Precept Employee Benefits Blog

As an HR professional, you are probably much more aware of the conflicts that can be caused by the simple giving of a holiday gift from one co-worker to another. It seems like it should be such a simple office tradition, but as times have changed, so have traditions – and, unfortunately, office politics. It is up to you, as the HR professional, to make sure that the rules for intra-office gift giving this holiday season are made clear to everyone. The last thing you need during this crazy time of year is someone calling you complaining that they were left out, or worse, a lawsuit.

 

In “When Santa Visits the Office: Six Rules on Gift-Giving at Work,” Kristen Gerencher discusses how to avoid office politics and hurt feelings when exchanging gifts. The basic idea: keep it simple, and keep others’ feelings, beliefs, and financial status in mind. Not everyone celebrates Christmas, and not everyone can afford to give extravagant gifts. Group gifts for bosses are a good idea; if co-workers want to exchange gifts, ask them to do it off-site. If your company is going to do a holiday gift exchange, such as a Secret Santa, make it voluntary.