stress-relief toy: a rubbery sand mixture that’s a tactile delight. Just squeezing and releasing the sand clears the tension.

171114_Button_Buy_Dark

For the Boss Who’s Really Stressed

171209_PICKS_17pillow

When Kinetic Sand just won’t cut it, a Shiatsu kneading massager for head, back, and feet may be the big-ticket item that does the trick.

171114_Button_Buy_Dark

For the Boss Who Packs a Lunch

171209_PICKS_18boxes

Make it fun and stackable with a dishwasher- and microwave-safe set of bento boxes.

171114_Button_Buy_Dark

For the Boss Who Needs a Reading Light

171209_PICKS_19lamp

A desk lamp that doesn’t look like a desk lamp, this Scandinavian mixed-media version could belong in a museum.

171114_Button_Buy_Dark

For the Boss Who’s Better Than the Supply Closet

171209_PICKS_20pencil

No generic No. 2’s for them! The Japanese-made Midori brass pencil case gives everything they write extra gravitas—it saves pencils that are down to their last nubs, too.

171114_Button_Buy_Dark

This article is published through a partnership with New York magazine’s the Strategist and Select All. The partnership is designed to surface the most useful, expert recommendations for things to buy across the vast e-commerce landscape. We update links when possible, but note that deals can expire and all prices are subject to change. Every editorial product is independently selected by New York magazine. If you buy something through our links, Slate and New York magazine may earn an affiliate commission.