List of favorite things: 100 questions for coworkers and a printable form
100 work-safe questions that tell you what a coworker would love. Plus a one-page form to print or paste, for gift exchanges, birthdays and new hires.
A list of favorite things is the simplest way to stop guessing at gifts. This favorite things questionnaire for coworkers gives you 100 questions about favorite things in ten categories, from coffee orders to small luxuries, all safe to send to the whole team. If you only need the essentials, skip to the 15-line form: it prints on one page and pastes into any doc, form or chat.
What a favorite things questionnaire is for at work
- Secret Santa and gift exchanges. Pass the form out when you draw names, so nobody ends up guessing with a scented candle.
- Birthdays and work anniversaries. Keep each person's answers with the team calendar, and the card comes with something they actually like.
- Boss's Day and thank-yous. A group gift for a manager is easier when someone already knows their coffee order and favorite author.
- Welcoming new hires. Ask on day one and have their favorite snack waiting at the end of week one.
- Spotlights and a team about-me page. A few answers make a quick profile for a newsletter, a slide or a shared doc.
For questions that get people talking rather than shopping, use our get to know you questions or the profile-style employee spotlight questions.
A printable list of favorite things: the 15-line gift form
Everything a gift buyer needs and nothing they don't. Sizes appear only as an optional t-shirt size, and the last line lets people rule things out.
Favorite things questionnaire
Every line is optional. Your answers go only to the person organizing gifts.
- Coffee or tea order
- Favorite snack or treat
- Favorite color
- Favorite restaurant or takeout
- A store or gift card you'd really use
- A hobby you'd love supplies for
- Favorite author, book genre or podcast
- A team, band or show you'd wear merch from
- A scent you love (candles, soap)
- A small luxury you'd never buy yourself
- Experiences or things?
- Allergies or foods to avoid
- T-shirt size (optional)
- How you like to be thanked (public, private, a treat)
- Please don't give me...
100 favorite things questions, by category
Ten categories of ten. Most are simple “What is your favorite…?” questions that take seconds to answer. Pick the ones that fit your team, or copy a whole category into your own form.
10 favorite things questions: snacks and treats
The fastest way to a good small gift.
- What's your favorite candy?
- Which salty snack can you never resist?
- What's your favorite chip flavor?
- Which cookie would you pick from a bakery case?
- Which snack do you always pack for a road trip?
- Which chocolate bar would you grab at the checkout?
- Which treat from your childhood do you still love?
- Which snack would you want in a care package?
- What's your favorite flavor of gum or mints?
- Which granola or snack bar do you actually like?
10 favorite things questions: coffee and tea orders
Get this one right and a coffee run becomes a thank-you.
- What's your exact coffee order?
- Do you drink coffee, tea, both or something else?
- Hot drinks or iced, all year round?
- Which café's coffee is worth a detour?
- Which tea: black, green, herbal or chai?
- Which coffee or tea flavor would you never drink?
- What's your favorite seasonal drink?
- Mug at your desk or a travel tumbler?
- Sparkling water, soda or juice?
- What's your afternoon pick-me-up?
10 favorite things questions: food
For team lunches, birthday treats and restaurant gift cards.
- What's your favorite cuisine?
- Which restaurant do you recommend most to friends?
- What's your favorite pizza topping?
- What do you cook or order when you need cheering up?
- Are there foods you can't or don't eat?
- What's your favorite fruit?
- Pancakes, eggs or a pastry for breakfast?
- How spicy do you like your food: mild, medium or extra hot?
- Which takeout spot knows your order by heart?
- What's your favorite sandwich?
For a whole meeting of food talk, try our food questions.
10 favorite things questions: desk and work style
Useful for welcome gifts and for knowing how someone likes to work.
- What's your favorite pen?
- What kind of notebook do you reach for first?
- Standing desk, regular desk or the couch?
- Real plants on your desk, fake ones or none?
- Are you sharpest in the morning, afternoon or evening?
- Music while you work, or silence?
- Over-ear headphones or earbuds?
- Which office supply do you always run out of?
- Thanked out loud, in a private note, or with a small treat?
- Which mug, photo or trinket makes your desk feel like yours?
10 favorite things questions: hobbies
Hobby supplies make some of the most personal gifts.
- How do you spend a free afternoon?
- Which hobby would you like to try next?
- What's your favorite outdoor activity?
- Crossword, jigsaw, sudoku or none of the above?
- What do you collect, even a little?
- What do you like to make with your hands?
- Which sport do you enjoy watching most?
- What's your favorite video game or phone game?
- Gardening, cooking, building or fixing: which do you enjoy most?
- What's your favorite thing to do on a rainy day?
10 favorite things questions: books
A book picked from these answers never feels generic.
- What's your favorite book of all time?
- Which genre do you read most?
- Paper books, e-reader or audiobooks?
- Who is your favorite author?
- Which book do you recommend most often?
- What are you reading right now?
- Which book did you read again and again growing up?
- True stories or made-up ones: which do you read more?
- Which book would you love a signed copy of?
- What's your favorite magazine or newsletter?
Lots of readers on the team? Our book club ideas turn those answers into a monthly habit.
10 favorite things questions: movies and music
Good for playlists, movie nights and the team's next debate.
- Which movie do you never get tired of rewatching?
- Which TV show have you rewatched the most?
- What's your favorite music genre?
- Which artist or band do you listen to most?
- What's your favorite song to sing along to?
- Comedy, drama, action or documentary: what do you pick for movie night?
- Which movie soundtrack do you love?
- What's your favorite podcast?
- Streaming at home or the movie theater?
- Which live show or artist would you love tickets to?
10 favorite things questions: places
For travel-themed gifts, team outings and small talk that goes somewhere.
- Which city would you happily visit again next month?
- Lake cabin, beach house or city hotel?
- What's your favorite local park or walk?
- Which place would you love a framed print or postcard of?
- Where do you like to work when it isn't the office?
- What's your favorite museum or gallery?
- What's your favorite lunch spot near the office?
- Where do you go to relax?
- Which drive or train ride is worth taking just for the view?
- Which store could you browse for hours?
10 favorite things questions: gifts and treats
The questions a gift buyer wishes they could ask out loud.
- Which color would you pick for a new notebook or mug?
- Which scent do you love in a candle or soap?
- Which store's gift card would you actually use?
- Experiences or things: which do you prefer as a gift?
- What's your favorite flower or plant?
- Which team's merch would you wear?
- Which small desk gift would make you smile on a Monday?
- Handwritten card or a quick message: which means more to you?
- What would you love to get but never buy for yourself?
- Which brand are you loyal to?
10 favorite things questions: small luxuries
Little upgrades that feel like a treat without being a big deal.
- How do you treat yourself after a long week?
- Which cozy item gets you through winter?
- Fancy pen, fancy notebook or fancy mug?
- Which tech gadget do you use every day?
- Which sweet treat feels like a real splurge?
- What's your favorite thing to get delivered?
- What's your favorite fancy drink without alcohol?
- Which subscription would you never give up?
- Which everyday item would you love a much nicer version of?
- Which tiny upgrade would make your commute better?
How to run it without making anyone feel watched
A favorite things list is personal information, even when it is only about snacks. Treat it that way.
- Make it optional, every line. Say so at the top of the form. Blank answers are fine and need no explanation.
- Collect answers privately. Use a form or a sealed envelope, not a reply-all thread or a public channel.
- Decide who sees them, and say it. Usually the organizer of the gift exchange or the person who handles team birthdays, and nobody else.
- Use them quietly. A gift that matches someone's answer is a nice surprise. Reading their answers aloud in a meeting is not.
- Check allergies before any food gift. And respect the "please don't give me" line even if you think they'd love it.
- Refresh once a year, delete when people leave. Tastes change. Ask again each January, and remove the answers of anyone who moves on.
Want to turn the answers into a game instead? Our how well do you know me questions make a quiz out of them, and people love finding out who guessed their coffee order.
Gifts that use the answers
Once you know what people like, the gift is the easy part.
- Corporate gift boxes: curated boxes shipped to every address, with multi-address shipping for remote teams.
- Employee appreciation gifts: for project wins, promotions and everyday contributions, with a personal message inside.
- Corporate holiday gifts: chocolate gift boxes and collections from $22 to $432, shipped to every home or office with your note inside.
- Secret Santa generator: draw names for free, then pass each Secret Santa only the answers of the person they drew.
Our gift catalog is built around chocolate, so check the allergies line first. Branded or 100+ gift orders need 4 to 6 weeks; smaller unbranded orders about 2 to 3 weeks, and December dates fill first. For more ideas by budget, see our gift exchange ideas, or get a free quote for a team gift or event.
