Dec 8, 2024 7:32 AM

25 Gift Ideas for People Who Work From Home

Upgrade your loved one’s home office with these picks that make every day a little easier—and a little more fun.

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Featured in this article

Closeup of the Ben Q Screen Bar Pro a narrow silver light attached to the top of a computer screen and a view of a full desk

The ovalshaped SteelSeries Alias microphone on a circular stand with mesh cover over the front sitting on a small wooden...

L.L. Bean Scotch Plaid Flannel Robe in green and blue with long sleeves and a cloth belt around the waist

Smartish Cable Wrangler a black block with clips to organize wires on wooden desk

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If someone in your life needs a home office upgrade (that includes yourself!), you've come to the right place. WIRED's Gear team has been working remotely well before the pandemic made it a thing. And as WIRED's resident home office product reviewer, I've been churning through dozens of standing desks, office chairs, monitors, and other desk accoutrements for more than five years.

Whether you're tired of your loved one working at the kitchen table and complaining about how much their wrist hurts, or you just want to treat them, I've got several work-from-home gift ideas that can make remote work even sweeter. Check out my Ultimate Work-From-Home Gear guide for more recommendations.

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Updated December 2024: We've overhauled this guide with new products.

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Photograph: Julian Chokkattu
A Lit-Up Desk
BenQ ScreenBar Pro
Is your loved one always cowering over a keyboard in the dark struggling to type? I have used variations of BenQ's ScreenBar lamp for several years, and they're truly a must-have for any modern desk setup. These space-saving lamps hang over your computer monitor (yes, even curved screens), and shoot light on the desktop, blanketing it with warm or cool tones—you can set the brightness and color temperature. I usually leave it on when I'm at my desk working and turn it off when I'm playing video games or watching a movie (the light can cause some glare when you're watching dark content).
The latest version is the ScreenBar Pro, which adds a much-needed motion sensor. That way, the light isn't always on, and your giftee won't have to remember to tap the touch-sensitive power button over and over again. Instead, when they grace the desk with their presence, it will illuminate, like Tony Stark walking into his lab ready to get work done. If you're wondering how to put a webcam on top, BenQ has thought of that with a webcam mount for the ScreenBar. (You'll have to adjust the angle of the webcam.) And if your giftee uses a laptop instead, don't worry—I have also tested and like BenQ's lightweight LaptopBar.
$139 at Amazon
$139 at B&H Photo
$139 at BenQ
Photograph: Parker Hall
Upgrade Their Voice
SteelSeries Alias
One of the greatest joys of a Zoom call is when the person on the other end comments on your microphone quality. Yes, I should go into voice acting. Let your loved one's coworkers hear their voice how it's meant to be heard by upgrading their computer's mic. The SteelSeries Alias packs a single, large condenser, and the quality is quite a good deal better than the mics on a laptop—I've gotten so many compliments. Unlike other USB mics like the Blue Yeti, it has a USB-C port for easy plug-and-play to most modern computers. It doesn't offer many polar patterns (it only records the person in front of the mic), but there is a nice touch-sensitive button that turns the mic off—no need to reach for the mouse when the dog starts yapping during a call. It comes with a stand, but if your giftee wants to mount it on a boom arm, they'll need an adapter.
The Alias is a great entry-level USB microphone, but check out our Best USB Mics guide for other options at varying budgets.
~~$180~~ $150 at Amazon
$180 at Best Buy

Photograph: L.L. Bean
Enjoy WFH Comfort
L.L. Bean Scotch Plaid Flannel Robe
What's the point of working from home if they're going to wear button-downs, blouses, and suit pants? Sure, put ’em on during meetings if you want to look presentable (or don’t). But when the webcam's off, lounge in a nice robe instead. My wife recently bought me this Portuguese flannel robe from L.L.Bean, and it's wonderfully soft and comfy. This one is a little thin, making it great for the shoulder seasons (there's a sherpa-lined version). I also own this L.L.Bean Rugby Robe, which is thicker, warmer, and has a hood; it makes me feel like Rocky Balboa getting ready for his next match—except my battle is with my alarm clock.
$79 at L.L.Bean (Men's)
$79 at L.L.Bean (Women's)
Photograph: Julian Chokkattu
For Organized Wires
Smartish Cable Wrangler
It might look like a smoothed-out Aztec pyramid, but this little object has magnets on top. Affix the included magnet clips onto USB cables and keep the cords neat and in one spot. Smartish also has a bigger version if your giftee has too many cables strewn about on their desk. It's a nice little stocking stuffer if their cables routinely fall off their desk.
~~$40~~ $30 at Amazon

Photograph: Julian Chokkattu
A Versatile Task Light
Steelcase Eclipse Light
I'm a sucker for a pretty lamp. I've previously recommended Gantri's lights—which are still excellent—but my new obsession is Steelcase's Eclipse Light. This multi-functional lamp has a mirror your giftee can use to ensure no broccoli sits between their teeth before a video call. Then, they can slide the dimmer switch to turn on the LED and light up the desk or their face via the tilting head. On the base is a 15-watt wireless charger, but they can rest their phone against the kickstand (though the phone won't charge in this orientation). The base charged my Pixel and iPhone just fine, but don't expect the fastest wireless charging speeds.
$279 at Amazon
$279 at Steelcase
Photograph: LG
A Superior Vertical Monitor
LG DualUp 28-Inch Monitor With Ergo Stand (28MQ780-B)
Two monitors are better than one, especially when one of the screens is propped up vertically. However, rotating a standard computer monitor 90 degrees means a skinny display where certain websites and apps can look far too narrow. (Emails in Gmail might get cropped.) Enter the LG DualUp. This monitor's 16:18 aspect ratio gives you the benefits of a portrait-oriented display without the skinny width. There's a whole lot more room to work with. The IPS LCD itself has a tack-sharp 2K resolution, and with 98 percent of the DCI-P3 gamut, colors look pretty accurate. Best of all, it comes with an arm mount, so you can affix it to your desk without taking up valuable real estate.
~~$700~~ $597 at Amazon
$697 at B&H

Photograph: Henri Robbins
A Sweet New Keyboard
Keychron Q5 Pro
Keyboards are quite personal—they're your direct interface with the digital world. It might be hard to shop for someone else, but the Keychron Q5 Pro and Q6 Pro are great places to start (8/10, WIRED Recommends). Since they have hot-swappable mechanical switches and standard key caps, your giftee can customize it later if they'd like. Both can be used wirelessly (Bluetooth) or with a USB-C cord. The difference between the Q6 Pro and Q5 Pro is the layout—the Q6 Pro is a traditional full-size keyboard, whereas the Q5 Pro is slightly more compact with an 1800-style layout.
$230 at Amazon
Photograph: Ryan Waniata
For Canceling Out Sound
Bose QuietComfort Ultra
If your loved one frequently complains about loud ambient sounds— whether from nearby construction or your general existence—get them noise-canceling headphones. The Bose QuietComfort Ultra are our current top pick (9/10, WIRED Recommends), with remarkable isolation that will, unfortunately, make it harder for you to get their attention. It doesn't skimp on sound either.
~~$429~~ $349 at Amazon
$429 at Walmart
~~$429~~ $299 at Bose

Photograph: Julian Chokkattu
The Best Office Mouse
Logitech MX Master 3S
It's difficult to remember life before the MX Master 3S came into it. This comfy mouse connects to a computer via Bluetooth or Logitech's USB-A receiver, and it's responsive. There are two thumb buttons, but I love its scroll wheels. Yes, wheels, plural; there's a thumb scroll wheel that's great for horizontally scrolling through spreadsheets, and one push of the primary index-finger scroll wheel sends it wheeling through long vertical pages with zero effort. It glides like a machete through a melon, but there's a button that enables more precise scrolling if needed. It usually lasts me three weeks, if not more, between charges. (And you can still use the mouse while it charges, unlike some other mice.)
$100 at Amazon
$100 at Walmart
$85 at Best Buy
$100 at Logitech
Photograph: Julian Chokkattu
A Leather Surface
Harber London Professional Leather Desk Mat
Skip the boring mouse pad and get a desk mat instead. I love leather desk mats and have used one from Harber London for years. I recently started testing the company's new Professional Leather Desk Mat, which oozes luxury more than ever. It has a rich pebbled design, is made from full-grain leather, and does a great job of staying put. I like how soft it feels, and it's easy to clean. You can choose between a few sizes and colors.
$181 at Harber London

Photograph: Simon Hill
For Upgraded Sound
Audioengine A2+
Not the kind of person to wear headphones? Get them a nice pair of computer speakers instead. If you're going to have to listen to their music blasting through crappy laptop speakers, you may as well upgrade the music quality. The Audioengine A2+ is our favorite after testing more than 20 computer speakers. They're compact enough for most desktops but push out some serious sound. Bass isn't going to wow you since there's no subwoofer (they can add one later on), but it's not a deal breaker. There are many ways to connect it—Bluetooth, USB, RCA, or 3.5-mm auxiliary.
$279 at Amazon
$279 at Walmart
$279 at Audioengine
Photograph: Kat Merck
A Huge Calendar
Jesse Itzler The Big A## Calendar 2025 (Dry Erase)
There are few better gifts for someone blurring the lines of home and work than helping them plan their days off in advance. The brainchild of high-energy entrepreneur and motivational speaker Jesse Itzler, the Big A## Calendar is one single 48 x 36-inch wipe-clean sheet—available in gray, pink, beige, or blue—that shows every single day of 2025 at a glance (with weekends highlighted). It comes with two fine-point Dry-Erase markers and five sheets of color-coded stick-on squares for demarking PTO, fitness plans, business goals, or anything that would make your giftee’s 2025 a year to remember.
Itzler is a proponent of making this event a misogi, a year-defining challenge that involves pushing oneself physically or mentally beyond one’s comfort zone. For the less motivated, I’ve found it’s useful for at least making sure I have meaningful vacations on the books lest I spend my precious weeks off doing chores and yardwork instead of relaxing by a pool somewhere. —Kat Merck
$50 at Jesse Itzler

Photograph: Julian Chokkattu
Upgrade Their Office Chair
Branch Ergonomic Chair Pro
Have they been sitting in a ripped-up chair that'll fall apart any day now? Swap it with the Branch Ergonomic Chair Pro. This is the step-up version of the Ergonomic Chair I've long recommended as a starting point for anyone hunting for a new office chair. I only recently switched to it, but I immediately like it a lot better and think it's worth the small premium over the base version.
This chair offers far more customizability than you'd expect, with options to change the seat depth, lumbar support, armrests, recline, and even seat tilt. And the seat itself is cushy. There's a headrest attachment option, but I don't think it's necessary. If they have to be at a desk for eight hours a day, it may as well be a good chair, and it helps that this one is pretty too.
$499 at Branch
Photograph: Secretlab
A Cushy Footrest
Secretlab Premium Footrest
You're supposed to keep your feet flat when you sit at a desk for your body's sake, but … go on, stretch those legs. No one's home to tattle on you (or your giftee). Better yet, put 'em up on Secretlab's memory foam footrest. The fabric is velvety soft, yet firm enough that your feet don't sink into it and it doesn't slide around too easily when you rest your feet on it. It does a great job repelling pet hair and doesn't take much effort to clean. I've had mine for more than two years and, while it could use a deep clean, it's still in great condition.
$79 at Secretlab

Photograph: Julian Chokkattu
For Hybrid Workers
Espresso Display 15 (Non-Touch)
There's been a big return-to-office mandate, but maybe your loved one only has to go in a few times a week. For hybrid workers, a portable monitor can be a godsend instead of trying to get everything done on a cramped laptop screen.
You can get good portable monitors for less, but the Espresso Display 15 is a statement piece and a great gift. This 15-inch 1,080p screen has an aluminum chassis, is very thin, and comes with a nice magnetic stand to which the monitor attaches (the stand can even be raised quite high). All they need to do is plug in the included USB-C cable to their device and voilà, two screens. Just make sure they have a laptop bag that can fit the screen and their laptop, as it could be a tight squeeze.
$299 at Espresso Displays
Photograph: Julian Chokkattu
A Beautiful Ultrawide Monitor
Alienware 32 4K QD-OLED Gaming Monitor (AW3225QF)
A monitor should be standard fare for any WFH setup, and you can find plenty of great affordable options in our Best Monitors guide. But if you want to gift your loved one something a little more spectacular, it's hard to beat Alienware's quantum-dot OLED curved monitor. This newer model has a 4K resolution, so they can enjoy catching shows in high fidelity after work hours (or during, shhh). Truly, what's even more fantastic is the OLED display. It gets plenty bright thanks to the quantum dot technology, but the blacks are brilliantly deep with stunning contrast, and colors pop off the screen. Whether or not your loved one is a gamer, this screen will wow them. (I kid you not, I said “Wow” the first time I booted up a video game on it.)
If you want to save hundreds of dollars, you can stick with the older model—this one's a bit wider and lacks the 4K resolution, but it retains a similarly excellent QD-OLED screen.
$1,200 at Best Buy
~~$1,200~~ $900 at Dell
$1,200 at Micro Center

Photograph: Julian Chokkattu
For the End of the Workday
Oakywood Dual Laptop Dock
Is their laptop always in the most random places around the house? Give them a place to stow it without taking up much surface space. This Oakywood wood dock looks handsome and has space to store two laptops vertically. There's felt lining on the inside of the grooves to keep the machine scuff-free, and the hefty design ensures the dock doesn't slide around too easily.
$90 at Amazon
$80 at Oakywood
Photograph: Branch
For Better Ergonomics
Branch Adjustable Laptop Stand
If your loved one predominantly works off a laptop, they need ways to elevate it for the most ergonomic typing experience. (Or you'll start hearing their wrists make weird cracking sounds.) Gift them a laptop stand. Branch's adjustable stand is versatile and doesn't look hideous. It can lift their screen up to 7 inches high, and there are many options to adjust the viewing angle. The base and arms are made from anodized aluminum and don't shift during use. It's best left on a desk rather than moving from room to room.
$65 at Branch
$65 at west elm

Photograph: Julian Chokkattu
Fiddler's Solace
Speks Supers 33-mm Magnet Balls
Who doesn't love a desk knickknack? And who doesn't love magnets? Put them together and out comes a fun little thing to fiddle with during Zoom meetings. These magnetic balls are a little large, but I like rolling them around in my palm. They make a somewhat noisy grating sound when the balls rub together (sorry), so if your giftee works within your vicinity, think carefully before you get them this accessory.
$16 at Amazon
$16 at Speks
Photograph: Julian Chokkattu
A Discreet Standing Desk
Branch Four Leg Standing Desk
Gifting someone else a desk is a tall order, let alone a standing desk (pun intended). But maybe your kiddo got a new job, or your nephew moved to a new city. A standing desk is far from a necessity, but it offers up more options so they can get the perfect height for their workstation, and it also lets them stretch their legs every so often.
I've been using Branch's Four Leg Standing Desk, and it's honestly hard to look at other standing desks now. Most desks have the same drab two-leg frame that screams standing desk, but this one is discreet and hides its standing functionality within the four telescoping legs. It's a gorgeous design, though the motors aren't the quietest.
$949 at Branch

Photograph: Julian Chokkattu
For a More Organized Office
Mustard Made Standard, Lowdown, and Midi Lockers
The metal flat-pack furniture from Mustard Made might take some time to assemble, because there are several pieces, but installation is simple. The reward of their labor is an adorable metal locker they can use to store all their work stuff. It also just elevates the look of a home office, especially if you choose the right color to accent the room's theme.
~~$559~~ $475 at Branch (Standard)
~~$389~~ $330 at Branch (Lowdown)
~~$439~~ $373 at Branch (Midi)
Photograph: Julian Chokkattu
Handy Dandy Stationery Storage
Most Modest Elin Desk Caddy
This powder-coated aluminum caddy is much bigger than I expected—make sure there's ample room on their desk for it (or in a cabinet). If your giftee likes to hoard pens and prefers to write down physical notes throughout the workday, this is a pretty way to store all of that stationery. The white oak handle is a nice touch and an easy way to tote it to another room. It's not the kind of thing I'd buy for myself at this high price, but it sure as heck makes a great gift.
~~$179~~ $152 at Branch
$189 at West Elm

Photograph: Julian Chokkattu
A Great Stocking Stuffer (for iPhone Owners)
Belkin iPhone Mount With MagSafe for MacBooks
Has your intended recipient complained about how crappy they look on video calls? (It's the shitty webcam, I swear!) If they have a recent iPhone and MacBook, they can use Apple's Continuity Camera feature, which turns iPhones into a high-quality wireless webcam. You can read more about how it works here, but they'll need a place to position the iPhone to get the most out of it. That's where Belkin's MagSafe mount comes in. It magnetically sticks to the back of MagSafe iPhones and works as a phone grip and kickstand. But pop out a loop and it can rest on top of MacBooks for perfect iPhone-as-webcam positioning. Nifty! There's another version specifically for Mac displays too.
~~$30~~ $25 at Amazon (MacBooks)
$30 at Apple (MacBooks)
~~$40~~ $31 at Amazon (Mac Displays)
$40 at Apple (Mac Displays)
Photograph: Julian Chokkattu
For Upgraded Zoom Calls
Logitech MX Brio
Alternatively, you can get them a better webcam too. I've used the MX Brio for nearly a year, and it's been excellent. The 4K resolution is sharp, and while most video calling apps are still stuck on 1,080p, I've cropped in on myself so that people don't see all the clutter in my office, and I still get a good-quality image. There's a privacy shutter for when it's not in use, and it plugs in via USB-C.
$200 at Amazon
$200 at Best Buy
$200 at B&H
$200 at Logitech

Photograph: Julian Chokkattu
So They Can Work Anywhere
Flexispot Adjustable Table With Wheels
If your favorite remote worker is the type that can't sit in one place to do some work, then they might enjoy this rollable table from Flexispot. They can roll it to the bed and slide the base under the frame to type away with the comfort of a mattress, roll it to the couch for working with The Office playing in the background, or use it as a standing desk to get the blood flowing. This table smoothly goes up and down via a lever and can get as high as 41 inches.
~~$100~~ $80 at Amazon
$100 at Flexispot

Julian Chokkattu is a senior reviews editor at WIRED, and has been covering personal technology and reviewing consumer products for nearly a decade. He specializes in smartphones, tablets, and smartwatches, and covers augmented and virtual reality devices, office chairs, electric scooters, home office equipment, and more. This is his sixth ... Read more

Senior Reviews Editor

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