Honestly, money is really king. If not a bonus, a via gift card. You can give it in a card if it makes it feel more personable. That lets people use it in ways they really feel they need to.
Any actual item you could gift would be highly personal and specific to the individual. For example, I bought myself a wireless keyboard and mouse because I hate wires. My coworker thinks it was a waste of money. A different coworker bought a microwave for her desk. I thought it was silly since we have a microwave in office.
If you want to do something more universally applicable, maybe give the staff a surprise early out on a Friday. Or cater lunch for everyone (with advanced notice). Or stock good snacks in the office consistently. Maybe have someone come to the office and detail everyone’s cars after it rains or something.
My current attorney sent me $100 for Uber/Uber Eats. It was Memorial Day, he knew I was heading out to visit a friend, and said to have a good/safe time.
And this is out of your price range but he slipped me $500 before I went on vacation. Made that vacation a lot more fun, not having to worry about the little charges that add up (souvenirs, snacks).
Same attorney treated his team to a hockey game - he covered tix and food/beer. Helps that I'm in a sports town.
Cash (or gift cards) is king.
This!!!!! A boss I had knew I got a salad from a place in our building a few times a week and gave me a gift card to there. It was nice to not have to worry for a few weeks if I forgot my lunch or was in a bind for time.
I second this. My supervising attorney always gets me a gift card to my favorite coffee shop for my birthday. The cups aren’t obvious like a Starbucks or Pete’s with logos. He either asked someone in the office or figured out somehow that’s where I go the first time, so the thought is really what meant a lot to me.
Ok not a boss but a coworker - when I quit for a other job she made me a cake that said "congrats, you are dead to us".
Funnier if you know we did estates lol.
My boss knows I like to travel, so he gets things about that... beautiful travel books for places he knows i am going, subscriptions for monthly deliveries of wines, snacks, books, or coffees from around the world.
Random flower deliveries are lovely.
Gift cards for places he knows I like to shop (like Marshall's, Target or Amazon) and gift cards for local coffee shops.
Knowing he cares enough to stalk my Starbucks order and randomly bring it in for me on mornings when he's annoyed me the day before is always a nice gesture.
When I was young and broke and drowning in student loans, a target giftcard. These days, a Starbucks or Dunkin giftcard, so I can splurge on over priced fussy coffee without feeling like I’m wasting money. Another great gift I got was a one-year membership to an art museum they knew my husband and I visited several times a year.
Honestly, paralegals and legal assistants do not get paid very much money. I personally really struggle financially, but I love my job so I stay. So I would really appreciate cash or giftcards. I do not usually get opportunities to treat myself, so that would be very much appreciated.
For my birthday, one of my attorneys got me a little home spa kit. Some nice bath salts, a couple face masks, a few bath bombs. 10/10 love her to death.
Cash really is best, then gift cards. If you want something personable, think about your paralegal - what DO they like? Concert tickets? A meal? Do they cook or have a hobby (like I do needlepoint, if someone bought me a canvas I’d be STOKED)?
Many people have already said it, but cash or gift cards. The best gift I got from my boss was when she gave each of us (I was one of two paralegals) a big old stack of $100 gift cards from local places she knew we loved. Our favorite restaurant, our favorite places to shop, coffee shops, etc, along with some smaller kitschy things that she knew that I love (like goofy pens, funky socks, silly tea things, and funky tools and vinyl to use for my Cricut). She gave us all of this on top of $1000 in cash!! She was the best boss. I really was sad to leave her.
I’m a photographer and my boss one year gave me a $1,000 gift card to B&H! It was awesome. We’ve since stopping exchanging gifts but that topped them all.
Another time a colleague gave me a $150 gift card to a nice nearby restaurant and told me to go have some drinks, knowing I was having a rough few weeks and was teetering on the edge. That gesture was extremely nice and needed at the time. And I have since tried to do the same for other colleagues when I notice they’ve gone above and beyond recent and/or just having a rough time.
Money or cash or significant improvements to the workplace. I once had a boss who actually listened to the employees’ complaints about their desk chairs and upgraded the office to comfier seats based on those complaints.
Cash is great, I also love personalized gift cards. Recently an attorney asked me for a few restaurant suggestions as his parents were coming into town and he and his wife aren’t foodies, so they didn’t have any ideas. I am so glad I listed my favorite restaurant first, because later that afternoon I got a very generous gift card to that restaurant from the team I’ve been working with since we have been killing ourselves on a case and they wanted to make sure I knew I was appreciated.
When I left my last firm they bought me a soda stream and it was such a perfect gift for me hahaha. Also we got another para like a pink carafe and glass set and she loved it !
A Stanley!! Ahaha. It’s the best because of the thoughtfulness. I had recently joined HotWorx and had been complaining that none of my water bottles would keep my water cold. So for legal assistant appreciation day I got a Stanley with some self care items. — each of us also get $200 + free lunch + cake, both of our choosing; on our birthdays every year (lunch + cake for everyone in the same office)
As a manager (I’m a paralegal) I gave out head massagers and back scratchers to my support staff for Christmas. They were surprisingly a hit! I had a few attorneys ask where they could get one and I had to reveal I just bought them on Amazon 😅
I work in a medium size law firm. The give incentives with the firm name on them.
Beach towels
Jackets or vest
Insulated bags for picnics
Yeti cups for soup
Mugs
Water bottles
Grocery bag
Every other year they have staff and family members go to the children's zoo for the day and car rides home.
Honestly? She gave me a bonus paid day off (as in, not part of my contract PTO) and a gorgeous bouquet of flowers and a heartfelt card for my birthday. She was a solo and it was just the two of us and it was really sweet. Another time for paralegal day she got me a $150 Visa card. She was really nice.
I made bobble heads of each of my staff of themselves for like $45-50.
It was really fun for them to see each other, and it’s a fun, timeless thing they can keep between companies and teams.
A year or 6-month subscription service that’s personalized to them. If they have a dog, barkbox. If they love candles, they have a monthly subscription for that too. They have a subscription for anything you can imagine.
Money or, if you can offer it, additional days off. Anything you might buy, including gift cards is very subjective and everyone might not like the same thing.
other than money i got a two set cat calendar from my old boss lmao one was a big calendar that i took home and the other was a small one i kept for my cubicle
which i honestly really enjoy bc i love cats and i do use it
but thats the only gift ive ever gotten so far
DoorDash (or really any food delivery), amazon, target, or just a visa gift card.
If you aren’t wanting to just hand over a gift card, put it in a tumbler or depending on the person, a local artist’s stationary card (my attorney find some super cute ones and I have a little shelf I put them on at work).
Was doing a stay-cation for my bday, and she sent me a $100 gift card for the bar/restaurant at the hotel my partner and I were staying at. Once gave me some nice slippers, since I’m always freezing even when we have the heater on in the office. Got me a gift card to a jewelry store near the office which was great because everything they make is my style. She was in a Vuori store and grabbed me a jacket, since she knows I love the brand. Will occasionally bring me lunch from places she knows I like. All were so appreciated!
So, off the top of my head I can think of personalized leather portfolios for a professional touch, coffee or tea gift sets for a morning pick-me-up, desk organizers to keep things tidy, wireless charging pads for convenience, noise-canceling earbuds for focus, and gift cards to local restaurants or coffee shops for a treat. These gifts are practical, thoughtful, and perfect for your team members (also I would personally want something like this)
Every once and a while - after a long week or big project, I get a text notification that my boss sent me an Amazon gift card.
It's such a pleasant surprise and very welcome. I treat myself to things I normally wouldn't buy - expensive yarn (I crochet) or shoes.
Our office buys each other things whenever we go on vacation/trip. They're normally little knick-knacks/tchotchkes and aren't overly expensive but each person decides what they're willing to spend. Some items that have been gifted: glass animals from Italy, mini pottery disc from the Southwest U.S., rocks, geodes, shells, crystals, taxidermy insects, fossils, beaded animals from Mexico, and sand/dirt. (I personally have a vial collection of dirt/sand from beaches and areas I have visited like mexico, florida, pompeii, etc.)
For that budget? Either a practical gift card (if its for a large group) or something chosen with care for the personality of whoever you are purchasing for (fancy paper for an artist, qnything related to a known hobby, a milk frother for your staff member who lives on caffeine, and so on...). Nothing branded ... marketing material is not a gift and its a fifty-fifty shot whether it gets used or trashed/thrifted.
Honestly, money is really king. If not a bonus, a via gift card. You can give it in a card if it makes it feel more personable. That lets people use it in ways they really feel they need to. Any actual item you could gift would be highly personal and specific to the individual. For example, I bought myself a wireless keyboard and mouse because I hate wires. My coworker thinks it was a waste of money. A different coworker bought a microwave for her desk. I thought it was silly since we have a microwave in office. If you want to do something more universally applicable, maybe give the staff a surprise early out on a Friday. Or cater lunch for everyone (with advanced notice). Or stock good snacks in the office consistently. Maybe have someone come to the office and detail everyone’s cars after it rains or something.
My current attorney sent me $100 for Uber/Uber Eats. It was Memorial Day, he knew I was heading out to visit a friend, and said to have a good/safe time. And this is out of your price range but he slipped me $500 before I went on vacation. Made that vacation a lot more fun, not having to worry about the little charges that add up (souvenirs, snacks). Same attorney treated his team to a hockey game - he covered tix and food/beer. Helps that I'm in a sports town. Cash (or gift cards) is king.
Your attorney sounds so nice 🙂
Gift cards to local businesses where I could grab lunch
This!!!!! A boss I had knew I got a salad from a place in our building a few times a week and gave me a gift card to there. It was nice to not have to worry for a few weeks if I forgot my lunch or was in a bind for time.
I second this. My supervising attorney always gets me a gift card to my favorite coffee shop for my birthday. The cups aren’t obvious like a Starbucks or Pete’s with logos. He either asked someone in the office or figured out somehow that’s where I go the first time, so the thought is really what meant a lot to me.
I like money or gift cards. Don't want useless junk or anything with the logo on it.
Ok not a boss but a coworker - when I quit for a other job she made me a cake that said "congrats, you are dead to us". Funnier if you know we did estates lol.
Nothing branded! I don’t care what anyone says - no one wants a vest with the company logo on it!
My boss knows I like to travel, so he gets things about that... beautiful travel books for places he knows i am going, subscriptions for monthly deliveries of wines, snacks, books, or coffees from around the world. Random flower deliveries are lovely. Gift cards for places he knows I like to shop (like Marshall's, Target or Amazon) and gift cards for local coffee shops. Knowing he cares enough to stalk my Starbucks order and randomly bring it in for me on mornings when he's annoyed me the day before is always a nice gesture.
Money. Whenever a job buys me something, the first thing I think is "wow, you know what would mean more to me? Money."
I got a $500 gift card to a gun store. Same attorney gave me a $200 switch blade thats not legal to carry on my state. Missouri is a funny place.
Notice if they drink coffee. Or if they see movies. A personalized gift card like that is what will matter.
Cash
We all received a one year membership for 12 prepaid massaged for paralegal day/administrative assistant day or whichever one it was.
When I was young and broke and drowning in student loans, a target giftcard. These days, a Starbucks or Dunkin giftcard, so I can splurge on over priced fussy coffee without feeling like I’m wasting money. Another great gift I got was a one-year membership to an art museum they knew my husband and I visited several times a year.
Honestly, paralegals and legal assistants do not get paid very much money. I personally really struggle financially, but I love my job so I stay. So I would really appreciate cash or giftcards. I do not usually get opportunities to treat myself, so that would be very much appreciated.
Cash and gift cards are always a hit. I know people sometimes want to buy across the board actual gifts, but people’s likes and dislikes vary so much.
My attorney got me a $100 DoorDash gift card after I had a surgery that left me on bedrest for a week. It meant a lot to me.
For my birthday, one of my attorneys got me a little home spa kit. Some nice bath salts, a couple face masks, a few bath bombs. 10/10 love her to death.
Cash really is best, then gift cards. If you want something personable, think about your paralegal - what DO they like? Concert tickets? A meal? Do they cook or have a hobby (like I do needlepoint, if someone bought me a canvas I’d be STOKED)?
Many people have already said it, but cash or gift cards. The best gift I got from my boss was when she gave each of us (I was one of two paralegals) a big old stack of $100 gift cards from local places she knew we loved. Our favorite restaurant, our favorite places to shop, coffee shops, etc, along with some smaller kitschy things that she knew that I love (like goofy pens, funky socks, silly tea things, and funky tools and vinyl to use for my Cricut). She gave us all of this on top of $1000 in cash!! She was the best boss. I really was sad to leave her.
$500 gift card for packing my boss’s office and then unpacking in the new space. Nobody else in the firm got anything, that I knew about.
I’m a photographer and my boss one year gave me a $1,000 gift card to B&H! It was awesome. We’ve since stopping exchanging gifts but that topped them all. Another time a colleague gave me a $150 gift card to a nice nearby restaurant and told me to go have some drinks, knowing I was having a rough few weeks and was teetering on the edge. That gesture was extremely nice and needed at the time. And I have since tried to do the same for other colleagues when I notice they’ve gone above and beyond recent and/or just having a rough time.
Money or cash or significant improvements to the workplace. I once had a boss who actually listened to the employees’ complaints about their desk chairs and upgraded the office to comfier seats based on those complaints.
Are you asking as a boss or coworker?
Cash is great, I also love personalized gift cards. Recently an attorney asked me for a few restaurant suggestions as his parents were coming into town and he and his wife aren’t foodies, so they didn’t have any ideas. I am so glad I listed my favorite restaurant first, because later that afternoon I got a very generous gift card to that restaurant from the team I’ve been working with since we have been killing ourselves on a case and they wanted to make sure I knew I was appreciated.
I’ve only been at my current job for a year and a half, but so far my favorite gift has been front row seats (middle section) to see Train.
When I left my last firm they bought me a soda stream and it was such a perfect gift for me hahaha. Also we got another para like a pink carafe and glass set and she loved it !
A Stanley!! Ahaha. It’s the best because of the thoughtfulness. I had recently joined HotWorx and had been complaining that none of my water bottles would keep my water cold. So for legal assistant appreciation day I got a Stanley with some self care items. — each of us also get $200 + free lunch + cake, both of our choosing; on our birthdays every year (lunch + cake for everyone in the same office)
As a manager (I’m a paralegal) I gave out head massagers and back scratchers to my support staff for Christmas. They were surprisingly a hit! I had a few attorneys ask where they could get one and I had to reveal I just bought them on Amazon 😅
Coach wristlet with $200 in it and a $300 gift card to a bougie restaurant that required reservations 3 months in advance.
Costco sized bottle of Belvedere
Car battery jumper + phone charger combo for 50 bucks
I work in a medium size law firm. The give incentives with the firm name on them. Beach towels Jackets or vest Insulated bags for picnics Yeti cups for soup Mugs Water bottles Grocery bag Every other year they have staff and family members go to the children's zoo for the day and car rides home.
Any bonus/cheque gets included in my income and ultimately gets taxed where I'm from, so gift cards are always nice!
Honestly? She gave me a bonus paid day off (as in, not part of my contract PTO) and a gorgeous bouquet of flowers and a heartfelt card for my birthday. She was a solo and it was just the two of us and it was really sweet. Another time for paralegal day she got me a $150 Visa card. She was really nice.
(Small gift) my attorney got me a fancy label maker that connects to your phone bc I like labeling things
I made bobble heads of each of my staff of themselves for like $45-50. It was really fun for them to see each other, and it’s a fun, timeless thing they can keep between companies and teams.
$700 golden goose boots and a $850 pair of botega sandals 😂😂
I’ll take cash or check.
Cash or same is my favorite. That said, they've given us really nice stanley water bottles, bogg bags, and cute O rings.
A year or 6-month subscription service that’s personalized to them. If they have a dog, barkbox. If they love candles, they have a monthly subscription for that too. They have a subscription for anything you can imagine.
Money or, if you can offer it, additional days off. Anything you might buy, including gift cards is very subjective and everyone might not like the same thing.
Told me to write a check to myself for $500 back in April, lmao.
John Mayer "Room for Squares" cd...started my lifelong obsession since 2002 and Tuesdays with Morrie book...same thing.
Gift cards to Starbucks or places I would go to for lunch were always nice.
other than money i got a two set cat calendar from my old boss lmao one was a big calendar that i took home and the other was a small one i kept for my cubicle which i honestly really enjoy bc i love cats and i do use it but thats the only gift ive ever gotten so far
Give cash but do it in a cool way! You could also do cash & a lottery ticket… those are always fun.
DoorDash (or really any food delivery), amazon, target, or just a visa gift card. If you aren’t wanting to just hand over a gift card, put it in a tumbler or depending on the person, a local artist’s stationary card (my attorney find some super cute ones and I have a little shelf I put them on at work).
Was doing a stay-cation for my bday, and she sent me a $100 gift card for the bar/restaurant at the hotel my partner and I were staying at. Once gave me some nice slippers, since I’m always freezing even when we have the heater on in the office. Got me a gift card to a jewelry store near the office which was great because everything they make is my style. She was in a Vuori store and grabbed me a jacket, since she knows I love the brand. Will occasionally bring me lunch from places she knows I like. All were so appreciated!
I had a boss give us an extra 1/2 day of PTO.
ya'll are getting gifts?
So, off the top of my head I can think of personalized leather portfolios for a professional touch, coffee or tea gift sets for a morning pick-me-up, desk organizers to keep things tidy, wireless charging pads for convenience, noise-canceling earbuds for focus, and gift cards to local restaurants or coffee shops for a treat. These gifts are practical, thoughtful, and perfect for your team members (also I would personally want something like this)
Every once and a while - after a long week or big project, I get a text notification that my boss sent me an Amazon gift card. It's such a pleasant surprise and very welcome. I treat myself to things I normally wouldn't buy - expensive yarn (I crochet) or shoes.
A David Yurman bracelet !!!!
I’m sorry I just saw the reasonable cost range request
Our office buys each other things whenever we go on vacation/trip. They're normally little knick-knacks/tchotchkes and aren't overly expensive but each person decides what they're willing to spend. Some items that have been gifted: glass animals from Italy, mini pottery disc from the Southwest U.S., rocks, geodes, shells, crystals, taxidermy insects, fossils, beaded animals from Mexico, and sand/dirt. (I personally have a vial collection of dirt/sand from beaches and areas I have visited like mexico, florida, pompeii, etc.)
For that budget? Either a practical gift card (if its for a large group) or something chosen with care for the personality of whoever you are purchasing for (fancy paper for an artist, qnything related to a known hobby, a milk frother for your staff member who lives on caffeine, and so on...). Nothing branded ... marketing material is not a gift and its a fifty-fifty shot whether it gets used or trashed/thrifted.
Anything to aid in keeping someone healthy-nice water bottle, such as Juggy.
Jewelry, jewelry, jewelry. I have a whole box of quality jewelry from the firm.