Do's and don'ts of employee gift giving

Giving gifts to employees is always appreciated - unless you make some of these mistakes.

DON'T play favorites
When giving gifts to all of your employees, there should be no distinction between them -- consider them all equals. Accordingly, the value of their gifts should all be within a couple of dollars of one another.

DO be consistent
By the same token, all employee gifts should be similar in nature. A personal gift for one employee means personalization for all.

DON'T discriminate on the basis of sex
Buying obviously different types of gifts for men and women is considered inappropriate.

DO remember everyone
This includes the cleaning staff and other regular contractors or part-timers.

DON'T restrict gifts to work-related ones
Giving gifts that can be used at home can be a plus for everyone. That way, employees don't feel compelled to have their gift sitting on their desk or in their office.

DON'T throw a party and call it a gift
If it's a party, say it is. Calling it a gift is just plain tacky.

DO make returns easy
Of course, no one wants to have their gifts returned -- but those who make it easy to do so are always appreciated.

DON'T be careless when giving food gifts
If you're giving food and your office is small enough, keep in mind those whose diet is restricted by religion, personal ethics, or health. If you don't, it may appear that you don't care enough about the person to find out.

DO be discreet if you're not giving to everyone
If you are personally giving gifts to only some employees, use discretion. You may want to do it out of the office if there's a chance it will come across as favoritism.

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