Comfortably Productive

Office Toys – Fun Office Gifts for Employee Motivation, Rewards and Recognition

Motivating and retaining your best employees is often best achieved through the use of an employee recognition program with rewards that can include gifts such fun office toys and desk décor to “lighten their load” during the day and show them that you care.  Your employees work hard – and while recognizing their efforts with a plaque or other award is a thoughtful gesture, why not consider a fun gift that expresses your humorous side (and that will always be well-received)?

Saying “You’re Appreciated” in a Cool Way

Gone are the days of gift certificates for the Jelly of the Month Club.  Today’s brightest and most talented employees are looking for something more unique.  Other than cold hard cash, these fun and innovative employee gifts will be sure to get you voted Best Boss in no time.  Consider this type of gift as an investment in keeping your best employees happy; happy employees are hard-working employees.

The Best Employee Rewards

One of the best companies around has an innovative way to keep their employees “positive”.  When a supervisor hears a positive statement, the employee chooses a gift from the positive “vibes” box.  Positivity rubs off, and so does being negative. In fact, employees who are constantly negative can actually spread negativity around just like a virus.  Having small rewards for positive thinking and positive actions helps to keep everyone motivated and happy. Motivate your employees without cracking the whip (and encourage positive actions) with these fun and enjoyable gift ideas:

• Derringer rubber band gun – perfect for the secretary who likes to play Rambo or for putting stray workers into their rightful “place”.  Each supervisor should have their own Derringer rubber band gun to enforce The Office “rules” with a sense of play.
• Grow a Geek – you’ve seen Sea Monkeys – now there’s Grow a Geek. Simply place this sweet little nerd into water and watch him grow.  His Momma would be so proud – and all women love geeks – even if they don’t admit it.
• Something Somewhere Went Terribly Wrong Tee – this funny shirt shows what Darwin never expected…show your funny take on evolution with this wacky tee.
• Floating Pendulous Pen Stationary Set & Clock – a pen that floats? This far-out gift set is entertaining, handy, and a great conversation starter.
• Desktop Water Dispenser – a scaled-down water cooler style dispenser. Perfect for keeping up to a half gallon of liquid on tap and ready.
• Desktop Aquarium – with a small desktop footprint, this Office Aquarium provides hours of distraction.  Life-like fish are included – you never have to feed ‘em or clean up their “droppings”.
• Can of Whoop A$$ – just pop the top and you’ll hear the old taunt “you just opened a can of…!”  Makes a perfect gag gift.
• Photo Rubik’s Cube – just like the 80s toy phenomenon, this cube scrambles six favorite photos for hours of descrambling fun.
• Bernie Madoff’s Head – thousands of investors have been demanding it, and now it’s here. Bernie Madoff’s head – you can even put it on a platter for effect.  This stress reliever toy will certainly bring a lot of laughs and provides a unique outlet for general workplace stress.
• Chill Pills – employees stressing too much? Hand out these candy chill pills to get the whole room to relax.
• Bug Out Bob Stress Reliever – squeeze Bob until his brains pop out; don’t worry, he’s very flexible and you won’t hurt him (too bad anyway).
• Notice: Problems Next Office Sign – point them in the right direction, no questions asked with this fun sign that directs all the problems away from you!

Appreciating your employees for their valuable contribution to the company and rewarding them accordingly doesn’t have to drain your company’s treasure box. You can express your appreciation and motivate them to do more by giving them fun office toys they’ll love to have sitting on their desks.

About the Author

Susan Campbell is a freelance writer and collector of fun office toys based in the East Central United States.

The Office Desk – mini tour

La Crosse Technology WS-9160U-IT Digital Thermometer with Indoor/Outdoor Temperature The WS-9160TWC-IT wireless thermometer monitors outdoor and indoor temperatures in a sleek easy-to-read case, and transmits outside temperature up to 330 feet. The LCD receiver has a hanging hole and foldout stand for display options, and includes 12/24 time and Fahrenheit/Celsius temperature options. 2 AAA and 2 AA alkaline batteries required (not included). Receiver measures approximately 3-1/3 …

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