Holiday Gifts for Office Assistants

This post may contain affiliate links and Corporette® may earn commissions for purchases made through links in this post. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

It's been a few years since we discussed this question: what are the best holiday gifts for office assistants? Are you getting them cash and a small physical present, just one or the other, or something else entirely? If you're getting cash, are you doing a gift card or literal cash?

The Best Holiday Gifts for Office Assistants

Cash is King When it Comes to Holiday Gifts for Office Assistants

In the past when we've discussed this, readers have always felt that cash is king. My old law firm adhered to a “$100 per class year” philosophy — even though usually 3-4 people shared assistants. Readers here guffawed at that idea, but the general idea applies: the more senior you are, the more you should gift at the end of the holiday. This is because the gift should be both a “thank you” for work done over the year — and a future show of goodwill, thanking them for future work.

For my $.02, cold hard cash is preferable to a Visa gift card or other prepaid debit card, but that's me — in the past, at least, I've been annoyed by the limitations on gift cards, such as an inability to buy things online with them without difficulty. My husband gets a bunch from clients every year, and we primarily use them for groceries because they're in-person purchases and not likely to need to be returned.

Why You Should Get a Small, Personal Present For Your Office Assistant As Well

While cash is king, it can feel a bit cold to receive an envelope — and it's always nice to show some effort that you know and get your office assistant. It can be as simple as a funny mug referencing something she loves or has joked about, or a pretty (but relatively inexpensive) scarf to ward off the freezing office.

Readers, what are your holiday gifts for office assistants this year? Will you be giving direct gifts to anyone other than your personal office assistant, such as the people in the larger units like the mail room?