The ethics of workplace gift giving (2024)

As the end-of-year holiday gift-giving season approaches, you may start to stress about buying gifts for colleagues. Workplace gift giving can be tricky. You may wonder what to buy, who should receive a gift and how to go about the process of giving presents at work.

Thankfully, the etiquette is lesscomplicated than one might think.

Below are the do’s and don’ts of giving gifts at work. Let these essentials guide you through the upcoming holiday season and into the new calendar year.

Do check your company’s policy on workplace gift giving.

Before you put together a shopping list, it’s wise to check your company’s gift policy.

Such policies help a companyavoid conflicts of interest, both real and perceived. Because there’s ongoingpotential for gifts to be exchanged between employees and customers, vendors,suppliers, job applicants and other business stakeholders, it’s smart to have aclear company gift policy in place to prevent problems down the road.

A company gift policy should:

• State from whom company employees may accept a gift
• Outline the circ*mstances under which an employee may accept a gift
• Offer guidance about what is and isn’t appropriate to accept as a present
• Define what is allowed or prohibited

Wondering what to do if yourcompany doesn’t have a gift policy in place as the holiday season gears up? Fretnot. The following guidelines will help you as you consider handing out workplacepresents.

Don’t give presents to your superiors.

A reliable rule of thumb regarding workplace gift giving: Gifts should flow down the supervisory reporting line, not upward.

Thus, a boss or manager may givepresents to direct reports, and employees can laterally exchange gifts with eachother. But employees shouldn’t give gifts to supervisors.

This rule protects employees fromfeeling pressure to purchase gifts for the people who sign their paychecks.Following this policyhelps avoid any appearance of aquidpro quo,or the expectation of special treatment.

If there’s a special occasion tocelebrate, however, the entire team may collect money to purchase a grouppresent for a manager or business owner.Should a team wish to celebrate,say, a supervisor’s 20th work anniversary or exceptional professionalachievement, a group gift will show appreciation without giving the appearanceof favoritism being sought from a specific employee.

Don’t give gifts near performance review time.

Timing is everything with workplace gift giving. Presenting a gift to your manager right before your annual review can send the wrong signal. While your motives may be innocent, your intentions may be perceived as an attempt at bribery.

Similarly, if you anticipate anupcoming internal position vacancy for which you plan to apply, now is not thetime to ply the HR team with gifts.

Do keep it professional.

Always consider how your giftchoices communicate your intentions in the workplace. You want to think throughhow the giver – and onlookers – may interpret your gift.

Avoid giving personal itemssomeone might wear (perfume, clothing or jewelry) or items typically notallowed in the workplace (alcohol, gag gifts or any item that may offend others).Invest instead in edible gifts, appropriate books or other gender-neutral itemsthat reflect your thoughtful intentions in a professional manner.

Do aim for inclusion.

As the year winds down, no one wants to be left out of the holiday fun. Suggest holding an end-of-year celebration with a voluntary gift exchange, one open to everyone willing to participate. Who knows? A bit of merriment might be just the thing to boost seasonal morale.

A gift exchange isn’t an excuseto give a cheap, lousy present, however. When choosing a gift for an officeexchange, take the time to select an appropriate, thoughtful gift. This willkeep the recipient from feeling short-changed.

Also, be mindful of hosting giftexchanges where “stealing” is allowed. This practice may result in hardfeelings. The ultimate objective with office gift exchanges should be to have afun event in which all employees feel they are valued equally.

The same can be said of team workplace gift giving. If you decide to give a book or a company-branded item as a gift, for example, providing the same gift to everyone on your staff shows your clear intentions as a team-building manager.

Do observe the gift-giving spending limit.

Observe formal spending limits for workplace gifts. Exceeding the set amount is likely to make coworkers feel uncomfortable and, again, may invite misinterpretation of your motives.

Giving cash as a gift is considered unacceptable – unless, of course, the company provides it in the form of an employee bonus. On the other hand, gift cards and gift certificates can be acceptable gift choices. The gift card for a major retailer wrapped imaginatively can be a big hit with coworkers.

Don’t pressure employees to participate.

If your office is collectingmoney for a group gift for a colleague, cash-strapped colleagues may feeluneasy. Feeling the pressure to give more than they can afford can breednegativity, feelings of exclusion or resentment.

Should a team member have a baby,is hospitalized or experience a loss, sending the employee a fruit basket orflowers from the entire team is appropriate. If there isn’t room in the budgetto cover costs, invite volunteers. Never pressure someone to contribute,however, no matter how much you believe they can afford it.

The same guideline applies when asking employees to donate to philanthropic causes. From time to time there may be good reason to invite people to make a voluntary contribution to a charity. Some businesses may see lasting value in coming up with a long-term strategy for supporting charities. For example, a voluntarymatching gift programis one way your company can show appreciation by matching employee contributions to nonprofit organizations.

Do set a company code of ethics that addresses workplace gift giving.

If you’re a business owner ormanager, a major part of your role is to shape company culture. With thatresponsibility comes the opportunity to establish and enforce clear policiesand procedures designed to give everyone piece of mind.

Upholding a code of ethicswill help set clear expectations for employees to practice and demonstrate equal treatment and non-discriminatory actions in the workplace. And, yes, this can include gift-giving guidance during the holidays and beyond.

For more information on management issues, download our complimentary e-book:7 most frequent HR mistakes and how to avoid them.