A Goodbye to Remember: Farewell Gifts to Give in Singapore
It’s not easy to say goodbye to our colleagues. After all, we’ve spent a great deal of time every day working together, so we’ve become close enough that we’ll miss them once they leave.
But even though seeing our colleagues leave is a sad affair, one thing we can do for them is to give them a goodbye to remember. To do that, we need to give them farewell gifts that are memorable and from the heart.
If you’re struggling to come up with ideas, this article has some recommendations on what you can give as a farewell gift to your colleagues in Singapore.
Personalized Passport Cover and Luggage Tag
If your colleague is an avid traveler, then one of the best gifts you can give them is a passport cover. They’ll be using their passport a lot, so a cover will protect the passport from accidental rips or spillage; how useful!
I also recommend giving a luggage tag together with the passport holder. A tag will be helpful in making their luggage stand out, so no more picking up the wrong one during baggage claim.
To make your travel bundle gift for them even more special, you should customize them. Maybe you can have their name or initials monogrammed, or you can commission a custom art on the passport cover or luggage tag.
Personalized Mug
Mugs are probably some of the most overused gift ideas, but there’s a reason for that: we use mugs every day to drink our coffee or tea. So, if you don’t know what to give your colleague, a mug is a safe and practical choice.
To make your gift stand out, why not customize it according to your colleague’s preference? Maybe get one with their name or one in their favorite color.
You might also consider getting a funny mug, a.k.a. a mug with a cheeky quote or with an outlandish design. I once received a mug shaped like Santa Claus—complete with the beard too!—so I’m sure there are other ones just like that out there.
Personalized Wireless Phone Charger
A wireless phone charger is an essential that not a lot of people have (simply because most phones come with a wired charger). Because of this, it makes for a perfect gift for just about anyone!
If your colleague doesn’t have one yet, you should give them this as a gift. It will be helpful when they’re at work or traveling because having a wireless phone charger is convenient.
Don’t forget about personalizing the wireless charger! Your colleague’s name in curlicue font on the charger will do.
Personalized Laptop Bag
Laptops are a necessity in our professional life, and just like any other professional, your colleague most likely has one. So, giving them a laptop bag as a farewell is a pretty good idea.
Make sure to find a laptop bag that fits your colleague’s laptop. If you don’t know its size, you can go with the 15-inch bags, which are big enough to fit any size.
Additionally, don’t forget to customize it so that your colleague will know that this bag is only meant for them.
Thermal Flask
Everyone needs to hydrate, so a metallic flask is a thoughtful gift for your colleague. A metallic flask is essentially a better version of a water bottle; it’s usually bigger, and since it’s made of metal, it can keep your drink cold or hot for a longer time.
HydroFlask is one of the most well-known brands, so perhaps you can buy that for your colleague. This brand can get very costly, though, so feel free to find cheaper alternatives; Shopee might have options for you.
Fountain Pen with Name Engraving
If you want to give a fancy gift to your colleague, you can’t get fancier than a fountain pen with their name engraved.
Fountain pens are noted for their stylish looks—usually featuring gold or silver accents—and with pen nibs that are reminiscent of pre-20th century pens. Writing using a fountain pen feels smooth and luxurious; it also makes your handwriting look great.
If you give your colleague a personalized fountain pen, they’ll feel fancy whenever they have to write something in their notebook or even when they have to sign documents.
Smart Backpack
A smart backpack is just another term for a backpack with a lot of space and compartments so you can put in as many items as possible. It’s a product that’s gotten a lot of hype these days, so it makes sense for it to be a farewell gift for your colleague.
What makes smart backpacks great—aside from how spacious and practical they are—is that they look aesthetically pleasing. Many brands opt for a clean, minimalist design, so the backpack matches well with any of your outfits.
Packing Cubes
Aside from a smart backpack, another cool, practical, travel-related gift is a packing cube. If you don’t know, a packing cube features a compression zipper that condenses clothing, thus saving more space and allowing you to pack more.
I highly recommend giving more than one packing cube to your colleague; four should do the trick. This way, they can pack everything they need even if their suitcase is a carry-on; having multiple cubes should also allow them to organize clothes efficiently.
Portable Coffee Maker
Is your colleague a big fan of coffee? Then, you might want to give them a portable coffee maker before they leave your workplace for good.
What makes a portable coffee maker the best gift for coffee lovers is that it has the essential features of a bulky coffee machine, but at the same time, it’s compact enough that you can bring it with you when traveling.
In other words, if you give your colleague a portable coffee maker, they can brew a cup whenever they want. Then, once they’re done, they can easily clean the stainless steel mesh inside the coffee maker and let it dry until they have to brew coffee again.
Tea Set
Instead of coffee, maybe your colleague prefers tea. If that’s the case, the ideal gift is a tea set, which includes a teacup, teapot, and perhaps a saucer and a tiny spoon for your cup.
There are many stores that sell tea sets. I recommend checking out vintage stores or small independent shops; you’re most likely going to find the most unique and creative tea sets there.
To make your gift stand out, you should include a few packets or tins of flavored teas. TWG Tea is one of the most popular brands, and the Singapore Breakfast Tea is their bestseller; if you’re looking for recommendations, you can’t go wrong with that.
Bottle of Liquor
If you can afford to splurge, you might want to consider gifting your colleague with a bottle of great wine. You can even give them a bottle of champagne if you’re up for it!
Once your colleague has sent in their last day and is now officially leaving your workplace, they can pop the bottle open as a way to celebrate the end of a chapter and the beginning of another one.
Memory Book
If you’re a crafty person and you’re good friends with your colleague, maybe you’d like to create a gift for them instead of buying one. One gift idea you should try is making a memory book.
Basically, a memory book is a scrapbook or an album filled with photos of your colleague-slash-friend’s best memories before their resignation.
You can get creative with this; maybe you can draw or add your personal notes to the photos to make the book more special.
Scratch Maps
For your colleague who wishes to travel all around the world, a scratch map sounds like the perfect gift. As the name suggests, a scratch map allows you to scratch off a country that you’ve already visited, so you’ll get an idea of where to travel next.
Aside from being a method of tracking places you’ve visited and yet to visit, a scratch map also works as a home decor piece. When guests see it, you can launch on a storytime, telling them all about your awesome adventures.
Wall Art or Print
A wall art is another perfect example of a “last-resort gift idea.” After all, who doesn’t want a gorgeous piece of art that they can hang on their walls, effectively beautifying the room more?
If you choose this gift idea for your colleague, make sure to choose an artwork featuring a subject matter that they actually like. For example, if they love nature, a landscape painting of nature is your best bet.
If they have a favorite artist, then you might want to consider buying one of their works. Your colleague will undoubtedly be touched by this gesture.
Puzzles
Solving puzzles, especially the jigsaw variety, is a niche activity, but it’s definitely fun. More than that, it’s a great way to unwind after a long day because it clears your mind of any thoughts and forces you to focus on the puzzle.
And, of course, who doesn’t feel a sense of accomplishment once they put in the last puzzle piece—especially if the puzzle has a thousand pieces?
With that said, you might consider giving a jigsaw puzzle to your colleague. Even if they’re not a big puzzle lover, they now have a wholesome activity to do on the weekends.
Video Games and/or Accessories
If your colleague loves to play video games, then you’re in luck because this gives you a lot of gift ideas.
On the one hand, you can give them a game that they’ve always wanted to buy but never got the chance to. And on the other hand, you can gift them game accessories; maybe a limited edition controller or a bag for their portable consoles.
Just make sure to ask what console they prefer to play in. The last thing you want to happen is buying a game for Xbox when your colleague actually likes to game using the PlayStation or a Nintendo console.
E-Reader
For colleagues who are avid bookworms, an e-reader may seem like the perfect gift. Sure, nothing beats the feel and scent of physical books, but they can be too unwieldy to carry around; so, the solution to this issue is having an e-reader.
With an e-reader, your colleague can carry multiple books without the burden of their weight. In fact, e-readers can accommodate thousands of books—that’s an entire library in one small device!
Kindle is the most popular brand of e-readers, but there are other options as well, such as Kobo, Nook, Boox, and more.
Instant Camera
All of us mostly use our phones to take photos of special moments, but there’s just something unique and special about using an actual camera. Luckily, in this day and age, instant cameras are a thing, and they’re a perfect gift for anyone!
With an instant camera, your colleague can capture breathtaking landscapes and adorable selfies, and the physical photos get printed out instantly. Their photo album back home will be filled cover to cover in no time!
Scented Candles
Scented candles may seem like a simple gift, but they’re amazing. The right scented candle can transform the vibes of a room or calm down one’s nerves; not to mention, they smell lovely!
So, if you’re stumped on what to give your colleague, a scented candle—or two—is a good idea. You can choose popular scents like vanilla or lavender, but there are also unique ones like gingerbread or cheese-scented candles; the options are endless!
House Plants
During the pandemic, a lot of people turned to gardening, so if your colleague is one of them, a new house plant may be the perfect gift for them.
There are many kinds of house plants to choose from, and there are also many factors to consider when buying plants (e.g. the size of the house and how much sunlight a plant requires). So, if you’re new to this, you should ask your colleague what they want.
Some of the most popular house plants are the snake plant, peace lily, and bamboo palm.
Scalp Massager
A scalp massager may not seem like much, but it’s a mighty weapon. Using it increases blood circulation, which will then help ease stress and tension—a handy tool for a professional in a demanding, fast-paced environment!
You don’t really see people gifting their co-worker with a scalp massager, but your colleague might appreciate the gesture. They might even start using it every day after work, and only then will they realize how great this little tool actually is.
Bath Bombs
Bath bombs are another great example of a simple yet practical gift. Assuming that your colleague has a bathtub at home, they’ll be able to use your gift immediately, and doing so will also improve their mood because bath bombs smell great.
It’s also so easy to find bath bombs because stores always have a healthy stock of them. You can also shop for them online if you can’t find the time to go to a physical store.
Voucher to a Fancy Restaurant
Since you won’t be seeing your colleague every day anymore, why not treat them to a fancy restaurant as their last hurrah? To make things extra special, be sure to choose the restaurant that they’ve always wanted to try!
Ideally, it would be great if you could dine together in this fancy restaurant, but if your schedules don’t permit it, you can always give them a voucher that they can use in the future.
Fully Body Massage
When was the last time that your colleague got a full-body massage? If they can’t give an answer, then it’s time to bring them to a spa and treat them to a massage that they deserve!
A massage will soothe down all those tense muscles that they don’t know they have. For the best results, make sure the massage is long, like three hours perhaps; that way, every muscle gets the special treatment.
After this session, they’ll feel refreshed and rejuvenated. They’ll feel ready to start their new life in a new workplace!