NWR: Office Holiday Gifts/ Annoyed

porkchops926

I just started my job in July, but I haven't heard anything about gift-giving, to which I am thankful. I'm stretched too thin as it is. Although I would participate with co-workers if it was an established thing. 

However, there is NO WAY I'd ever get a present for my boss. Any holiday celebrations that he gives us (we're having a lunch tomorrow) he gets on trade for advertising space or design services, so in a way, we're acquiring the lunch for ourselves through work, he just arranged the deal.  

Plus, our holiday party was on a Monday night at a hotel in Rhode Island (a state away) because that's the place that would give it to him for free (and yes we were expected to work the next day and pay for our own hotel rooms) 

Sorry, this totally went off the rails and turned into a boss vent. 

Chipmunk415

I should further add..im working between Christmas and new years. Virtually none of the other attorneys, save for boss lady, are working at that time. I will be bringing her cookies made by me, and chili, ziti, etc made by dh (which she has sampled before in the past and enjoyed) for lunches etc. Not to suck up, but because she gets cranky if she isnt fed, cant cook, and loves it when I bring stuff to share. Happy boss happy life.

NowIamMrsKlein

We got a new office manager this year and he is really big on boosting the office moral. He really wants the office to be a fun place to be. So while we all think its kinda silly to do office presents, he's insisting on a 20$ gift exchange. We all pulled names and have to get that person something. and we will exchange them at our Christmas party.

Of course I pulled boss mans name. Sigh. Normally we don't do office gifts. We get Christmas bonus's but that's from corporate and based on the companies performance and your salary etc.

I definitely think in office settings there needs to be set expectations. Everyone has different levels of generosity/expectations. I personally am saving for a wedding and to buy a house. While I don't mind spending 20$ on a co-worker at Christmas, I wouldn't spend any more than that on someone that I wasn't expecting to have to buy a gift, its just not in my holiday budget. However I have co-workers that like to boast about their lifestyles and would be the kind to bring in an expensive gift simply to show everyone up.

KatieinBkln

I don't get giving bosses a gift. Call me an asshole, but I have a problem spending my hard-earned money on anyone I don't personally have a relationship with, let alone someone who makes more $$ than I do. (I actually quite LIKE my boss, but if I were going to do anything, it would be a card.) Then again, I work in a pretty big office, so it is not quite as tight as a smaller company. When I worked for a small company they paid us slave wages, so I gave exactly nonefucks about not spending cash on my bosses.

Re: conferring with other staff re: bonuses/gifts: I think it really must be done. I used to be an assistant with two bosses, and received two vastly different bonuses/cash gifts from them. It was not really an incentive to work any harder for the cheaper of the two, let me tell you.

levioosa

We do an opt-in $50 gift.  If you chose to participate, you draw a name and buy for that person.  Our office also buys a $50 gift for each person and we do lunch (regardless if you participate in the drawing or not). 

ashley8918

I only give gifts to the two co workers that I am actually friends with, but would probably give some sort of gift (monetary or otherwise) to an assistant if I had one. And That Guy sounds like a fuck knuckle.

I am hella annoyed re: office gifts this year, though. I work in a group of 12 people people who all report ot my boss. The group busybody sent out the following email this morning:

"Team

I have taken the liberty of purchasing a new set of towels for [name off boss] to match her newly remodeled bathroom for Christmas.

Please get me your $10 contibution to the gift by EOB today, cash only. If you don't have it on you, go to the ATM at lunch.

Suzy McAsshole"

Which I ignored, because, UM NO.

She has since sent out the following reply:

"Paid:

Suzy McAsshole

Betty

Joe

Still waiting for:

Ashley

Tom

Jessica

Christian

Larry

Erin

Tracy

Heidi

John"

*All non-me names changed

Is she fucking serious?! SOOOOOO inappropriate.

KatieinBkln

ashley8918 said:

I only give gifts to the two co workers that I am actually friends with, but would probably give some sort of gift (monetary or otherwise) to an assistant if I had one. And That Guy sounds like a fuck knuckle.

I am hella annoyed re: office gifts this year, though. I work in a group of 12 people people who all report ot my boss. The group busybody sent out the following email this morning:

"Team

I have taken the liberty of purchasing a new set of towels for [name off boss] to match her newly remodeled bathroom for Christmas.

Please get me your $10 contibution to the gift by EOB today, cash only. If you don't have it on you, go to the ATM at lunch.

Suzy McAsshole"

Which I ignored, because, UM NO.

She has since sent out the following reply:

"Paid:

Suzy McAsshole

Betty

Joe

Still waiting for:

Ashley

Tom

Jessica

Christian

Larry

Erin

Tracy

Heidi

John"

*All non-me names changed

Is she fucking serious?! SOOOOOO inappropriate.

You should probably punch her face.

And/or "accidentally" reply-all: "Oh, how embarrassing--I must not have seen the original email discussing this plan! I've already bought Boss a gift privately [who cares if it's true] so I'm afraid I can't participate."

ashley8918

KatieinBkln said:

You should probably punch her face.

And/or "accidentally" reply-all: "Oh, how embarrassing--I must not have seen the original email discussing this plan! I've already bought Boss a gift privately [who cares if it's true] so I'm afraid I can't participate."

Oh, I like this! What a rude ass bitch.

princessofgenovia

I don't have my own assistant yet (I'll be getting one after the new year), so I've been sharing with one of the other "executives" (it feels weird to call myself that). I'm giving her more then $16 because she works ass off and when she was informed she'd be shared between two of us for her the time being she said nothing negative and got right to work with anything I needed her for. 

I actually had a lot of trouble buying for her because her regular person gave me a heads up she's not a fan of receiving a cash gift. I ended up getting her a gift card to a nice restaurant I've heard her say her and her husband like, and a subscription to a magazine she told me she likes to read, along with a nice box of chocolates I'm gifting everyone in the office with this year. 

In our office it's basically the "higher ups" (of which I am) will buy something simple and pretty much same across the board for everyone else. And departments will each do their own thing. I'm doing a box of chocolates and a scratcher card for everyone because I figured that'd please the most amount of people and it didn't kill my bank account. We're a small company, so it's manageable.

For other executives (except my bosses) I got them gift cards to local restaurants. There's only three of them and they've been awesome. And I did Christmas cards for my bosses.

I've been the assistant with the boss who didn't want to give that much...it sucked. His girlfriend worked at a make up counter in some department store and could get free samples so every year my Christmas present was free samples of make up. That I just so happened to be allergic to. It wasn't a place where big gifts were given, but at least the others got edibles or something that you could tell someone had put some thought in to. Our big cheese (my boss's boss) always gave us some kind of nice cookies or chocolates though. That's a good gift.

amelisha

I just forgot that my boss and office manager always buy me gifts, so I ran out at lunch today to the fancy olive oil store and bought little bottles of infused oil, balsamic, and little jars of Hawaiian salt. Done and done. Fortunately I don't really interact with anyone else in the office so I get a pass, haha.

jenna8984

I'm in the camp of I've never heard of anyone giving their boss a gift.

I have always worked for small companies and small departments, normally just a 50 year old male boss and myself. So not much chit chat, getting to be friends going on. They/ He has always given me a $25-100 gift card.

Our company had a luncheon in the cafeteria with like 5 gift basket raffles (for 40 people). I won one today. But that's it, no bonuses or anything from the executives.

Fran1985

I'm really surprised to see so many of you give gifts to your boss. You should never gift up- I'm suprised they accept it! I feel like only gifting down is appropriate but put me in the camp of being in favor of no office gifts at all. so much pressure

theartistformerlyknownas

Well I didn't give my boss or my direct reports gifts. So there.

Fran1985

My boss got me a bottle of sparkling wine. She was like "oh its just something litt-" and I said "ITS EVERYTHING I LIKE." I was probably overly enthusiastic. happy holidays to meeee

amelisha

I just can't accept the gifts from my bosses without giving them something small in return. It's too weird. I feel weird! 

princessofgenovia

amelisha said:

I just can't accept the gifts from my bosses without giving them something small in return. It's too weird. I feel weird! 

This is why I went with Christmas cards. I wrote a nice note to each of them about how wonderful they are, how great it is to work with them, blah, blah, blah, and put a candy cane in each envelope. 

It's small but it's something and it takes away my weird feeling of "but you got me something".

pinkcow13

My bosses each gave us gifts, but not anything super major. In my old department, the most we would get is a card. At most. It is not the norm here to get your boss a gift, and we don't do anything organized in this department. I think I am just going to do my annual holiday card/candy cane thing. I do work for a major company, so it is different from a small tight knit company.

I do participate in a Secret Santa exchange though, with my work crew. There are 7 of us who are close, and most of us have worked here since we graduated, so it's a tight knit crew. A few years ago we started doing Secret Santa, and it became a tradition. We typically just set a $25 limit, and spend the night at the bar where we exchange the gifts. This year, once of the guys got an apartment a few blocks from the office, so we are going to head to his place and exchange there. Then, after having some drinks and treats, will head out to happy hour at some local bars.

JennyColada

When I worked as a store manager, I always bought food for the whole staff (holiday season is obviously very busy for us so they more than earned it). I'd get da h of my managers a card with a little note about "thanks for a successful year, looking forward to a new one!" And a $20 gift card to something good or coffee related in the mall (whatever they eat/drink often).

princessofgenovia

One of my bosses just gave me my Christmas gift cause he's out tomorrow and all next week. He got me a bottle of Jack and a bottle of Honey Jack.

Best. Present. Ever.

csuave

Growing up my dad told me that you don't buy a present for you boss but you should take your direct reports out to lunch and/or get a gift for them. 

The year I had a direct report I took him out to lunch.

The only time I bought for my bosses was when someone in the group took up a collection (this happened two times).  The one year it was annoying because the boss gave the team gift cards for $X.  Then someone on the team was like let's all chip in $X (same amount he gave us) for a gift for the boss.  It just seemed silly and designed as tit for tat. 

When I worked in a group that had an admin and an analyst some of the guys in the department took up a collection to give them cash gifts.  They were lower pay grades than everyone else and did a lot for the department.  I felt like it was appropriate to give them a gift of cash and for someone to initiate the collection.

I've had a lot of different bosses.  Some gave gifts and others did not, although both women bosses did.