6 Suggestions for gift giving at work

I just read this......Here are six suggestions for gift-giving at work without putting people on the spot or breaking team camaraderie:

Keep it voluntary. Opting out of office gift-giving games should be free of consequences, Boggs said. "You have to be cognizant of people's feelings and the holidays they celebrate and be respectful of that. If someone doesn't want to be involved you shouldn't make them feel horrible about not being involved."

Weigh a gift to the boss carefully, since others may perceive it as inappropriate or an attempt to curry favor. "A way around that is to chip in and give a group gift," Brown-Volkman said. "If it's a department gift it has to come from the department. It's an entire group so no one's left out."

The objective is to strive always to be seen as fair, she said. "From a company standpoint it's OK for the boss or employer to give you something. But if it's the other way around, you don't know how you will be seen. The group covers you and also makes you look good."

Be mindful of income differences and financial pressures when soliciting group gifts. Let everyone in the working group sign the card, regardless of their ability to contribute to the cost of the gift, Boggs said. "You have to be careful not to be exclusive of the people who can't afford it," she said. "It turns a good thing into something potentially bad." Some in the office may be struggling to pay off student loans or credit-card debt, or may have greater family responsibilities than others. "People who live paycheck to paycheck or feel like people are pitying them or doing it for reasons other than what they're doing it for, that's when the issues come up."

Don't present a gift to someone you don't know well just because it's the holiday season. "Don't wait until that day or it may come across the wrong way," Brown-Volkman said. "It's a celebration of the great working relationship all year.

Gifts among peers are best exchanged off site and after hours to avoid anyone feeling excluded. "Go to lunch with them, have a cup of coffee in the morning with them before work starts," Boggs said. "Take it off site. Make it a nonwork issue."

What if you receive an unforeseen gift? Do you reciprocate? "I think you could," Brown-Volkman said. "It's OK for your peers. It's just when you go to the boss -- sometimes that could be construed as favoritism." Also consider power and gender differences, Boggs said. "When you have a female supervisor and a male employee or a male supervisor and a female employee, you always run the risk of things being taken out of context or taken wrong. You have to be really careful."

Merry Christmas

Mark

Mark is the Chief Sales Officer of SCT Product Sales. http://www.simplyusedphones.com/index.html.
We have been in business 15 years, online for 8 & a Power Seller
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