How do you deal with corporate gifts to employees?
February 10, 2010
Employees often ask me what they should do if a client or supplier sends them a gift or offers them tickets to an event. Whilst corporate gifts are often a positive way for companies to show their appreciation for each other, it can sometimes cause difficulty for employers when trying to ascertain where to draw the line on allowing employees to accept gifts.
A good way to deal with this is a policy of open communication, and taking each case individually. There should be a section in the employee handbook that explains what employees should do or who they should tell in the event of being sent a gift or offered an event by a client or supplier. This does not mean that they will not be allowed to accept the gift, but management can decide if this is fair under the circumstances, and whether the company is willing to accept the gift. This is particularly important in relation to bribes; as there may be clients that attempt to gain additional favour through an unwitting employee, or an employee may end up feeling indebted to a client following a particularly generous gift. This could expose the organisation to risk.
Another good idea in relation to gifts is to pool them and raffle them off or use them as some sort of reward for high performing employees. In my organisation we have often held a raffle at Christmas with all the bottles of wine, whisky and sherry that have been sent in.
As long as there is a policy of openness and honesty in relation to corporate gifts, then there should be no problem in receiving them and the practice of companies acknowledging each other and the people that work for them can continue to be a positive tool.
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