Bad Gifts for your Colleagues

By Mark Di Vincenzo. Mark is a journalist with 24 years of experience and a New York Times best-selling author.

What Not to Give at Work

Christmas has come and gone. If you work in an office, you very well may have given a colleague or a supervisor a gift of some kind.

So you probably know (or should know) that giving gifts in the workplace can be tricky. Giving the wrong gift—one that's too personal (perfume), romantic (red roses), or offensive (a sex toy)—can lead to a meeting with HR or an unhappy supervisor.

Any sort of gift, especially an expensive one, and even one that meets every definition of appropriate, can make your co-workers feel uncomfortable if they didn't get one for you.

It’s a good idea to review what not to give Ralph in Accounting or Betty in Marketing. Here are eight things to avoid:

1. Cash. This is unacceptable unless, of course, the company is giving end-of-the-year employee bonuses. It’s never OK for a supervisor to pass out $20 bills, even though only a rare employee would turn them down. Gift cards or gift certificates, however, are just fine.

2. Red roses (or Chia pets). Red roses are something you give your sweetheart, not anyone you work with (unless you work with your sweetheart, and that's another post entirely). Red roses are associated with love. Many other types of flowers might give a co-worker the creeps, too.

A good rule of thumb is that if they last a long time—say, a cactus or a potted plant—they are less likely to be interpreted as a romantic gesture. Flower bulbs are also fine. Chia pets? Just plain tacky, though that can be good for a laugh.

3. Personal care products. These are just too personal, especially when given to a member of the opposite sex. You also run the risk of offending the recipient, who will wonder if you think they're poorly groomed. Scented hand lotion is probably harmless, though be careful that the recipient doesn't have allergies, or they might re-gift it (see below).

4. Adult items. This should go without saying, but don't give gifts that are sexual in nature—toys, artwork, books or anything that depicts nudity—even to long-time colleagues. A rare exception is co-workers who are also close friends, but these gifts shouldn't be exchanged at the office.

5. Most clothing. A company T-shirt is OK (swag swag swag), and scarves and gloves are fine. But just about any other item of clothing is too personal. Shirts, pants and even socks are things your girlfriend or husband can buy you, but not Shirley in Risk Management.

6.Alcohol. Tread carefully with alcohol. Many businesses don’t even allow unopened bottles or cans on their premises, which should be a clue. But even if your company has more lenient alcohol policies, you never know who is struggling with alcoholism. Or imagine you give a nice bottle of Champagne to a colleague, only for them to open the bottle in the car right after work, and cause a car accident on the way home.

7. Most jewelry. This is out for the same reason that most clothes make inappropriate gifts for co-workers. Not only is jewelry personal, traditionally it's something associated with loved ones. If you must get jewelry for a colleague, go for something clearly inexpensive, or socially conscious.

8. Potentially offensive gifts. This should also go without saying, but never give gifts that include potentially offensive or off-color messages about race, ethnicity, culture or sex. This may include gifts with political or religious messages. If one of your colleagues is a friend who you know would like an item with a certain political or religious message, present it outside the office.

When it comes to something homemade, the rule is give if it's legitimately good. If you bake delicious oatmeal raisin cookies or you knit awesome scarves, go right ahead. However, if you’ve just started to learn how to play the guitar, don’t give your co-workers a CD of your music.

When it comes to re-gifting, do so if you know the recipient will like it and if it didn't originally come from someone else in the office.

Keep in mind that not exchanging a gift is often better than giving the wrong one. So maybe now is a good time to start shopping for next year's secret santa?

 

Looking for the perfect gift for a co-worker? Give kudos to someone on TribeHR today!