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Important consistency musts for gift giving in workplace. by Perkal

 Giving gifts to the people you work with and those who make your business tick is a subtle art, according to etiquette and marketing experts. Pick the wrong gift or the wrong recipient, and you could do more harm than good.

"Giving gifts is always a good way to say thank you to people who have supported you throughout the year, but you do have to be careful,'' said professional etiquette instructor Catherine Holloway. "There are a different set of rules for gift giving in the professional world.''

Give it some thought

If this is your first holiday season with your company, start by checking around for any policies about giving gifts to co-workers and bosses. Ms. Holloway, who runs Cleveland-based Etiquette Consulting Service, said some companies have policies prohibiting employees from giving their boss a gift because it can be seen as brown-nosing.

Small items that can be used in day-to-day work are the top gift selections for co-workers, said Jennifer Meczka, manager of the Strongsville Things Remembered. She said business people often select quality pens, desk clocks and frames engraved with a personalized message as well as tote bags for their co-workers.

Fine fountain pens and leather planners and portfolios are the hot picks this year at Cleveland Trunk Co., according to corporate supervisor Theresa Paterniti, who said most of the people coming in to purchase gifts for the boss are doing so with pooled money.

"Employees are putting their money together so they can get something more expensive like a nice briefcase with the corporate logo on it,'' Ms. Paterniti said.

Chocolate remains a favorite among holiday presents. Few can resist candy or fudge or caramel pretzels, and these treats are available in an array of baskets, tins and boxes.

Holiday cards - with a personal note and signature, yet devoid of any religious affiliation - are always appropriate when it comes to recognizing office mates and managers at the end of the year.

"A nice thank you message inside a card can be powerful,'' Ms. Holloway said. "And if you are mailing cards to the person's home address, which you should be, there's no need to send them to everyone at the office.''

The best gift, of course, is a thoughtful one. Sending chocolate to a diabetic or an expensive bottle of wine to a non-drinker smacks of apathy. Consider not only gender and age of the recipient, but hobbies and interests. If a supervisor likes to play golf, for example, a golf shirt and sleeve of golf balls would be a thoughtful gift.

Forget the ham

Brian Powers, CEO of Caxton Growth Partners, a marketing consulting firm in Cleveland, said the practice of firms giving holiday gifts to all employees has largely been replaced by performance-based bonuses.

"Instead of spending $10,000 on holiday hams, companies are now using that money for things like spot bonuses given throughout the year to the people who are doing really great things,'' Mr. Powers said.

"Or some companies have a bonus structure that rewards employees if the company does well. But, since most companies are sensitive to the religious nature of the holidays, these are not considered holiday gifts.''

At Mayfield Village-based insurer Progressive Corp., spokesman Shawn Fergus said the company's end-of-the-year "gain-sharing'' checks are based on the company's growth and profitability and have nothing to do with holiday giving.

As for cards, gifts and other holiday acknowledgements, Mr. Fergus said that's left up to the individual employee.

Customer satisfaction

Caxton's Mr. Powers said many businesses are finding the resources this year to invest in "thank you'' gifts for clients and customers.

Akron's InfoCision Management Corp., for example, will dole out leather-covered road atlases embossed with its corporate logo this year.

For Phillip Stella, who operates a training business called Effective Training & Communication Inc. out of his Mayfield home, the typical client gift is a popcorn tin from the Humphrey Co. in Warrensville Heights.

"It's a good product, and it shows that I am supporting a local business,'' he said.

Mr. Powers tells his client companies to be appropriate, memorable and consistent with their customer gift giving.

Since people get tons of gifts in December, consider getting your present there the day after Thanksgiving, he said.

And, whatever you do this year, make sure it's something you can match next year. "People will remember and will expect something just like it next year,'' Mr. Powers said. One final rule, etiquette expert Ms. Holloway said, is to include a handwritten note with your gift that includes a personal sentiment. And, when possible, deliver the entire package by hand for maximum effect.

This article was published on Saturday 30 June, 2007.

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