How to Give Gifts at the Office
Holiday gifts are a glorious way to thank someone, show appreciation or simply let someone know you like them. When you give gifts at the office, however, the whole experience can turn into a fiasco unless you put some thought into it. A few strategic steps will help you give gifts at the office and leave everyone grateful rather than offended.
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Instructions
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Be selective. You probably cannot afford to give gifts to everyone in the office, so pick your recipients with care. Your best friend coworker gets one, as should your assistant and anyone who works hard for you all year. If you have more than one assistant, make sure both get a gift. Be wary of gifting your boss unless you truly mean it. It could otherwise be taken as a tacky, get-ahead gesture.
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Be discrete. Once you’ve chosen the recipients, give them the gifts at a time when you two are alone. This way, 10 other workers won’t be feeling slighted that they, too, didn’t get a gift from you. Don’t come bounding in the office with a Santa hat screaming about how you have gifts, but only for certain people you like.
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Make it heartfelt. Put a little thought into it. Sure, anyone who works in an office could use a stapler, but that’s about as couth as a husband gifting his wife with a vacuum cleaner.
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Do a little research. Ask around about the person’s hobbies, pets, interests and passions if you don’t know them already. Artists can always use a sketch pad, for instance. Pet owners would love a gift certificate to a gourmet pet store. Sports fans would duly appreciate a pair of tickets to a hot game.
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Stick to a budget. As nice as some gifts may be, you don’t want to spend hundreds of dollars on people at the office unless they truly mean that much to you. You should not spend more on your coworker than, say, your spouse.
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Tips & Warnings
Unless you have agreed to exchange gifts with a particular person, don’t necessarily expect someone to give you a gift in return. Don’t be offended. Your motive, hopefully, was not to get something from them but to show your appreciation.
If you get stuck in that secret Santa game, where you pull a coworker’s name out of the hat and have to get them something, use the same research step to choose something the person would at least like to receive.
Be benign. Office gifts should not be sexual, offensive or lewd in nature.
Don’t buy expensive diamonds for your secretary unless you are having an affair with her (or him).
Don't get some gaudy Christmas-oriented crappy gift that the person will never use, like a Christmas tree sweater or something.
- Photo Credit Illustration by Ryn Gargulinski
