If you are thinking to yourself, should I get my boss a Christmas gift? The answer is no, no and, I repeat, a big fat no! Except that sometimes the answer is a maybe and sometimes it can even be a yes.
Ok, let me ‘splain Lucy. Let’s face it; no one really wants to buy their boss a Christmas gift. You don’t really like your boss all that much because, well, he’s the one that just keeps piling the work on you. And then you’re supposed to spend your hard-earned cash on a gift for him? I don’t think so. In my opinion, if anyone is going to buy gifts, it should be the bosses buying for the employees. I really think gift-giving in general is way over the top in most organizations and mostly unnecessary. However, it can be a nice way for a boss to show appreciation for his employees. Preferable the gift is a nice, big cash bonus but smaller gifts are certainly nice too.
There are times though when you do have a great relationship with your boss and you do want to show some extra appreciation to him with a Christmas gift. Heck, you may even love your boss! In these cases, you may want to spring for a Christmas gift as a gesture. If you are part of team that works under the same boss, it’s usually best to stick to group gifts from all of you. You don’t want to appear to be trying to score brownie points or be a brown-nose. Even if it is a group gift, keep it on the small side and preferably something that the boss can use at the office.
In the end, I guess what I am saying is anything goes but you should bear in mind both the culture of the organization and the relationship you have with your boss before you decide Christmas gift or no Christmas gift?
Happy shopping, or not!