Monday, December 22, 2008

Holiday Politics

This is my first holiday season amongst the ranks of the corporate world. And while my company's flat corporate culture should ease the stress surrounding work holidays, I still haven't been able to grasp the slight politics that I'm sure are lurking somewhere.

Who do I give gifts to?
Should I even be giving gifts? This was one of the first questions I asked, and it turns out in my office, gifts usually come from the top down (or from publishers who send us swag in exchange for more business). That means that I should be waiting for my bosses to show their appreciation. But does it end there? What if I want to give my bosses presents to show my gratitude? How do I do it so that I don't seem like a sycophant? Should I even attempt such a thing? There's no way to keep anything secret from my coworkers when it comes to handing out goods of any kind, so perhaps I should avoid giving things all together.

I did end up with a final solution for this. I handed everyone on my team a holiday card with a candy cane. I'd like to think I was humble for barely mentioning the fact that it was actually I who drew the cards, but really I just couldn't think of a way to tell anyone without sounding like I was bragging or hoping for extra brownie points.

What genre of gift can I buy?
Eventually there does come the exchange of gifts, most often through a Secret Santa or a White Elephant. This year it was a White Elephant. Had I had more time, I would have found some office-appropriate, such as something off http://www.iliketotallyloveit.com/. But of course I end up procrastinating on something like this, and I'm left to my own brick and mortar resources. I settled for purchasing a comedic book - a rather neutral gift. And to avoid being boring and being thought of as run-of-the-mill, I put a twist to the wrapping and covered the book in many many layers of newspaper. I gotta say, watching someone unwrap about 20 layers of newspaper really made my day.

Other good gifts - Chia pets. Massager. Things you'd frugally never get your self but always had hoped to own. Office Space references are too cliche.

What gifts can I accept, and how am I going to repay the favor?
Inevitably there comes a time when someone wants to offer you a gift. Luckily I have not yet been put in a situation that compromised any sort of ethics. Getting treated to lunch now and then seems harmless in my mind, especially if my whole team is going, and especially since I don't decide where the money goes. I can't influence who gets what money, and I don't believe that accepting a gratis lunch now and then is so terrible.

But, there are also times when the gift is so extravagant that it becomes inappropriate. A couple of years ago, one of my coworkers received a $400 watch from a vendor. Clearly something like that cannot be accepted without the receiver feeling obligated to give something back in exchange, whether that's an equally expensive gift or the promise to spend more money in the future.

Since I'm just starting out and barely at a position where I need to be pampered to sweeten business deals, I haven't had to deal with anything of the sort. I just graciously accepted my free lunches and the bottle of Bordeaux from my boss, and then went back to work.

I sure hope I acted appropriately. Actions during the holiday season influence what people think of you well into the new year. I really hope I'm not coming off as just someone ungrateful and full of demands.

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