【英语杂谈】过节给老板送礼注意事项

Are you considering adding your boss to your gift-giving list this year?

"Tread carefully," warns Jo Bennett, partner in the New York City executive search firm Battalia Winston. "It's not all that common and I think if you want to give a gift to your boss, you need to think about what's in it for you."

Here are some simple do's and don'ts to keep your holiday giving happy.今年，你考虑送老板礼物吗? 

来自Battalia Winston高级人才搜寻公司合伙人Jo Bennett说：“给老板送礼要谨慎。送老板礼物并不是一个普遍的现象。如果你希望给老板送礼物的话，你需要考虑自己有什么好处。”下面是一些简单的注意事项，它们让节日送礼成为一件愉快的事。

1、Do your homework. 准备

Buying your boss a gift is just like any other workplace project. So research the history of gift-giving in your office. 给老板买礼物就如同任何工作中的一个项目。所以，调查以往的送礼情况:

Do people give gifts to the boss? 人们(在过节)给老板送礼物吗?

If so, what kind? 如果送的话，是送哪类礼物?

Has it ever backfired for any of your coworkers, and if so, how?

曾经出现过有同事送礼后适得其反的情况吗？有的话，是如何发生的?

2、Don't make your boss uncomfortable. 不要让老板感觉不自在

Now that you know the tradition, think about why you want to give your boss a gift in the first place.

"If the answer is because you want to curry favor, I wouldn't do it," said Bennett. "The risk is that your boss will see it as trying to twist the relationship and get an advantage. You don't want to make your boss uncomfortable." 既然你了解了过去送礼习惯，下面来考虑自己到底为什么要送老板礼物。

Bennett说：“如果回答是因为你想去讨好，要我可不会送。风险在于你的老板可能把礼物看作扭曲关系真相、占便宜的行为。你可不希望让对方感觉不自在。”

3、Do be sincere. 真诚

The best reason to give your boss a gift is to thank him or her for a specific act of kindness during the year that went "above and beyond the call of duty," Bennett said.

"Maybe your boss smoothed over a particular issue you had with a customer," she suggested. "Or maybe your boss gave you some great career advice. In that case, give something small with a nice card of genuine thanks."

Bennett说,给老板送礼物最好的理由是感谢他/她在过去一年里做出过的”超出工作范围之外“的某个具体善举。她建议“也许你的老板为你解决了你与客户之间的特定问题。或者你的老板给了你某些很好的事业建议。这个情况下，送点东西并附上一张漂亮的真诚感谢的卡片”

4、Don't get personal. 不要送个人化的礼物

The worst gifts for bosses are expensive or personal, said Dallas-based business etiquette expert Colleen Rickenbacher, author of "Be on Your Best Business Behavior."

"The bottom line is always, 'Don't give something that touches the body,'" she said. Avoid clothes or perfume. Even flowers could be perceived as overly personal and start coworkers gossiping.

《展现你最佳职业行为》一书作者、来自达拉斯市的商务礼仪专家Colleen Rickenbacher说,给老板最糟糕的礼物是那些昂贵的或者个人化的礼物。

她说：“最重要的一点‘不要送和身体有接触的’”。 回避送衣服、香水。即便是花也可能被当成过于个人化、惹来同事闲谈的礼物。

5、Do cut costs. 减少成本

One of the best ways to give your boss a gift, say both Rickenbacher and Bennett, is to buy her something as a team. If each person gives $10, you can give your boss a gift certificate to her favorite restaurant or buy him a pricier gift that his assistant recommends.

That way, no one gets singled out as a brown-noser, and everyone shares the holiday spirit.

Or consider something inexpensive and consumable: jam you make at home, wine made in your garage, or cookies are all simple and genuine ways to share the holiday spirit without crossing any lines.

Rickenbacher与Bennett都认为给老板送礼的最好方法就是合伙买礼物。如果每人出10美元，你就能给老板一张最喜爱餐馆的用餐礼卡或购买某个来自老板助手推荐的价格较昂贵的礼物。

这样不会有个别人被认为是马屁精，而且人人都分享到了节日气氛。

或者，考虑不贵、可消费的东西--家中自制的果酱；自家车库中酿的红酒、或甜饼，这些都是简简单单而地道的分享节日气氛而不会越界的方法。

6、Don't treat your boss like family. 不要像家人一样对待老板

"If someone in your family gives you a gift, you better give one back," said Bennett. "But it's different in an office."

Don't feel the need to reciprocate if your boss gives you something. At worst, Rickenbacher said rushing to respond with a gift could end up looking like an afterthought.

"All you have to do when you receive a gift is show appreciation," she said, "and follow up with a thank-you note."

“如果有家人给你一份礼物，你最好回送一份礼物，但是在办公室里却不同。”

如果老板给你某样东西，不要感到有必要回送礼物。Rickenbacher说，一个最糟糕的情况是，匆忙还礼会看起来就像你是后来才想到的。

她说：“当收到老板的一份礼物后，要做的一切只是表达感激，然后送一张感谢卡片。”