Given it’s almost Christmas, many offices will be having parties, celebrations, and other get togethers. Many offices do gift exchanges or other gift giving type activities.
Here are a few thoughtful tips when doing office gift giving.
Holiday Gift Policies
Make sure that you understand your office’s gifting policy. Many companies have very strict gift giving and receiving policies to avoid HR related issues.
For example, it’s very common to not allow gifts from vendors over a certain amount, as doing so could look like a bribe. Another common one is not accepting gifts from subordinates, as it could appear to be favoritism later on (should an individual who gave a great gift get a day off or something similar).
Gifting Dos and Don’ts
If you are going to give a gift, here are some things to remember. Most of these should fall within most company’s gifting policies, so you should be compliant.
Here are some great things that usually can’t go wrong:
- Food – Everyone loves a box of chocolate, or cookies, or something similar. Chances are you can’t go wrong.
- Books/Movies – A DVD or book can be a great gift to give.
- Entertainment Cards – Movie passes or something similar are great treats to give.
Make sure you avoid these pitfalls:
- Spending too much
- Getting anything adult: lingerie, alcohol, cultural taboos, etc.
Gift Exchanges
When doing a set gift exchange, make sure that you set rules that are fair and reasonable to all. Set a price limit: $20 to $25 is usually a good amount. Make sure that you stick within the limits, and don’t look like a hero, or else you could make the entire experience awkward.
It is important to make sure that all gifts are equitable and as general as possible to ensure a fun and fair experience.
Finally, when it doubt, think about what you would normally do for recognition. This is essentially what offices are advocating – not celebrating the holidays, but rather recognizing for a year well done. Keep that in mind and your office gifting should be a success.
This post was written by
Robert is the founder and editor of My Multiple incomes, a personal finance site dedicated to highlighting how anyone can create multiple income streams and diversify their cash flow.
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We do a Secret Santa in our office. The rules and price is set. So it works out well.
Rules are good, as long as everyone follows them!
One of the advantages of being self-employed is that you don’t have to worry about office gift giving.
Nice!
I think the dirty santa type exchanges can be good with a $20 limit, but other than that I’m glad that I haven’t worked in an office where gift-giving appears to be the norm.
The amount of alcohol which pops up as gifts at work is pretty funny – but I agree, I wouldn’t buy it given the choice, haha.
Definitely make company policy the first thing you think about. Don’t think the holiday season automatically precludes company rules – because it doesn’t.
If gifts are OK, I would err on the side of conservatism. Kind of like drinking at a holiday party – it’s OK in some cases, but best to be conservative and not go crazy. Every day is an evaluation in some way, for better or worse.
You’re right about the chocolates. I got a box as a Christmas gift from a supplier last week. I didn’t have any, but I took some to the receptionist out front. Huge goodwill points!
I used to give gifts to the top execs a few years ago but after the economy went south I stopped. Now I just bring in some sweets for everyone to share which isn’t that expensive and more people get to enjoy them. -Sydney
[...] Multiple Incomes: Holiday Office Gift Giving Thoughts – A few thoughts on what you should and shouldn’t do when giving office [...]
Our office doesn’t do a gift exchange either although my boss does go around and give a little something to everyone. We do a potluck though which is a lot of fun.