If you supervised a team of office workers

[Early Bird]

what would you give them for Christmas?

[QM]

Maybe a large tin of fancy HM cookies? I don't know! Gift-giving can get pricey when it comes to working in an office. That's a scary question. You don't want to look cheap, but you want it to look nice. Since it's the thought that counts, I'd say HM cookies I guess. Just make sure not to add nuts/peanuts in case their families have allergies.

[ktsmama]

I would not buy them individual gifts. I would make a tray of delicious homemade goodies for everyone to share. This could also include fruit and cheese.

[sunshine]

I always gave generic holiday ornaments - in case there were workers that didn't celebrate Christmas.

Now, I give a $5 gift card to the coffee shop in our building.

[Greebo]

what would you give them for Christmas?

Half a day off and I'd feel ill abused for it too!.

[ml2620]

What is your budget? The best gift you can give them is definitely time, if you can give them half a day or even an extended lunch break to do some shopping or run personal errands that would be great. You could also offer a conference room and supply tape and wrapping paper so they could wrap their gifts.

At my old job we got 100 cash and a two hour lunch break to shop. Then we came back to the office for potluck snack to share our finds and wrap them up. It was awesome! Way better than the fancy Christmas party I have to go to at my current job.

[moasmom]

Half a day off and I'd feel ill abused for it too!.

A Christmas Carol references are always welcome.

So, what's the make-up of your staff? Male, female, ages? I don't really like "one size fits all" gifts, but it may get sticky to give individual gifts to staff. The closest thing to one size fits all that I have received that everyone seemed to like? Starbucks gift cards.

I've had many different managers do many different types of gifts, but I will say up front, that I don't expect a gift in work environments.

I think baking something and presenting it on a nice tray specifically for your team (rather than just putting it in the lunchroom) is a really nice gesture.

A handwritten card showing appreciation for the year's work is a very nice gesture.

Kara

[Contrary Housewife]

If there weren't too many of them, a $10 gift card to a local eatery or coffee shop.

I like the idea of a half day off, if it's within your power to do so, but not as the sole "gift". Maybe combine it with a lunchtime holiday party where you contribute some or all of the food. Then folks are free to leave after the eats.

My husband has brought home various office gifts over the years. Tins of cookies, candy, mugs, a cheese knife and cutting board, and gift cards.

[Libby]

How many do you supervise? Theres a huge difference between 5 and 50. How well do you know them?

Treats always go over well, boxed chocolates - the fancier kind if its in the budget. My one boss bought us each a box of 3 truffles - the super indulgent 1000 calorie kind so 3 was more then enough.

[nodmicks]

A gift card is always simple and appreciated. A bottle of wine. Anything but a tin of popcorn!

[gottadance]

Yes, time off is always appreciated, but it depends on whether this gift is from you or the company. If you want to give them a end of year gift - I would be very cautious and keep it generic - no Christmas references unless you know every one of them celebrates Christmas.

I have three staff members and I know they all celebrate Christmas. I'm giving them each a nice scented candle and an ornament. I got the ornaments for .50 at GoodWill and the candles were free with the rebate from Menard's.

Previously I gave one staff member a bath set with candles, salts, etc. that I'd gotten from GoodWill. I gave another one pretty holiday appetizer plates - again - GoodWill.

I've gotten giftcards to Starbucks and Barnes and Noble. Last year my boss gave me some hideous tchotchke that came from the $ store. it was really ugly. But he gave gifts to the entire department since very one reports to him - that was a lot of people and could get expensive. Of course he makes big bucks, too.

I would say avoid sweets because there's so much of that at Xmas. I'd rather get a gift basket with popcorn and movie tickets; some food that I can eat that's NOT sweet.

Maybe a gift basket of spices - write: celebrate the spice of life this holiday season.

[Neeley]

DH is a CPA, working as a Supervisor of Accounting for a large company. His company already gives employees an annual bonus equal to 5- 50% of their annual salaries. With the exception of last year the company also gives each employee an additional $200 the week before Christmas. Annual bonuses are given the Tuesday before Thanksgiving and the percentage received is based on how high up the ladder you are. Everyone just refers to the bonus as a Christmas bonus.

The employees DH is supervisor of are at a 10% level, so they already get a fairly decent "gift". Instead of giving each person an individual gift, he takes them all out to lunch around the first week of December. The place they all love to go to is a meat and three, mom & pop joint where lunches are only $6/person. He takes his vacation every year from December 16-27, so I guess some may consider "the boss is away for 11 days" a gift from him, too.

Throughout the year he also brings a birthday cake on everyone's birthday.

He use to give each person a gift card to Starbucks or the movie theater, but going out to lunch is easier on the wallet.

When I was office manager for our family business, I gave all of my employees Christmas ornaments. My office consisted of 10 females (goodness how I despised working with that much estrogen, hot flashes, mood swings, and pregnancy hormones all at once ). There were a couple of males who worked the yard and I typically gave them some kind of gift box of Turtle chocolates, nuts or other snack they liked. I tried not to spend more than $6-7 per person though. Cracker Barrel is great for cute, but inexpensive holiday ornaments.

[moasmom]

If you want to give them a end of year gift - I would be very cautious and keep it generic - no Christmas references unless you know every one of them celebrates Christmas.

Thanks for bringing this up. It's very important to be considerate of others. I once had a coworker (who thought of herself as my supervisor) gift the administrative staff with Jesus ornaments with our names on them and she hung them on the office tree without asking our permission. Oh man.

I'm a live and let live sort of person with a very thick skin, but that actually offended me. I am Jewish and I know my coworker knew that. I'd only been with the company a few months and I don't like to ruffle feathers, so it took me a few days to work up to it, but I took the ornament down.

Some might say, "It's the thought that counts" when it comes to gifts, but I am fairly certain there was no thought involved in that situation.

Kara

[monkeywrangler71]

It really depends on who the gift is from - you or the company.

I wouldn't want a gift of 'stuff' from my office, unless it was actually something picked out for me specifically for a personal occasion (like if I was having a baby, getting married, retiring, etc.) Definitely not some Christmas thing.

If it was from the company (or management/executive) either a gift card or a free lunch. If it was from an individual supervisor then some small edible gift - probably prepackaged, unless you have a homemade specialty that you know people want.

People really just want to feel appreciated. A card with a personal, sincere, message thanking them for their contribution will mean more than the gift.

[dinah]

i would just like a gift card to a coffee shop or a book store or a department store.