年底又到了，今年過年送什麼好呢？在辦公室裏大派禮物可要當心。送禮不當可能會使你惹禍上身。給臨桌的可愛女孩送張Victoria’s Secret性感內衣的代金卡？這可不太合適。
Be careful when playing Santa at the office. Giving certain gifts could get you in trouble。
A Victoria’s Secret gift card for the cute gal who works in the neighboring cubicle? Not appropriate。
A dictionary for the new co-worker whose misspellings on email you’ve had to correct? It probably won’t be appreciated, says Lizzie Post, author and spokeswoman for the Emily Post Institute and great-great granddaughter of the etiquette queen。
Here are some guidelines for appropriate gift giving in the workplace:
The Boss and Colleagues
’Generally, it’s not appropriate to give your boss a gift,’ says Ms. Post. ’It can come with mixed messages. People worry that it seems like you are trying to buy favoritism.’
Instead, see if co-workers would like to contribute to a gift for the boss from the whole office. If you’re charged with buying the gift, ’stick with office-related items or something that fits with the subject of your company’s work,’ says Ms. Post. Or, if your boss has a hobby or interest, such as golf, consider a gift that plays to that。
You and co-workers also can chip in to get small gifts for people working under you, like the receptionist or mailroom staff。
If you’re exchanging gifts with co-workers, it’s best to buy something simple for everyone in your team or group. Keep individual gift giving outside the office, suggests Ms. Post。
For the boss as well as co-workers, avoid items that are too personal -- say, perfume, scented bath products, jewelry, lingerie or other clothing. Also steer away from alcohol and tobacco products。
Gag gifts can cause problems as well. ’Not everyone translates humor the way you might’ and you risk offending someone, says Jacqueline Whitmore, author of ’Business Class: Etiquette Essentials for Success at Work.’ Cash is a no-no as are gifts that are too expensive. ’You’re going to look like you are just trying to win favor,’ she says。
You don’t have to reciprocate if a co-worker gives you a gift。
Outside the Office
It’s your call whether to buy gifts for clients, vendors or people you have a professional relationship with outside the office。
If your office sends out gifts to clients and vendors, there’s ’no need to do something on top of that,’ says Ms. Post. Write a nice card if you feel like that ’person really made your year.’
If you decide to buy gifts for clients or vendors, make sure their company guidelines allow them to accept gifts. You also should check your company’s gift-giving guidelines, especially if you plan to use company funds to purchase presents。
If you attend a holiday party with colleagues in someone’s home, make sure you bring a hostess gift. Leah Ingram, a gift and etiquette expert who runs g, says that while wine is usually a popular hostess gift, it may not always be appropriate if it’s a work event. A nice box of chocolates or a poinsettia plant are good options, she says。
在辦公室裏大派禮物可要當心。送禮不當可能會使你惹禍上身。
給臨桌的可愛女孩送張Victoria’s Secret性感內衣的代金卡？這可不太合適。
給電子郵件中不時出現單詞拼寫錯誤、讓你不得不常常糾錯的新同事送本字典？利齊•波斯特(LizziePost)說，這或許不會讓對方心生感激。她是禮儀女王埃米利•波斯特的曾曾孫女，也是埃米利-波斯特學院(Emily PostInstitute)的作家和發言人。
下面提供了一些工作場合適宜的送禮建議：
老闆和同事
波斯特說，一般來講，給老闆送禮物是不合適的。這樣做可能會產生副作用。人們擔心這看上去好像你想討好老闆一樣。
相反，看看同事是否願意湊錢、以整個辦公室的名義給老闆送個禮物。波斯特說，如果你負責買禮物，要買與辦公有關的用品，或是符合公司工作內容的禮物。如果你的老闆有什麼興趣或愛好的話，比如打高爾夫球，你還可以考慮買相應的物品作爲禮物。
你和同事還可以湊錢給級別比你們低的同事買點小禮物，比如前臺或收發室的人。
如果你要和同事互換禮物，最好是買些對你們小組或團隊中每個人都適用的簡單禮物。波斯特說，不要在辦公室裏單獨送禮物。
無論是對老闆還是同事，都要避免送過於私人性的禮物，比如香水、帶香味的沐浴產品、珠寶、內衣或其他衣服。此外，還要避免送菸酒。
帶有惡作劇性質的禮物也可能會帶來問題。《老闆不說，但要你做到的事》(Business Class: Etiquette Essentials for Success at Work)一書作者傑奎琳•惠特摩爾(Jacqueline Whitmor)說，並非每個人都會以你那樣的方式欣賞幽默，你可能會冒犯什麼人。現金或是過於貴重的禮物都是禁忌。她說，這樣你看起來就好像是在努力贏得好感。
如果同事送禮物給你，你不一定要回贈。
辦公室之外
是否要給客戶、供應商或辦公室以外和你有業務關係的`人買禮物，這就要你自己拿主意了。
波斯特說，如果你們辦公室給客戶或供應商送了禮物，你就沒有必要再額外送了。如果你覺得對方在這一年裏真是你的貴人，那麼就送張精美的卡片。
如果你決定給客戶或供應商買禮物，要確保他們的公司行爲守則允許他們接受禮物。你還應該察看自己公司的送禮規定，特別是如果你打算用公司的錢買禮物的話。
如果你和同事到別人家裏開節日派對，一定要給女主人帶一份禮物。禮物及禮儀專家、經營g網站的李爾•英格拉姆說，儘管葡萄酒通常是非常受歡迎的禮物，但如果是工作相關的活動，就並不一定合適了。她說，一盒上好的巧克力或是一株一品紅都是不錯的選擇。