Appropriate Gifts for Bosses
Do’s and Don’t of Giving Gifts to your Boss
Giving a gift to your boss can be tricky business and can result in undesirable consequences if some simple guidelines are not followed. Here are some tips to select the most appropriate gift for your boss.
- Consider a group gift - Going in on a gift with your colleagues can be a great
way to avoid any appearance of impropriety or ulterior motives.
- Be discreet - If giving a gift on your own, do so discreetly. Don’t advertise it to the entire office or brag about how much you spent.
- Keep it simple and sincere - Check your motives. Your gift should be given out of a sincere desire to show your boss appreciation.
- Keep it within your budget - Extravagant gifts will be connoted as an attempt to curry favor and will make your boss and your coworkers uncomfortable.
- Gift in the proper chain of command - Don’t skip your immediate supervisor and give a gift to your boss’s boss.
- Beware of alcoholic gifts - Certainly, you should only consider such gifts if you know that your boss will appreciate such a gift, but you should also confirm that there are no corporate rules banning such gifts in the workplace.
- Avoid extremely personal gifts - Gifts such as flowers, jewelry, perfume or intimate apparel should certainly be avoided. The general rule of thumb is to steer clear of any gifts that “touch the skin”.
- Never expect anything in return - A gift should not be given with the expectation of receiving a gift, a raise, a promotion or anything else in return: this is in line with the point above that the gift should be given based upon a sincere desire to express appreciation to your boss.
- Never send a gift to your boss’s home address - This can be seen as too personal. If the gift you’re thinking of giving is not something you’re comfortable giving at the office, then it may not be an appropriate gift to begin with.
- Don’t give competitively - Never try to one-up your colleagues or try to “buy” your boss’s favor by giving expensive or extravagant gifts.
- Never give cash! - Cash is seen as too impersonal and interpreted as putting a specific price on the relationship.
To read more, read the rest of my post at
http://familystaples.com/appropriate-gifts-for-bosses
I welcome your comments and feedback.
Thank you,
Pat
Recent Comments
13
This sounds like very sound advice though I know one company where the bosses and HR personnel said they could not accept gifts. So I guess one would have to be sure of company policy. Christa
Where I live and work, we would only collect for a group birthday present, a present for a new born child or perhaps when the boss is very ill. Anything else would be considered WEIRD!
Well said Pat.
Although, depending on where you work, I wouldn't advise giving your boss any gift unless you are on more than just "working" terms with them.
Unless you happen to have a regular chit-chat with them, or you don't work in a small business, I wouldn't bother because even the most sincere gift can appear to have a motive and can cause some backlash from co-workers too.
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I don't have a Boss---Well my wife is my Boss---Darn I thought I was getting out of this one.
LOL, I think there may be a few more occasions that you should consider getting your wife a gift for, and they should be personal gifts -- probably not a simple gift basket ;)
It may NOT be good to buy your wife a gift on "Boss's Day", no matter how tempting it may be ;)
LOL thanks for the laugh. But it is true.