At Work

Buying gifts for the ladies you work with can be a challenging process, not only because it's often the case that you don't really know each other all that well, but also because the workplace is a small, usually highly regulated space, so the things you can get for her workstation are pretty limited. One general rule to go by, though, is that when you buy a gift you want to give her something pretty or enjoyable rather than practical for work. Things she needs for work like mouse pads and online collaboration software should be provided by the company and not given as gifts. Here are some ideas for gifts for the ladies in your workplace:

Fancy Upgrades

Your company may provide the ladies in your workplace with the minimum they need to do their jobs, but that doesn't mean they enjoy looking at boring grey mouse pads and plain white business cards. If you know a woman in your workplace who likes a little jazz or sparkle in her life, you could consider upgrading her boring standard articles to fancy, exciting ones. Full-color California business cards instead of plain white ones. A sparkly green mouse pad instead of a grey one. The possibilities are endless.

Snazzy Accessories

Most women love accessories. Some accessories, like cell phone holders, are practical. Others, like necklaces, are purely decorative, and still others, like purses, are both. Chances are no matter what the women in your workplace like or what their personal styles are there's an accessory out there that they'll like. For straight-laced professionals, there are things like leather Blackberry holsters, while women who like brighter colors might like a new scarf or a pair of earrings.

Decorative Designs

Standard workstations in most workplaces are dull and functional. In order to create a better atmosphere for working in, women like to dress up their workstations to make them feel more exciting or homey. You can help by giving your co-worker a decoration for her workspace that is both appropriate for the workplace and suited to her personality. For a teacher or daycare worker, try wall word art in the form of an inspirational quote about children. For cubicle dwellers, how about a funny calendar or a bobble-head doll of a character from her favorite TV show?

Group Gifts

If you have a lot of women in your office and no time or energy to get to know all of their preferences well enough to give them each an individual personalized gift, why not arrange a group outing like a trip to the spa or a dinner for them all to enjoy together? For the women, a group outing is a fun alternative to receiving the same generic "lady" gift as everyone else (i.e. beauty basket, flowers) and provides a great social opportunity where they can bond with their co-workers away from the influence of men. For you, the group outing can actually save you money in the long run because hiring a Catering Company in Toronto for a single event with 30 people in it can be less expensive than 30 gift baskets or 30 gift certificates to a local restaurant and it will be more memorable than an individual gift.