Work flowers: what to send a workmate, manager or team
Birthday cake in the lunch room is easy. Flowers are trickier: who pays, who signs, do they go to the office or the house, and is this the sort of occasion that wants something quiet? Here is a plain-speaking guide for Australian workplaces, one situation at a time.
One rule covers most cases: match the flowers to the mood. Birthdays and promotions can be bright and cheerful, a farewell should feel generous, while sick leave or a death in the family calls for something calm, sent somewhere private. The table below sets out each occasion, followed by cards that fit.
Occasion by occasion
| Occasion | Flowers that work | Size | Send to |
|---|---|---|---|
| Big birthday | Cheerful mix of gerberas, roses and tulips, ideally in a colour they love. | Mid-size bunch | Office |
| Ordinary birthday | A small, bright posy or a desk plant. | Small bunch or plant | Office |
| Farewell morning tea or retirement | Generous bunch in warm tones, or a leafy plant to take home. | Large bunch or plant | Office, last day |
| Away sick | Calm, lightly scented flowers: tulips, alstroemeria, ranunculus. | Mid-size bunch | Home |
| New baby or parental leave | Gentle pinks, buttery yellows or ivory, nothing heavily perfumed. | Mid-size bunch | Home, after the family has settled |
| Bereavement | Soft white or cream sympathy flowers, one card signed by the whole team. | Large bunch | Home |
| Promotion or finished project | Sunflowers, gerberas or any clear, happy bunch. | Small bunch | Office |
| Manager, from the team | Polished and neutral: pastel roses, or peonies in season. | Large bunch | Office |
Options for the workplace
Bright birthday bunch
Gerberas and roses in happy colours. They cope well with a busy office and add life to the morning tea table.
Browse birthday options →
Quiet bunch for home
Tulips or alstroemeria, gentle in scent, delivered to a workmate who is recovering at home.
Browse get-well options →
Soft bunch for new parents
Pastel blooms posted to the house a little after the birth, when visitors have thinned out.
Browse new-baby options →
White flowers from the team
Quiet and respectful, with a single card everyone has signed. Delivered to the home.
Browse sympathy options →Words for the card
Write as the team, in a few warm lines. Skip the office in-jokes, since the person’s family may read it too.
Worth doing
- Pool the money and buy one lovely bunch rather than lots of small ones
- Confirm the address, floor and department, or whether the home address is okay
- When someone is ill or grieving, deliver to the house, preferably after the first wave of messages has passed
- Pick flowers that can go into a vase, because few desks have one
- If a family has asked for donations in place of flowers, follow their wishes
Better to avoid
- Strong perfume (lilies, hyacinths) in an open-plan space
- Red roses for one workmate, which could be misread as romantic
- Delivering to the desk when the person is on leave
- An unsigned card. Always say who it is from
- Flowers into a hospital ward without checking the rules, as some wards restrict them
Send flowers from the team, to an office or a home anywhere in Australia.
See the range →Frequently asked questions
Who pays when the team sends flowers?
Usually everyone chips in a small amount through a card or an online collection, so one decent bunch goes out instead of several small ones. Keep it voluntary and never single anyone out.
Can we send flowers to a workmate’s house?
Only if the person would be comfortable with it. For sick leave, new babies or bereavement it is often the kinder choice, but ask a close workmate or the manager for the address instead of looking it up in staff records.
What goes on the card?
A line or two, friendly and signed by the group. For example “Happy birthday from the whole team” or “Wishing you a speedy recovery from all of us”.
Which flowers work best in a shared office?
Go for mild or unscented blooms: gerberas, tulips, alstroemeria, roses. Very fragrant lilies and hyacinths can bother people with allergies or asthma, and lilies are dangerous for cats at home.
