With the easing of safe distancing measures (again), up to 50% of employees are allowed to be in the office at any point in time now.
Having worked from home for a good part of nearly one and a half years, some employees might need a re-adjustment period when transiting back to working in the office. For businesses, making the transition smoother has productivity and morale benefits. This is also sorely needed after multiple false starts in the past, where we have backtracked from various easing measures.
Here are some gift ideas (at different price points) that employers can consider for employees as they progressively return to the office.
Read Also: 7 Uniquely Singapore Care Packages Companies Can Send To Employees And Clients
#1 Multifunctional Phone UV Sanitiser
Price: $49.98 on Shopee excluding delivery fee, currently on sale
Mobile phones are the perfect breeding ground for bacteria and germs. According to a group of scientists at the University of Arizona, mobile phones are found to be 10 times dirtier compared to most toilet seats. What better way to welcome your employees back to the office than by prioritising their health?
Equipped with ultraviolet lamps at the inner sides, the Lexuma XGerm can effectively eliminate 99.9% of bacteria on your employee’s mobile devices within 10 minutes. The UV sanitiser also boasts other features such as aromatic sterilising and wireless charging.
With an inner capacity of 180 x 100 x 32mm, the XGerm sanitiser is compatible with most of the smartphone models that are up to 6.5 inches in size. Apart from sterilising mobile devices, employees can also use it to sterilise other items such as jewellery, car keys, glasses etc.
#2 Bootstrap Coffee Mix Pack
Price: $35 for a box of 6 bottles
Businesses with employees who are coffee lovers can purchase Bootstrap’s Mix Pack. The pack comes with an assortment of 6 cold brew flavours – Black Coffee, Oat Milk Coffee, Strong Coffee, Milk & Manuka Honey Coffee, Rooibos Orange Tea, and Hojicha Tea.
Available for delivery on weekdays (excluding PH) at two time slots: 12.30pm to 6.30pm (OR) 7pm to 10pm, Bootstrap coffee is great for afternoon meetings or a midday perk-me-up.
Bootstrap’s cold brew has a refrigerated shelf-life of between 12 to 30 days (depending on the flavour) so employees can have the option to leave their cold brews in the office or bring them home for their family and friends.
#3 Lumbar Spinal Support Cushion
Price: $27.90 on Shopee excluding delivery fee, currently on sale
Employees spend most of their time sitting in front of their desks. Having good back support could improve their sitting posture, relieve strain on their backs and possibly, lead to increased work productivity.
Suitable for both older and younger employees (you’ll be surprised at the slew of back problems some young people have), the lumbar spinal support helps to reduce pressure on your employee’s tailbone and hips. Other notable features of the product include it being sweat proof and adjustable (0-10cm).
The product comes with 1 month’s local warranty.
#4 MealPal Subscription
Price: $19 (3 meal trial); $99 (12 meal lunch)
The way to an employee’s heart is through their stomachs. MealPal offers lunch and dinner subscriptions from their extensive list of restaurants and hawker stalls for as little as $5 per meal. The platform works just like Classpass where subscribers can purchase a pack of credits to reserve meals. Meals costs between 2 and 12 credits, depending on the retail price of the meal. The platform is currently offering a trial package of 25 credits for $19 which automatically renews to the “12 Meal Lunch” plan that consists of 75 credits for $99 after the end of the trial plan.
Subscribers will have to place their order a day before with a preferred collection time via the MealPal app and proceed to the restaurant / hawker stall to collect their meal at the designated time the following day.
The options for employees to grab their meals are now restricted. For them to continue eating in their social circles, they will need to go to restaurants. Unvaccinated team mates will not be allowed to join them. If they all go to coffeeshops and hawker centres, they can only dine in up to groups of two people.
With MealPal’s 1-week trial plan (at $19), employees will be treated to good food while also avoiding snake-like queues as office crowds reappear.
#5 Reversible Bipolar Octopus Plush
Price: From $2.99 on Shopee excluding delivery fee, currently on sale
With everyone masked up in the office, it’s a task for some employees to determine the mood of their colleagues. The bipolar octopus plush is an affordable, fun and quirky gift that comes in an assortment of colours so each employee can “indicate” whether they’re in a “happy to chat” or “leave me be” mood.
Read Also: 4 Ways Bosses Can Support Their Employees’ Mental Well-Being While Working Remotely
While meant to be fun, employers should keep a lookout for employees who display the “upset octopus” for a prolonged period of time as it might be an indicator that they are having trouble adjusting back to life in the office (or it could be a case of them forgetting to flip their octopus inside-out).
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