Buying a gift for a colleague in the Netherlands
Most people only start looking once the day is almost there. Someone is leaving, there is a birthday, or the team wants to show appreciation after a heavy stretch. Then you want to find something quickly without ending up in the generic corner. We sort everything by what actually matters at work: the moment, the person and the amount.
New to Dutch office culture?
A few things surprise newcomers. Amounts are modest on purpose: two to five euros per person for a birthday, five to ten for a farewell. Colleagues almost always chip in together rather than giving separately, and one person buys on behalf of everyone. The card matters as much as the present, and everybody writes their own line on it. Nobody is impressed by overspending; being thoughtful counts for far more.
When someone leaves
A farewell is the hardest one to get right. You want to capture years of working together in a single gesture. Point to an inside joke, a habit or a project you enjoyed together. A personal farewell gift with a signed card stays on a desk for years, while an expensive but storyless present is forgotten within a week. Read our complete farewell gift guide for ideas, amounts and what to write on the card.
What we do not do
No standard mug, no anonymous voucher, no petrol-station flowers. Our curator Fleur judges every find with one question: would this make you smile when you unwrap it? Whatever fails that test gets removed. That leaves you with a short list of good ideas instead of endless scrolling. Browse the complete guide, the usual amounts or take the gift quiz.