Secret Santa, Yankee swap, call it what you will. For most people, workplace gift giving is a source of stress instead of good cheer.
On the other hand, a few ground rules and some creative thinking can go a long way toward turning an obligation into the celebration it was meant to be.
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Rule number one is common sense where Hilka Klinkenberg, director of Etiquette International of New York City, is concerned. And — like almost everything else in business — it starts at the top.
“Set a policy,” Klinkenberg said. Without it, management and peers are forced to grapple with questions like “who gets a gift, who doesn’t. Do I give more to one person and nothing to the other?”
Of course anybody can give anything to anyone in private. But when it comes to open exchanges, there should be rules.
“That way it’s clearly defined and you’re less likely to have hurt feelings or politics getting in the way” of a good time, Klinkenberg said.
Where there are do’s there are don’t’s, which brings us to rules number two, three and four: Don’t play favorites, don’t confuse compensation with a gift and don’t get too personal. If you’re the president of a small business or the head of a department “really you need to give a gift to everybody or nobody,” Klinkenberg said. “And, by the way, a turkey doesn’t cut it.”
Neither does an annual bonus. “A holiday bonus isn’t a gift. A bonus is a reward for a job well done,” Klinkenberg said.
However, cash or a gift certificate on top of a bonus is appropriate. Beware the difference between a gift with a personal touch and a personal gift, Klinkenberg said. The former is okay. The latter is not.
“I get very concerned when people give gifts that are too personal because that’s not appropriate in the workplace,” she said. “But that’s not to say don’t put any thought into it.”
An autobiography of Winston Churchill for a history buff or a half day at the spa for a stressed-out employee is an example of a thoughtful gift, she said. “Anything that directly touches the body” — from clothing (not including accessories) to cologne — crosses the line.
Rich Epstein, owner of CEO Giftware Ltd. at the Arcade in downtown Providence, is already spotting trends for the season. Candles and candle holders are big this year. They fall in the category of gifts that don’t cross the line but also have nothing to do with work, Epstein said, adding “which I encourage.”
Inexpensive but personalized is another way to go, he said. A paper weight in the form of a crumpled piece of paper ($22.50) can be made out of a person’s letterhead, for example. A “spill” ($10.50-$19.50) — spilled drink or food reminiscent of joke shops — can be made to include a person’s business card or another identifying document. Fashionable desk accessories that would normally fall in the category of office supplies are also popular.
“I think people are understanding that the look and the feel of their desk makes them want to be there or not,” Epstein said. Among the business card holders, pen holders and in-and-out bins, the most popular materials are mesh, aluminum and a mix of wood and metal, he said.
In general, people are buying for the individual rather than across-the-board, Epstein said. As for the threat of a turn in the economy, both Epstein and Klinkenberg were philosophical.
“It wouldn’t be a retail holiday season if people didn’t ho-hum the economy,” Epstein said.
Klinkenberg had a suggestion for those who are worried about the coming year. Give something rare that employees will definitely enjoy: “a day off to de-stress.”
