Deciding on a gift that will suit the tastes and needs of a colleague, client, supplier or boss is not an easy task. Your gift needs to convey professionalism and foresight, letting the recipient know that you thought of their desires before purchasing it, rather than just gracing them with a generic present to save time and money. However, there are some gifts that are simply inappropriate for those within the working environment. You may convey the wrong message or give others an undesirable opinion of you. Alternatively, they may feel intimidated by your gift, forced to match it in quality or price.
Such unsuitable gifts include:
- Anything that can be considered to be sexual in nature. This includes books with lewd or naked pictures (even under the guise of being ‘art’), sex toys, lingerie, humorous outfits with the implication that they should be worn during sexcapades, art or novels. Regardless of whether or not you think the individual recipient would appreciate it, it may create a negative impression to those around you and should never be done in the workplace.
- Items that could appear discriminating in any way. Discrimination is not only a racial issue but also applies to different genders, languages, religions, economic sectors and intellectual groups. So, even an apron may come across in the wrong way if given by a man to a woman, as she may interpret that to mean that he feels she belongs in the kitchen.
- Politically-oriented gifts, books, flags, and so on that represent a specific political party or nationalistic tendency may not go down well with the recipient, his friends, family or colleagues. Be sensitive to this possibility and steer clear of such a gift.
- Similarly, religion is a very sensitive, personal choice and gifts that refer to religion (or lack thereof) in some way may be construed as insulting. This includes motivational books written by religious leaders.
- Grooming items or beauty products may be fabulous personal gifts, but could be perceived as being offensive when given in public or to someone with whom you are not very close. In addition, it is not appropriate to give personal care products to someone of the opposite sex (imagine your male boss handing his female PA a bottle of luxurious bubble bath and relaxation oils – it just conveys the wrong message). Interestingly, this includes items such as scented creams and soaps, as many people are allergic to these.
- Intimate clothing is always a no-no. If you are bent on giving out some sort of clothing, opt for hats, gloves and scarves as the safest options. Even if the gift itself is decent (such as a corporate T-shirt), the size you purchase may offend someone (e.g. giving someone that usually wears a Large an Extra Large is not likely to boost their self-esteem).
- Jewellery is usually perceived as being romantic and personal, so try to avoid giving it as a corporate gift. The exception is if you are giving a generic piece to an entire group of people of the same sex as you. Another indication that the piece is intended to be romantic is if it is expensive, so try to opt for a neutral, middle-of-the-range gift (like a watch).
- Cash is impersonal and choosing an amount is always difficult. Rather, get a gift card, which shows some forethought and effort.
Photo Courtesy of Chennai Flower plaza
