Office Gift-Giving: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly
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Office Gift-Giving: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly
Many HR managers feel it's acceptable to exchange gifts during the holidays, but the gifts should be appropriate—unlike the very inappropriate gifts listed here. -
Fair Game, Part I
46% of HR managers surveyed feel that it's "somewhat" appropriate for a manager to give their employees a holiday gift, depending on the work relationship, and 17% said such gifts are "a must." -
Fair Game, Part II
48% feel that it's "somewhat" appropriate for employees to give their manager a holiday gift, depending on the work relationship, and 10% said a gift is "a must." -
Budget Outlook
On average, HR managers said employees who give a holiday gift to their boss should spend an average of $20, and bosses who give gifts to employees should spend about $24. -
Inappropriate Gift: Personal Gesture
One department head gave his staff members a framed picture of himself. -
Inappropriate Gift: Duplicated Effort
An employee re-gifted a present that a manager had given the year before. -
Inappropriate Gift: Makin' Bacon
A worker delivered a large order of frozen pork to his manager. -
Inappropriate Gift: Hair-Brained
An employee gifted her supervisor with a wig. -
Inappropriate Gift: Romantic Notion?
An employee handed a dozen roses to a colleague. -
Inappropriate Gift: Money Talks
A manager gave cash, but in different amounts to different employees. -
Inappropriate Gift: Hurtful Humor
One worker gave a mug with a satirical phrase that ridiculed someone in the office.
The holiday spirit of office gift-giving is alive and well this year, according to a recent survey from Accountemps. Most HR managers feel it's appropriate for employees to give gifts to their managers and for managers to return the favor. But if your budget is tight, don't fret: You shouldn't have to spend more than $20 on this tradition. Still, before whipping out your credit card here, you should get a sense of your office culture, as well as your relationship with the intended recipient. "As much as people enjoy giving presents, this can be a sensitive issue in the workplace, and it becomes a personal decision based on individual relationships," said Bill Driscoll, district president for Accountemps. "More important than the dollar amount, the focus should be on giving something meaningful to the recipient. The best gifts are thoughtful and demonstrate care for others." To offer a more humorous perspective on the topic, Accountemps has also come up with the following six "incredibly inappropriate" real-life office holiday gifts, and we've included those here. More than 300 U.S. HR managers took part in the research.