Protocol to Follow When Giving Business Gifts in the Workplace

Business gifts are something that are often given to clients of a business, but they are also given to coworkers and to bosses.  But when business gifts are given within a corporation, it's very important that proper protocol be followed, because the gift likely to be viewed by many in the company and could cause some raised eyebrows if the gift is improper.

So, here are some suggestions on giving of business gifts within a corporation and the ways to do it so that there aren't questions or problems.

• Coworkers - When you are exchanging business gifts with a coworker, it's a good idea to have a set spending limit that should be company-wide. This way, there aren't any uncomfortable situations between coworkers because one coworker got a more expensive gift for another. Office politics aren't fun, and they are always there staring us in the face, but gift exchanges and their prices are something that can be controlled.

• Executives - Gifts for bosses and executives are something else that needs to be approached with caution. An expensive gift to a boss or an executive could be misconstrued as brown nosing to get a raise, both by other coworkers and by the boss himself. If the coworkers chip in to get an expensive gift for their boss or the business owner, then that is a different matter. Everyone has put a part into the gift and no one is standing out.

• Opposite Sex - Finally, one thing that has to be handled very delicately is the giving of a gift to the opposite sex. This was covered in gifts for clients, but when you give a gift to someone who you work with everyday and you don't use discretion, it can make things very uncomfortable. Not only can the gift be misinterpreted by the recipient, but it can be misinterpreted by their family and by your coworkers. Make sure that you stick with gifts that are professional and shy away from anything that is of an intimate nature.

Gift giving in the workplace is something that can be a lot of fun and it can also be something that can cause a lot of problems if it's not done right. When you buy a gift for someone at your work, look at the gift and ask yourself, "Is this something that could be taken the wrong way?" If you have any doubts about it, then chances are that it's a gift that you shouldn't give.

You should also ask yourself why you chose that particular gift.  Are you giving the person the gift because you hope to gain something from it, or are you giving them the gift because you believe they would truly like it? A gift should be given without the expectation of anything in return, and that includes the giving of business gifts. Give the person the gift for them, not for yourself.