Ah, the holiday season in the office.  It’s a cherished time to tack paper snowflakes to the walls and drape faux fir swags across cubicles.  It’s a time for Burl Ives music and chocolate chip cookies.  It’s a time for personal conversations and warm and fuzzy feelings all around.  It may even be a time for gift-giving between coworkers.  It’s that easy, right?

Not necessarily.

Consider this not-so-false fable: At a company’s white elephant Yankee Swap, terrible gifts were had by all.  There was a set of used bicycle handlebars, a jigsaw puzzle with no box, and an Obama Chia Pet.  Just terrible.  But worst of all was the message conveyed by what might otherwise have been a humorous gift: an electric hair-remover was unwrapped by an active chemotherapy patient who had lost all of her hair.  The room went silent and somber.  What a way to put a damper on the holiday festivities!

This story can teach us some valuable lessons about holiday gift-giving in the office—primarily that there are rules and etiquette to office gift-giving:

• Consider the recipients.  That means considering all of the recipients or potential recipients, such as in a Yankee Swap.  Careful advance consideration will help to avoid uncomfortable situations such as the above.  (Say, if a company is two-thirds men, you might not want to bring a women’s scarf to the gift swap.)  If you are giving a gift to a specific person, such as in a Secret Santa exchange, think about that person’s lifestyle and tastes.  Is your recipient edgy or conservative?  Does your recipient have any hobbies?  Travel often?  Have small children?  Even the smallest bit of personal knowledge about the recipient can help you choose a stellar gift; however, there are always cases where you don’t know the recipient that well, if at all.  In those cases, or in cases of multiple potential recipients, you should…

• Keep gifts neutral and appropriate.  Unless you’re giving to a coworker who is also a personal friend, gifts should be relatively subdued.  Stay away from personalized or overly personal items, such as fragrances, jewelry, or clothing.  A good rule of thumb is to avoid any gift that requires a size, color, or style, and depending on your office’s culture, you might also want to steer clear of controversial gifts, such as alcohol or “adult” joke gifts.  Good standbys are movie tickets, small household items, and gift cards to grocery stores, coffee shops, or lunch spots.  You can also cut out the guesswork by asking each person in the gift exchange to write down two or three items he or she would want to receive.  You can further reduce the guesswork by setting a dollar range, such as “between $20 and $30.”  That way, no one gets embarrassed for giving or receiving that $100 bottle of wine.

• Know whom to gift and how.  Do you remember in the third grade, when Billy passed out birthday invitations in class and you didn’t get one?  You don’t want your coworkers to feel that way, do you?  That’s why it’s important to practice discretion when bestowing a gift in the office.  If you are singling out an especially close coworker, give the gift in private where others can’t see it and feel left out.  On the flip side, if you work in an office with only a few employees, people will know if they’re left out, so it’s best to give small gifts to everyone or no gifts at all.  If you are giving a gift to your boss or a company executive, ask your coworkers if they would like to go in on a present.  (You can pool for a nicer gift and it shows team solidarity!)  If you have an assistant or support staff who works closely with you, that person might appreciate a small “thank you” gesture of gratitude come year-end.  And finally, don’t overlook those special staffers who help out all year long, such as couriers, custodians, or doormen.

At the end of the day, sensitivity and common sense are your best holiday shopping guides.  Just remember the above guidelines, and you won’t go wrong giving gifts in the office this holiday season!

On that note, the team here at YES! Your Human Resources Solution wishes you Happy Holidays and a bright New Year.  We look forward to working with you in 2013!