We’re just on the other side of Thanksgiving and bingo!  Here we go.  The office parties, Yankee swaps, white elephant exchanges, Secret Santa’s and other saccharine holiday cheer. Oh boy.

Nah, I’m not a Scrooge.  I really do love the holidays – all of ‘em.  You name it:  Alban Arthuan, Christmas, Eid-al-adha, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Rohatsu, Soyal, Yule, etc., and I’m happy to celebrate.  I’m an equal opportunity celebrator. 

 [BTW, if you don’t know what all these holidays are, scroll down to the bottom of the post for their meaning.]  

The month of December, or really the winter season, has a lot of holidays because many of them are linked in some way to the winter solstice.  Interpretation varies worldwide, but most cultures have some sort of recognition of birth and rebirth involving celebrations, gift giving, and general merry making.

Jennifer Grasz of CareerBuilder points out in the December 8^th PRNewswire that “the economic scrooge may be loosening its grip on holiday cheer as employers indicate their intent to offer more holiday bonuses, parties, and gifts than last year.”  Surveying over 2,600 employers in early September, CareerBuilder found out that:

• “Thirty-three percent of employers plan to give a holiday bonus this year, up from 29% in 2009.  Only 9% say they won’t be giving a bonus this year, down from 12% last year.
• More than half of the employers surveyed (52%) are planning a holiday party, up from 49% in 2009, and 29% plan to give holiday gifts (up from 26%).
• Twenty-five percent of employees say they plan to buy holiday gifts for co-workers this year, with 86% planning to spend less than $25.  Twenty-two percent plan to buy their boss a gift…”

As great as it is to get into the holiday spirit and spread some cheer, along with the hoopla comes the anxiety, sweat and tears because you’ve got to give gifts – and giving gifts at the office can be as  hazardous as that fourth or fifth glass of eggnog at the annual party. 

And then there’s the horrifying tales of the suck-up gift, the obvious re-gift, the totally inappropriate gag gift…you see where’s I’m going with this.

Sure, it’s important to give gifts during the holidays; it’s a great way to say thank you to those who have helped you throughout the year.  They just need to be meaningful and appropriate.  So, go get your gift-radar in gear and keep those eyes and ears open for some good ideas.

In the spirit of the season, here’s some thoughts to help you in your office giving protocol…one of my holiday de-stressing gifts to you!

First of all, get ideas for great gifts from the gift-getters themselves.  Everyone loves receiving that small something that shows true interest and thoughtfulness.

And speaking of small, don’t spend more than what the IRS usually allows, which is no more than $25.

If you’re “up-gifting” or giving a gift to your boss, be careful not to appear as if you are brown nosing.  Give something that relates to the person’s interests or hobbies.  When in doubt, make a donation to the person’s favorite charity or give a nice engraved pen.  Or better yet – don’t give a gift by yourself; make it a group gift with your colleagues. 

Don’t give alcohol unless you know if the person likes it or drinks it.  Careful here, it may be against company policy.  Do some gourmet food instead.

Whatever you do, make sure you don’t assume the folks in your office crib share your tastes – tickets to the Monster Truck rally are just not for everyone.

And no gifts that even appear to be a gag or too personal.  That’s a no-no to Chia-pets, snuggies, toilet mugs, antlers, light up hats, or anything to do with politics.  Same goes for too personal things, such as lingerie, underwear, jewelry, perfume or cologne.  Yes, Will Farrell’s elf tights fall into this category.

Oh, and no funny t-shirts either, that say something brilliant as “I sue therefore I am” or “computer programmers don’t byte, they nibble a bit” or “accountants do it by the numbers.”

Flowers and plants are good; unless the person is allergic.  And be careful giving if you know the person has a house pet.  Many holiday plants are toxic  to dogs, cats, and birds.  You don’t want to give the biological gift that keeps on giving right on the living room rug, so unless you know, stay away from  poinsettias, mistletoe, holly, lilies, daffodils, and ivy.

Nothing should be given that could possibly be misconstrued.  Think gift certificate for the newest diet craze book, coaching tapes for the type A personality…you get the picture.

And finally, if your boss or a co-worker gives you a gift, it’s not necessary to give one in return unless you want to.  Most folks give gifts without the expectation of receiving one in return.  What you do need to do though, is show your gratitude by sending a thank you note to him or her. 

Sincere appreciation.  That’s the best gift of all.  

Happy December!

Alban Arthuan - celebrating transformation; the Sun God’s journey through the underworld to learn the secrets of death and life and to bring out those souls to be reincarnated. [Druidism]

Christmas – celebrating the birth of Yeshua of Nazareth, better known as Jesus Christ. [Christian]

Eid-al-Adha - celebrating Ibrahim’s willingness to sacrifice his son, Ishmael, at the behest of God. [Muslim]

Hanukkah/Festival of Lights – a celebration of the successful revolution against the suppression of the Jewish religion by Antiochus and the restoration of the menorah to the temple where it miraculously burned for eight days. [Judiaism]

Kwanzaa – celebrating collective ideals such as responsibility, self-determination; cooperation, purpose; creativity, faith and unity.  Meaning ‘first fruits’, Kwanzza is based on the ancient harvest festival of Africa. [African American and Pan-African]

Rohatsu/Bodhi Day  – celebrating the enlightenment of the Buddha in 596 BCE. [Buddhist]

Soyal – celebrating the return of  the Sun and the rebirth of life. [Native American]

Holiday Horrors and Other Gifts Gone Bad is a post from: The HR Whisperer

Read a great article in the February 2010 edition of FAST COMPANY magazine about Volkswagen’s “drive to succeed in America.” 

1968 VW ad photo courtesy of www.thinkingouttabox.com

Tough stuff.  America that is. 

By the way, how many beans do you think are in that car? (The answer is at the end of this post…) 

Anyway, the article caught my eye as I grew up in a Volkswagen household, so nicknamed “King Gee” for our old 1968 VW bus noise which made a “king-gee, king-gee” sound as the engine turned over (which was great to fall asleep to as kids laying on top of the engine, which was in the back of the vehicle in those days) and subsequently turned into an adult user with three VWs to my name before I jumped the Autobahn to Honda. 

Why Honda, you ask?  

Because it met my needs. 

More from the FAST COMPANY article: 

“Volkswagen, originally a beloved, albeit quirky, counterculture brand, has never seemed to fully grasp the American market. When Jacoby took over the U.S. operation in 2007, Volkswagen (including Audi) was clinging to a 2% share of the U.S. market, down from 7% during its Beetle heyday in the 1970s. (VW is now at nearly 2.9% — a significant increase, but slightly less than Hyundai’s market-share jump from 2.9% to 4.3% during the same period.) The dealer network was in disrepair, fatigued by shipment delays, product complaints, and a confusing and occasionally short-lived parade of brands. The German reputation for design and engineering excellence sometimes came across to distributors as arrogance: You will accept the perfect cars we give you, not the rolling living rooms you ask for. Except the cars weren’t always perfect, especially for Americans…” 

Guess when I switched brands – you got it, 2007. 

What I take from this article is that in order to get Americans to drink the VW bug juice (yes, pun intended!), Volkswagen automakers have to recognize and meet their needs.  I don’t know about you, but I spend a TON of time in my car and so my car needs to (a) have a place for my diet Coke, (b) have a trunk big enough to load four deck chairs, six backpacks, 20 towels, two 20-packs of Gatorade and enough protein bars to feed a swarm of hungry swimmers, (c) have a decent air conditioning system so my drive is cool and comfortable, and (d) be sturdy enough to not have to be in the shop every other month.  Oh, and I forgot – be AFFORDABLE.

But I digress – those are my needs, not all Americans. 

Back to the story.  I’m reading this article and it got me thinking about recognition and meeting needs.  And making the leap – doesn’t recognition need to meet employee’s needs for it to be effective?  You bet. 

Various motivational theories tell us that all people have different degrees of need for acceptance, approval, and appreciation.  It’s up to the supervisor to figure out what those degrees of need are and craft a individual recognition plan that will compliment recognition provided from an organizational perspective.  For example, a 2007 survey conducted by  Accountemps found that a simple thank you wins over most employees.  They also found that 35% of workers and 30% chief financial officers cited frequent recognition of accomplishments as the most effective nonmonetary reward, followed by regular communication (20% for employees and 36% for CFOs).  

Now, notice the difference in the statistics – CFOs appear to have less need for frequent recognition of accomplishments, but a higher need for regular communication.  So, would a CFO care to be told everyday that the he/she is doing a great job?  Maybe….or maybe not.  It depends on the individual. 

Here’s three things to consider when giving recognition to individual employees: 

1. Recognition it must be respectful, timely and attached to a specific goal achievement or outcome. Not everyone likes goofiness and sometimes goofiness can overpower the intent of the recognition. Reminds me of when my sister-in-law hired a singing gorilla to sing to my brother at their wedding reception. Totally true story.  Goal? Check.  Timely?  Check. Respectful?   No check. The guy was thrilled mortified.
2. Keep recognition as a mix between public and private.  Some people just love, love, love jumping on a stage to receive their kudos.  Others don’t.  The occasional recognition in the boss’s office can pack just as much punch as an announcement in the company newsletter.  Find out from the employee what they prefer.  One of my favorites is a hand written thank you note.  I still have one note from an employee of mine who told me I was the best supervisor she ever had.  I treasure that thing.
3. Ensure you have a balance between formal and informal recognition.  Not only is it good practice, but it helps to meet a broad range of needs.  Cost can be an issue for formal programs, but there are many inexpensive ways to recognize service anniversaries, employee of the month, etc.  Check out the cool ideas, here, here, and here.

So, how did I get from Volkswagens to recognition?  Oh yes, it’s all about recognizing and meeting needs.  Once I’m done hauling Gatorade and towels, I think my next car is going to be a VW Bug!

And how many beans did you say?   There are 1,612,462 beans in the bus – gotta love their advertising!

Volkswagen and the Leap to Recognition is a post from: The HR Whisperer