Gifts That Work at Work

Some suggestions for the Office Gift Challenged. (And I consider myself among that number.)

Now that Chanukah has been over for almost a week, une femme is finally getting around to dealing with office gifts. Despite the burgeoning gift basket business, selecting gifts for business associates can be tricky. Unless you work in a small company and/or your co-workers are like a second family, you may know little about the person aside from what you see in work situations, and have little idea of their likes and dislikes. You may need to find gifts at the same price point for a large number of people. One doesn't want to go too personal with business gifts, but neither do you want to give something the recipient has no use for. Here are some I've given in recent years that seemed to be well received.

For anyone (boss, peer or subordinate):

Picture frames. Go with something nice but simple, for a 4x6 sized photo (or multiples).

Wine. But only if you're certain the recipient is not a teetotaler or recovering alcoholic. Tailor the bottle to the person; don't give an oenophile a bottle of whatever was on sale at the grocery store.

Muffin/Cookie baskets, NICE boxes of candy. These are great if you're sending something to another group or department.

For subordinates:

Gift cards. Yes, I know many people feel this is a cop-out. But after several years of trying to select a fairly uniform yet personalized gift for a large group of very diverse (male, female, gay, straight, varying ethnicity's and ages) direct reports that met with mixed reactions, last year I threw in the towel and gave Macy's gift cards. Everyone was thrilled. Put them in a nice card or a small gift bag with some candies to add a personal touch. I wouldn't give gift cards to a boss or someone at one's own level, though.

If your office does Secret Santa or something similar in lieu of broader gifting, you probably have far more knowledge and leeway to get something more tailored to the recipient.

However, some gifts I'd avoid in a business setting:

Fragrance or body/bath gift sets. Too personal, and unless you are absolutely certain that someone LOVES Zuccini Frapucchino Body Splash, probably destined to be re-gifted or tossed after a few years under the bathroom sink.

Purses, wallets. People tend to be picky about these items, and again, a bit on the "too personal" side for most office environments.

Anything overtly religious. Unless you work for a religious organization. (Many years ago I worked with a very sweet, very devoutly Catholic woman who gave everyone in our department little wooden boxes that she'd decoupaged with pictures of Mary holding the Baby Jesus. While I knew her well and understood it as a heartfelt gesture and not an attempt to convert anyone, there were a few raised eyebrows among some of my co-workers.)