A simple gift can speak volumes when you want to acknowledge, maintain, or strengthen a professional relationship. The gesture of gifting shows thoughtfulness, consideration, and appreciation, especially if that gift can be incorporated into a daily routine, or make the recipient’s average day exceptional.

Whether you are acknowledging the diligent dedication of your employees, or showing appreciation for a strategic work connection, gifting demonstrates personal investment in a relationship.

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Here are seven professional gift ideas that are thoughtful, practical, and memorable at the same time:

1. A bottle of wine or spirits: Wine is an excellent gift to express appreciation for an important relationship. The personality of a particular vintage, from label design, to the richness of color, to the complexity of the finish, offer authentic acknowledgment with discerning class. Likewise with spirits, such as a single-malt scotch, a traditional—but far from tired—offering. Be sensitive, however, to whether the person imbibes before selecting this type of gift.
2. A delivery of fresh fruit, flowers, or chocolate: Interruptions during the workday are a given, but who wouldn’t appreciate taking a moment to accept an aromatic or flavorful delivery? These tradition, but classic gifts are surefire winners. They cheer people up and help them power them through the rest of their day.
3. An experience: Not every gift has to come in a box. Many people prefer to do things rather than get things. Give a stressed-out coworker a certificate for a manicure, or give a busy colleague tickets to the movies so he or she can spend a fun night with a loved one. You could also give the gift of time. If you’re the boss, let your employee take an afternoon off. You could also offer your own time to that coworker who’s been begging you to train them on a new program.
4. A donation to a worthy cause: Gifting to a charity, political cause, or philanthropic organization that the person values shows you share a commitment to a cause or issue that may touch them very deeply. Give in the person's name to add a personalized touch and ensure they'll get an acknowledgement directly from the organization.
5. A travel mug: It may sound boring, but a travel mug can be a cool way to tip your hat to the hard work of a colleague, employee, or vendor. This is an especially perfect gift for anyone who spends a great deal of time on the road. They are sacrificing time that could be spent in the comfort of their home or office, or that could be spent with loved ones. If you want to go the extra mile, pun intended, spend a little more and invest in one of the very stylish, new insulated travel mugs. There are so many on the market now, that they’ve become a bit of a conversation piece.
6. A book that is personally meaningful to you: Perhaps there is a piece of literature that is your “tipping point,” a book that represents a lesson or insight that has been especially valuable to your career or personal development. Sharing the gift of a favorite book with a colleague for the purpose of inspiring their further success shows that you care, not only about them, but about their future as well.
7. A personalized item: There is an array of gifts that, while thoughtful in their own right, can also be customized to add that extra personal touch. Gifts such as pens, stationery, frames, ink stamps, and paperweights are customizable, whether it’s full name, monogram, or family crest.

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It goes without saying, but always consider a recipient’s cultural differences when brainstorming professional gift ideas; appropriate holiday gifts for coworkers show that your firm has taste, class, and manners. Something your connections will remember while laying their plans for the New Year.

In a corporate environment, you might feel your creativity for motivating your team members is limited to kind words and small incentives. Traditional motivators include such things as gift cards and corporate swag like coffee cups and pencil holders. Larger incentives on the other hand, such as promotions and bonuses, tend to be in short supply. Here are some out-of-the-box incentives to offer your team members.

Parking

In the corporate world, especially in a heavily populated city, parking is a coveted perk in an office building. Whether you offer free parking, paid parking options, or assigned parking, there are several options you can offer to your workers as an incentive for top performances. A month of free parking? An assigned spot nearest the door? Covered parking options? These offer great appeal to many employees and can definitely be a motivator.

Split Schedule

Allowing a person to leave mid-afternoon to work from home for the rest of the day can be a tremendous reward. Often times a break from the monotony of the same schedule day in and day out is a bonus in and of itself. Allowing an employee to leave early so they can greet the kids as they get home from school, run errands, or even beat the traffic on a Friday can be especially appealing.

Personalized Gifts

A lot of employees appreciate a kind word from their boss, along with a small token such as a gift card, but you can always be a bit more creative. Instead of giving a generic gift card for something such as coffee, personalize it for that individual employee. Do they enjoy sports? Video games? A great non-fiction book? When you tailor a gift for an employee they will likely appreciate it more; even more importantly, they will take into account that you took an extra step for them, that you care and pay attention to their interests.