Gift giving

[VictorR]

Caution: I would check with your supervisor with regards to your company policies on this sort of thing.

I am in health care, and this is a big "no no". What we politely and tactfully say, is if you (the patient or family member) want to show gratitude by bringing in a gift, it has to be for the team, not the individual. In our case, people may bring in boxes of donuts or bake cookies and we will have them in the break room with a note card saying who they are from, or perhaps a thank you note. My wife is a RN and she has a few of her patients that love to buy her jewelry, and it's very awkward for her to tactfully and graciously decline these gifts without insulting, and to suggest an alternative for the team.

In my experience, those that work with vulnerable / potentially vulnerable persons tend to have strict rules on gifts.

In my work (social services), the only gifts we can personally accept are items that are considered to be of "no cash value" and where it's from an organization rather than an individual - e.g. if I visit a school and give a presentation, and they gift a mug or a pen and notepad with their logo on it, that's fine.

We're not allowed to otherwise accept gifts of any sort, personally, or as a team.
So if someone brings in some cookies they baked, we would have to even more awkwardly inform the client that as much as we appreciate it, that we're not allowed personally, or as a team to accept it.

The only way such a gift could be accepted is if it's to the building (e.g. left on the reception desk and available to anyone who passes by - staff or client.

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At my last private sector job, the rule for gifts is that they were to be turned over to the company, where they were either put into our charity auctions or given away in Christmas draws.