Tech Gifts for a New Job: Presents for a First Day or a Big Promotion

A new job present is a small thing that lands at a nervous moment. The best ones get used in the first week: on the commute, at a desk, or on the kitchen table if the new job is a self-employed one.

Here's what works, from the big joint gift down to the card you sign on the way out of the old office.

Honest note: we design and print our cards, badges, prints and party decorations in the UK. The MacBook and the iPhone are recommendations from elsewhere.

Going self-employed or freelance

• The first big purchase is almost always the laptop, because the company isn't providing one. A MacBook Air is the safe answer for most people: it's silent, it lasts a full day away from a plug, and it handles photo editing, coursework and everyday work without fuss.
• A phone that handles calls, invoicing and photos is the other half of the kit. An iPhone 18 Pro Max is the camera most people will actually carry. The long lens and the low-light performance are the two things worth paying for if you take a lot of photos of people.
• A proper chair before a fancy desk. The back goes first.
• A separate work phone number, even if it's an app rather than a second handset.
• Best laptop for a small creative business - Read the guide

For a first day in an office

• Noise-cancelling headphones. Open-plan offices are brutal.
• A good bag that takes a laptop without announcing it.
• A reusable coffee cup that doesn't leak in that bag.
• A slim power bank for the commute.
• A pin badge for the lanyard, which is the only bit of personality allowed - Shop the range

Desk gifts under GBP 25

• A multi-port charger. Always useful, never bought for yourself.
• A laptop stand, which fixes posture for the price of a takeaway.
• A small print for the desk or the home office wall - Shop the range
• A candle for the home office at the end of the day - Shop the range
• A notebook, because not everyone wants to type in a meeting.

For a promotion

• Something slightly nicer than they'd buy themselves. That's the whole brief.
• A watch, a bag or a good pen if it's a milestone move.
• Club together as a team rather than everyone buying separately.
• Say what the promotion means in the card. That's the part they keep.
• New job cards signed by the whole team - Shop the range

Setting a new setup up properly

• Separate work and personal accounts from the first day. It's impossible to untangle later.
• Turn on cloud backup before there's anything to lose.
• Screen at eye level, keyboard flat, chair sorted. Ten minutes, years of benefit.
• Charge things at the desk, not overnight on a bedside table.
• Small home office ideas - Read the guide

Leaving the old job at the same time

• Most new job gifts happen the week someone leaves somewhere else.
• One card from the whole team beats five separate ones.
• Collect early. People pay up on a Monday, never on a Friday.
• Say something specific in it, not just good luck.
• Leaving messages for a colleague - Read the guide

Shop new job cards

How to write it so it lands

• Buy something used in week one.
• One team card beats five separate ones.
• Chair before desk for anyone going freelance.

Where to shop next

• Greetings cards
• Pin badges
• Funny wall art
• Party items
• Scented soy candles
• Best tech for starting university
• iPhone photography tips
• 18th birthday tech gift ideas
• How to print your phone photos
• Best laptop for a small creative business
• Gifts for tech lovers
• Gifts for university students
• Gifts for graphic designers
• Best laptop for graphic design students
• Small home office ideas
• How to archive your family photos
• Retirement party decorations
• How to make a balloon arch
• Photo booth prop ideas
• Congratulations cards
• Good luck cards
• Pin badges
• All guides

Frequently asked questions

What's a good gift for someone starting a new job?

Something they'll use in the first week: noise-cancelling headphones, a laptop bag, a reusable cup or a power bank for the commute. For someone going self-employed, the useful gifts are bigger - a laptop, a chair or a contribution towards one.

How much should you spend on a new job present?

Colleagues usually put GBP 5 to GBP 10 each into a group gift and a card. A close friend or family member might spend GBP 20 to GBP 50, and families sometimes club together for a laptop when someone starts working for themselves.

What do you buy someone who's going freelance?

The laptop is the purchase that matters most, followed by a decent chair. If that's beyond a gift budget, a contribution towards it, a good bag, or a year of cloud storage are all genuinely useful.

What should you write in a new job card?

Something specific rather than just good luck: name the thing they're good at that the new place is getting. That's the line people keep in a drawer years later.

Do you sell the laptop or the phone?

No. We design and print greetings cards, enamel pin badges, prints, candles and party decorations in the UK. The MacBook and the iPhone are recommendations from elsewhere - only the things linked to our own shop are ours.