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????親愛的安妮：這是我第一次在現在這家公司過節。它也是我大學畢業后第一份“真正的”工作。我希望這個問題不是太傻，但是在大公司，人們一般都是怎么給老板和同事送節日禮物的？去年一整年，我都是在一家小型的家族公司里實習，人們彼此之間都很熟悉。圣誕節和光明節我們都相互送些小禮物，很有意思。但現在這家公司，一切都要正式得多，我不想在這個問題上搞砸了。我應該給老板送節日禮物嗎？這會不會讓我看起來像是在拍馬屁？同事之間又該如何？這有沒有什么慣例？——圣誕老人替身 ????親愛的替身：這個問題一點也不傻。“職場送禮如何把握分寸？這個問題對于大多數人來說可能都是一件難事，因為總有可能出現某種程度失禮，可能日后被找后賬——或者至少你會擔心出現這樣的狀況，”《妙解301個商務禮儀難題》（301 Smart Answers to Tough Business Etiquette Questions）一書的作者、個人品牌教練維姬?奧利弗稱。“比方說，假設辦公室同事在她桌上放了一個裝飾有蝴蝶結絲帶的小盒子。如果這是給你準備的，而你沒有給她準備任何東西，該怎么辦？假設這不是給你準備的，該怎么辦？你應當給她送點什么嗎？如果要送，應當花多少錢？ ????為了避免這樣的兩難境地，在很多公司里，那些只限于同事關系的員工之間往往會互祝“節日快樂”，僅此而已。希望你所在的公司也是這樣。“送禮這件事在不同的企業文化中差異非常大，”奧利弗說。“因此，最好的辦法是問問已經在那里工作了幾年、你比較信賴的同事，人們通常怎么做。然后，照樣做就是了。” ????奧利弗補充說，通常“不必給所有共事的人送禮物，除非你工作的辦公室里只有5名或更少的員工，這種情況下如果只有一個人沒有禮物，會傷害他或她的感情。但是，如果有一位同事今年給了你特別大的幫助，送上卡片和小禮物表示感謝是完全恰當的行為，哪怕你沒有對其他人這么做。處理這件事要有技巧，而且要考慮周到。” ????也許你會發現在你公司里，通行的做法是由團隊或部門湊錢給老板買個禮物，奧利弗稱這是一種普遍的做法，每個人只需出一點錢，還能防止同事間相互攀比。【這還能避免給人留下拍老板馬屁（正如你所說的）的印象。】但如果這不是你公司里通行的方式，奧利弗提供了五大送禮法則，確保送禮不會出大錯——無論送給老板，還是其他人。 ????1.禮物價值不宜太高。“職場送禮的慣例是禮物都不貴重，”奧利弗說。“比方說，給同事買一條50美元的絲巾可能就不太恰當，因為很可能她給你準備的禮物是一小盒糖果，這會讓她感到尷尬。”奧利弗建議每件禮品的價值不宜超過20美元：“比如，一張禮品卡、一本烹調書、一瓶葡萄酒、一些美食、一盆花或者一張當地酒吧的酒券（含兩杯酒）。” ????2.挑選禮物要用心。“避免給辦公室每個人同樣的禮物，”奧利弗說。“公司這么做是可以的，比方說，給每位客戶同樣的禮品籃——但個人可不行。”給個人選禮物，需要根據你對對方的喜好了解。“關鍵是要顯示出你還是花了一些心思，”她補充說。“如果你知道一位同事正在努力，希望減掉10磅體重，就不要送巧克力。” |
????Dear Annie: This is my first holiday season with my current employer -- I'm in my first "real" job after college -- so I hope this isn't a dumb question, but what is generally expected in big companies regarding gifts to bosses and coworkers? I interned all last year at a small family-owned firm where everyone knew everyone else really well, and we all had fun giving each other little Christmas and Hanukkah presents. But everything at my new job is much more formal, and I don't want to get this wrong. Should I give my boss a gift, or will that look like I'm kissing up? What about peers? Are there rules for this? — Santa's Stand-In ????Dear Stand-In: It's not a dumb question at all. "Proper etiquette around gift-giving at the office is a snake pit for most people, because there's always the potential for making some sort of faux pas that will come back and haunt you later -- or at least, you fear it might," says Vicky Oliver, a personal branding coach and author of 301 Smart Answers to Tough Business Etiquette Questions. "For instance, let's say your officemate has a little box with a bow on it on her desk. What if it's for you and you didn't get her anything? What if it isn't for you? Should you still give her something? If so, how much should you spend?" ????In hopes of dodging such dilemmas, it's customary at many companies for colleagues who aren't also personal friends to wish each other "Happy holidays" and leave it at that. With any luck, your employer is one of them. "Gift-giving is one of those things that varies a lot from one corporate culture to another," says Oliver. "So your best bet is to ask someone you trust who's been there for a couple of years what, if anything, people usually do. Then just follow their lead." ????In general, Oliver adds, "you don't need to give gifts to all of your coworkers unless you work in an office of five or fewer people, where leaving one person out would hurt his or her feelings. However, if you have a colleague who has been particularly helpful to you this year, a card expressing thanks and a small gift is entirely appropriate, even if you don't do the same for others. Just be tactful and discreet about it." ????You might find that standard practice at your company is for teams or departments to chip in on one gift for the boss, which Oliver says is a widespread tradition that costs each person some small amount of cash and keeps coworkers from one-upping each other. (It also precludes the appearance of, as you say, kissing up). But if that isn't how they do it at your company, Oliver offers five suggestions for blunder-free gift-giving -- whether to your boss or to anyone else. ????1. Don't overspend. "The rule of thumb for office gifts is that they be inexpensive," says Oliver. "It's poor etiquette to spend, say, $50 on a silk scarf for a coworker, because chances are she'll have bought you a little box of candy and be embarrassed." Oliver recommends keeping each gift at a $20 limit: "Think about a gift card, a cookbook, a bottle of wine, a gourmet food item, a potted flower, or a two-drink voucher at a local watering hole." ????2. Thoughtfulness counts. "Avoid giving the same gift to everyone in the office," Oliver advises. "It's okay for companies to do that -- send the same gift basket to every client, for example -- but for individuals, no." Instead, pick a gift based on what you know the recipient likes. "The point is to show you put some thought into it," she adds. "If you're aware that a coworker is trying to lose 10 pounds, don't give them a box of chocolates." |
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