By on November 28, 2019

Bluetooth speakers, power banks, gift vouchers that let you decide what to buy: proven ideas for practical gifts to suit virtually everyone. But is ‘practical’ really what you’re looking for in the most festive of all months? A present that gets plugged into a USB port or regifted to a family member? I’m betting on no. In this blog, you can read how to use the Cyber Monday sales to truly surprise your employees. You’ll reap double benefits by doing that little bit extra for your employees: happy staff means happy customers.

1 .The Art of Screen Time

These days, many people spend more time with screens than with a book. And this book is all about finding a healthy balance. Have there even been any studies that actually have something sensible to say about the impact of screen time? Providing answers to questions like this makes The Art of Screen Time a useful source of inspiration for employees who want to have a healthy relationship with their screens. And healthy employees are more productive.

2. Instax

Everything used to be better and, apparently, photos looked a lot better too. Otherwise why would people post their road trip across the USA, juicy steaks and cute pets on Instagram, using filters to improve the look? With an Instax camera you can bring such effects back into the real world. Take the shot, shake the print and in a few minutes you have a lovely new photo. If it works, that is… (Disclaimer: shaking photos actually isn’t such a great idea. It’s a better idea to let the print develop in the dark.)

3. Raspberry Pi

We admit the Raspberry Pi has by now become almost a cliché. Nonetheless, it is still a great must-have. You can do almost anything you want with it. Use a Pi as a thermostat? Check. A replacement for your PC? Check. To control an actual robot? Check. In fact, the only limit is your employees’ imagination. And with a bit of luck, a Pi will set that imagination in motion.

4. PC Building Simulator

Usually, building your ultimate gaming rig (as a proper gaming PC is called by PC fans) is not cheap. A decent video card alone costs a lot of money. What’s more, once you’ve put together a fantastic PC for 1000, it’s a real pity to use it with your old screen. As I said, building a PC is expensive. With PC Building Simulator people can practice the process to their heart’s content, although you need to be sure the recipient of this gift will appreciate its joke value…

5. PowerCube

Secretly a bit practical but still a great gift: the PowerCube. The PowerCube is a multifunctional power strip that is easy to attach onto or under a desk, or other handy spot. It has USB ports and its shape means it takes up very little space. If you want to spend a little more, you can go for the AudioCube. A power strip with speakers. Great for on holiday, for example. Additional sockets for your devices and a music player always within reach.

6. Blue-light-blocking glasses

Working in an office means it’s unavoidable: you have to look at a screen sometimes. Especially in the evenings, exposure to blue light hampers healthy sleep and falling asleep quickly (although scientists sometimes have differing opinions). Glasses with a blue-light filter are a solution. If your employees also take their glasses home, perhaps the impact of a nightly hour or two of World of Warcraft Classic will be reduced. And they’ll turn up at the service desk in the morning, fit and refreshed.

7. YubiKey

With the YubiKey you can make your devices and accounts even more secure, simply and easily. Although this advanced must-have communicates with your smartphone via NFC, you can also connect it to your laptop to use the internet securely. With two-factor authentication, for example, you can only access your Gmail account after entering the right password and connecting the YubiKey to your laptop. Your security-savvy employees, in particular, will be impressed by this security key.