In the past,I would buy my boss monkey stuff,as she collected monkeys. Now that she's gone and a former coworker was promoted,I am hoping to get away with NOTHING. When he was just a coworker,I would get him a gallon of mayo. It was partly a joke,but he was thrilled with it. He eats mayo on everything,and I do mean everything. One day he was dipping Oreos into a bowl of it like it was chips and dip.

The whole reason my small department exchanged gifts was because of a former coworker who INSISTED on buying us gifts, and so of course we all felt obligated to get her something,and also felt obligated to get everyone else something. But this year, that coworker quit,our boss passed away, and the dynamic is completely different with 2 new employees. I'm hoping this is the year we can establish a no gift tradition. If not, another gallon of mayo it is.

Nothing. I was told by a the coworker I replaced when I moved into this position that we are not required to buy any gifts.. So I haven't bought anything. Plus my managers change like the wind, so I never know who the next person is going to be. I also don't expect anything from them either.

I'm the boss and I'm not sure what I want to buy myself yet. :-))))

I never used to buy gifts for my bosses/supervisors. Instead I would bring in a big tray of cookies for everyone (bosses and co-workers) to enjoy.

My former boss insisted on me not buying him anything, but he'd give me something, usually a generous gift card. Unfortunately he retired and the new boss is not generous at all. So, we get each other nothing.

Never got the boss anything.

Generally, I don't buy my boss a gift. If I am given one, I am gracious and thankful - if not, no big deal. I do usually bring in treats to share around this time of year.

This is going to sound weird but my boss lives on the other side of the state from me and we’ve never met in person, so I’m not getting her anything, but I do have clients that I’ve become good friends with so I’ll probably bring each office a plate of treats or something.

We do not exchange gifts at work so nothing for the boss.

Every business advise column I’ve ever read states that gifts only “flow down” in the company hierarchy, not up the chain of authority. A recent AskAManager.org column explained it best: The rule exists because of the power dynamics and pay discrepancies in the boss/employee relationship. An employee might feel pressured to purchase gifts for a manager and it's unseemly for managers to benefit from power dynamics that way.

In all of my years of working, I never once gave a December gift to anyone at work.

Nothing. He buys his employees a Christmas card: those ones where you get 100 for $10. So that's about all he gets from me too. Besides, he gets paid double what I do, so I can't afford to buy him a gift.

Since we do get a $1000 bonus and dinner out for Christmas each year, you bet we get him a nice gift. Usually nothing personal, more work related. He could buy anything he wants so it really doesn't matter what we get him but he always acts like he appreciates whatever we get him. This year it is a new briefcase, the one he has is starting to show a lot of wear. It lets him know we appreciate him and that we are paying attention. He is a good boss.

I’ve only ever given small, low monetary value gifts when I was the boss. Never ever have gifted up the ladder and wouldn’t.

When I worked in the factory, I'd collect $5 from everyone and buy the foreman and our supervisor (head of our department) a gift. Our foreman was a drummer and I got him a new snare, sticks, etc. Another year I put together a car wash kit (bucket, shammy, shampoo, soft wash mitt etc etc). I also got our supervisor a gift certificate for a weekend away for him and his wife. It was a joint gift, not from me personally, even though I did the shopping.

I buy one of my bosses a gift because, ultimately, I report directly to them. There is another in-between, but they're the one with whom I do my actual work. And there's only one of me. The in-between person gives me a gift, but I don't give them one. I assume the in-between doesn't give my ultimate a gift, but gives their ultimate a gift. There can be many reasons to gift up the ladder, but within a hierarchy, it can be confusing!

I am the newbie here, but I do wish we could do away with this practice.

Mayo and Oreos? Blech. My grandmother used to love peanut butter sandwiches with mayo.

I believe Christmas gifts should be limited to family and very close friends (and primarily the kids). Gift giving is not the point of the season. I would never give a boss or any coworkers a Christmas gift unless they were also close personal friends and then I would do so away from the workplace. Giving a Christmas gift to every Tom, Dick and Harry you come into contact with on a routine basis over the course of the year is just too much, IMO.

However, I do believe in sharing any homemade Christmas goodies - cookies, candies, sweet breads, etc. - and would bring in a plate with enough for all my coworkers to share.

" I do believe in sharing any homemade Christmas goodies - cookies, candies, sweet breads, etc. - and would bring in a plate with enough for all my coworkers to share."

That is exactly what I do for hubbys workplace......

Our office within a large organization, did a pollyanna kind of thing. I hated it. My former boss was always buying us gifts for birthdays, took us out for a nice lunch. It made me feel indebted to her and then I'd run out and buy something for her which I am sure she never used. I never used anything she gave me, either. Once she gave me bookends so I used them in my office. When I left, I left them there.

Love being my own boss now!

I agree, gardengal. I am increasingly disgusted with the buy, buy, gimme, gimme season that we have grown accustomed to in the United States. Where is the original meaning of the holiday? (No flashing lights, winking snowmen, Santas, or candy canes on my front porch. A simple winter arrangement at the door and a nativity scene in the yard is ample for me.)

Years ago I bought my boss a birthday gift and a Christmas gift. He was very uncomfortable receiving them, so I stopped. But he usually gave me a gift card for Christmas. That was fine with me. He was an old-fashioned authoritarian figure and I'm a female, younger than him, so I think that had something to do with it.

Serious? I don't give my boss a gift, and my direct reports don't give me a gift. I wouldn't expect it. Every once in awhile the leader two levels up from me will give everyone at my level a gift (last year it was a S'Well refillable bottle), but I never expect anything. The Officer in Charge of our office hosts a very nice post-holiday dinner party for us in January.

We do a "Crazy Santa" in the office, but that's a voluntary, fun thing.

About 17 ... or 18 ... years retired ...

... I'm the only boss I have - and, with a house filled with "stuff" - I ain't bought myself nuthin'.

o j

Too soon to think about Christmas his birthday is Friday!! I am soooo excited, I spent a lot of my summer break making him a book on Shutterfly. The program he developed and we run at the high school is 10 years old this year and he is a memories kind of guy. I don't know if I can stand the wait!!

Why would I buy my boss a gift? I don't give gifts because I'm supposed to or feel obligated. That's not in the spirit of gift-giving - "I'll give you one if you give me one."

I worked for the federal govt, where gift-giving up the ladder was not only against the rules, no one did it! The only exception was for life-time events like wedding showers or baby showers. For those occasions it was okay to give your supervisor (male or female) a modest gift. I don't remember if the dollar limit was $10 or $20, but that was adhered to also.

There are two bosses in my house. I bought a telescoping magnet for the other boss. He drops tools and such in the river on occasion when he is working at the dock. Hopefully this magnet will help him retrieve the dropped tool. I think the other boss (me) is getting an electric stove heater for the garden room.

Not a damn thing!