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If you’re an office goer, chances are you’ve taken part in Secret Santa’s very Christmasy gift drive or are about to. While giving is never an easy task, even when it comes to the people you know, you navigate to Secret Santa workplace is more difficult. What if you’re stuck with someone you don’t like? What if you give your boss a gift? Here are three examples, and how to deal with them, with a touch of humor thrown in for good measure.
The colleague you don’t really like gets:
* Give a complicated puzzle of 5000 pieces as a gift. They will undoubtedly be scratching their heads
*A Rubik’s cube along with a note asking them to solve it within a certain time frame
*A diary, if they always complain, with something printed on the cover that makes it clear that they want to express their complaints in the diary, rather than at work. But be subtle
*If this colleague is a gossiper, a mug with the text “tea is not always to be spilled” can be a genius gift
One time I had to give a gift to a colleague who hadn’t been nice to me since the day I joined. I didn’t want to spend money to buy her something, so I just gave her something I already had
A marketing professional, who did not want to be named
For the colleague you hardly know:
*You can’t go wrong with a food basket, or just chocolates. Keep it simple because you never know when there will be dietary restrictions
*Fun games such as Jenga, Uno Reverse and Taboo make for a neutral gift. When your colleague uses it, especially if he or she likes to organize parties, he or she will thank you!
*It can be a nice gesture to gift a houseplant to put on their desk as most plants have symbolic meaning
*If it’s someone new, give the gift of a curated welcome basket filled with goodies like snacks, stationary items that might come in handy, and a welcome note with some helpful details about your workplace
Gift for the boss: 101
*Do chai and your boss go hand in hand? Or are they someone who grabs a cup of coffee as soon as they walk into the office? Think of an insulated cup or a mug warmer that could be their best friend in the office
*Did they talk about reading a book that just came out, or did a particular diner come up during conversations? Order that meal or that book, because there really can’t be anything wrong with that
*A wellness bundle that screams relaxation
*If your manager is a fitness freak, loves to cook and gets food for everyone every now and then, gift him something related to his or her hobby
Do’s and don’ts:
*Do ask for a budget
*Try to know something about the recipient, rather than assume
*Be grateful when you receive the gift, even if you don’t like it
*Do not force participation
* Don’t play pranks
*Don’t give anything that goes over budget
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