Is Your Workplace Ready for the Holiday Season?

On our minds

It's hard to believe we've made it to the end of another year, and the second quarter of the 21st century is on our doorstep!  It's a great time to think about ways to make the day-to-day work experience happier and healthier for our selves and others. From books to desks, from finding cozy corners to staying cool despite global warming, we've got some ideas for spreading cheer, or a little self-indulgence.

We’ve long touted the benefits to working outside and have some thoughts on adapting our work to outdoor settings, but with a sunrise alarm clock, “outside” starts before you even get out of bed. These clocks emit a slowly brightening light before the alarm goes off, to simulate starting your day with the sunrise—a biological wiring that may help you tackle morning grogginess. This clock may help with jet lag and seasonal affective disorder and may even lower the risk of heart-attacks. Gift it to yourself or a loved one who needs a (gentle) jolt to make it to their caffeine jolt.

Live in an urban hub or know a remote worker who does? Gift them an entire garden, or at lease year long access. For example, at the New York Botanical Garden or the Brooklyn Botanic Garden, members enjoy exclusive access, special events, and discounts at restaurants. There’s an onsite cafe for remote work, in addition to secluded nooks in the garden for working outside.

Speaking of gardens, the book Nurturing Nature makes gardening accessible to anyone, including folks with special needs. Gift it to the budding gardner in your life. And you can support public outdoor spaces by purchasing merch from the Parks Project.

A DIY greenhouse can serve double-duty as a growing and workspace in cooler climates, provided you watch out for the combo of humidity and electrical equipment. (Just bring it with you and pack it out, like hiking!) The folks at The Spruce listed some of their top picks.

It's never too soon to start planning for springtime, get set for work outdoors with picnic tables, an umbrella (better yet, make it autotilt!), a tailgating tent, and a light-shielding scrim or retractable screen can be used to create the perfect outdoor office.

Don’t forget portable accessories. Gift your favorite remote or hybrid worker a laptop power bank, a laptop screen shade, and a compact chair (this Reddit thread has some great options).

Best of Both Worlds: Portable & Sustainable

The Chairigami Cardboard Lab Desk is a lightweight but sturdy option for portable use, from a company focused on creating furniture that is both sustainable and recyclable. (It gets bonus points for being founded by a friend of a PLASTARC team member.)

Bike to work or know someone who does? Litlok makes some of the lightest, high-security locks on the market. This lock is a favorite of a PLASTARC team member who has had multiple U-locks cut in the past.

Finally, keep your friends and family hydrated with a customizable water bottle with flavor cartridges.

Make It Multisensory

It’s common knowledge that we love anything that appeals to our senses here at PLASTARC, so here are some gifts that fit the bill.

Have a loved-one who sees the world differently, in the most literal sense? People rave over Enchroma glasses, which filter light in a way that allows those with red-green colorblindness to see a wider range of hues.

Know someone who needs a break from their smartphone/social media? Reduce distractions with the Light Phone, which allows you to call, text, take photos, play music, and listen to podcasts—but it doesn’t let you browse the internet.

Ever held a perfectly-shaped river rock in your palm and admired how smooth and cool it is? Here’s the deluxe version — an octopus paperweight, repurposed for the digital age as a “palm cooler” (which is a throwback to the porcelain eggs ladies used during the 18th and 19th centuries to cool their clammy hands).

Know someone who needs an adult fidget spinner? What about a wearable device that uses calming vibrations to reduce anxiety?

Let’s Get Heady

The New York Historical Society has a great exhibit on Robert Caro’s The Power Broker, a long-celebrated simultaneous biography of Robert Moses and New York. If there’s an urban planner, designer, or historian in your life, gift them tickets and the book.

Want to get even headier? These amazing headphones track your brain signals to let you know when you’re most focused and when you need to take a break.

Philanthropic Presents

We love these nonprofits: Storefront for Art & Architecture, the Project for Public Spaces, and the Center for Active Design.

For Home & Office, Especially if They’re One & the Same

Is there a cat lady (of any gender) in your life? Need a gift for the coworker you’re always joking with? Know anyone who thinks the apocalypse is upon us? Send them an emotional support pickle, to ease the path through the pickles of life.

Need a gift to encourage levity and playfulness when work gets stressful? What about an ergonomic footrest to make hours at a computer more comfortable? This smart notebook allows you to save paper and take uploadable notes by hand, while this interactive desktop sculpture is both stylish and fun.

And remember, as fun as stimulating our market economy can be, don’t underestimate the power of the gift of time — with your loved ones or in support of your wider community this holiday season. This podcast is a reminder that even a brief gift of time, spent on a stranger, can have a huge impact.

From the archives

In past gift guides, we’ve focused on items under $500 that could make your workplace better, recommended TSA pre-screening (especially for those who have frequent cross-continent commutes!), suggested noise generators and tech toys to help with relaxation and focus and teach STEM skills, thought locally and globally, and suggested bag-organizers, productivity apps, and an old school pen-and-paper planner. There’s just something about actually writing it down that seems to make it all “stick.”

Need a soundtrack for all that shopping and wrapping? NPR’s Tiny Desk put together a collection of their favorite holiday sessions. It’s got everything from the Latin-flavored stylings of Los Lobos, to the sazerac-soaked, slow-swingin’ of Preservation Hall Jazz Band and The LeeVees humorous take on how much “Hanukkah Rocks.”