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Step 1
Narrow your focus. Unless you work for a mom-and-pop company, everyone's probably arranged in "teams" or "units" of a dozen or so already. Work with the corporate structure. There's no need to send a present to an assistant VP you've never met. Concentrate instead on the folks you work with everyday.
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Step 2
Decide how personal you want to be. There's nothing necessarily wrong with giving each of your coworkers the same gift. If you want to give more personalized gifts, though, you need to plan carefully. Don't let people in your department wonder why someone else has a more thoughtful present.
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Step 3
Be appropriate. Some folks have a sense of humor. Some don't. Trust your instincts. If you think there's the slightest chance your gift will go misunderstood, take the safe route. If it's a choice between that apple-shaped paperweight and a VIP pass to the local nudie bar, you know what to do. In case you don't, choose the paperweight.
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Step 4
Don't go overboard. Worse than an inappropriate gift is an inappropriately lavish one. The only person entitled to hand out $100 American Express gift certificates is your company's president or your department boss. Don't outshine them. Some may wonder if you've been stealing from the corporate checking account.
