Recent graduates and young professionals have always been in need of a little extra help, whether it be a cooked meal or a free ride to the airport or even restocking basic clothing essentials.
But in the current economic climate, many entry-level workers could use gifts that more productive and helpful than novel. (This isn’t the time to give a paperweight, unless you’re sure it can guarantee a much needed laugh.) Young professionals going into the workforce these days have different needs, and your gift could go a long way to helping them launch their careers. (No pressure.)
Here is a list of suggested products that will make for much more lasting and valuable gifts for their recipients.
L’OR Barista system
But first, if you allow us, coffee. Sure, not everyone is a coffee drinker, but those who do identify as such will most likely point to coffee as their productivity fuel. And the L’Or Barista coffee and espresso machine might make a coffee drinker out of everyone given how easy it is to use, the sleek design, and not to mention the coffee drinks are sublime. (Decaf pods are available.)
The Inside by Havenly modern task chair
Havenly, a popular online interior design service, recently acquired custom furniture marketplace, known now as The Inside by Havenly. The brand makes custom home furniture for virtually any style at price points far below traditional custom design—but with more much more flair than your starter DIY furniture. With collaborations from top designers like Scalamandré, CW Stockwell, and Old World Weavers, The Inside by Havenly provides a variety of textiles that can be retrofitted to any of their furniture and design pieces, including chairs, ottomans, pillows, headboards, wallpaper, and more.
West Elm ‘Gemini’ desk
Anyone working from home—before the pandemic and since—knows the value of good desk space. Along with a comfortable chair (see above), it makes all the difference as to how productive you can be from anywhere. This 70s-inspired, water-based lacquered desk is both functional and fashionable, serving as both a conversation piece and a workspace, with just enough drawer space to hold the necessities but prevent you from becoming a pack rat.
Canon PIXMA wireless printer
While printers might have seemed like the most milquetoast of electronics before the pandemic, sales soared once everyone started working from home and couldn’t rely on the office printer any longer. Printers have also long had a frustrating reputation, from paper jams to constantly dwindling ink cartridges to wires going in every direction. This Canon printer solves all of those problems. With built-in wireless connectivity and convenient cloud printing, this printer is designed with an intuitive touch screen display and versatile Auto Document Feeder (ADF), capable of scanning, copying, and faxing up to 20 sheets of plain paper.
Sundays Easy Edge Tallboy dresser
Marie Kondo’s golden rule to keeping a tidy house is keeping the things that “spark joy” for you. For many of us, organization sparks joy all on its own, and dresser drawers can serve many functions beyond just holding folded sweaters. And this tall and narrow dresser by Sundays, a Vancouver-based home brand producing thoughtfully-designed furniture, offers four drawers of storage for efficient organization. Made from high-grade composite recycled wood grains and fibers (in order to avoid warpage or cracking like solid wood), the lean shape is optimized floor space as well for those living in smaller abodes.
No Hard Feelings: The Secret Power of Embracing Emotions at Work
There is no one guidebook that everyone gets or adheres to when going into the workforce. And that is the beauty of No Hard Feelings: The Secret Power of Embracing Emotions at Work, which recognizes that we all have different work styles, and that’s OK (at least up to a point). Written by Mollie West Duffy and Liz Fosslien (who also illustrates the charming but matter-of-fact sketches in the book and on their Instagram account), there are lessons to be learned for everyone at every stage in their careers in this book, and the newly published and pandemic-appropriate sequel, Big Feelings: How to Be Okay When Things Are Not Okay. (We also recommend the audiobook version as well, as both authors narrate the books and pitch perfectly convey these lessons in the same tone as a close friend versus an HR representative.)
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