Last Updated on July 16, 2022 by Mary J. Grice
How to Choose a Birthday Present for Your Boss: Bosses are people too, and like everyone else, they celebrate their name days. For subordinates, the boss’s birthday is a great occasion to show their attitude, gain favor, or even show appreciation for their skillful leadership.
The situation with a present on this occasion is much simpler: neither the nature of the gift nor its size in monetary terms is regulated. In most foreign countries, the amount for which a gift is purchased for the boss is strictly limited.
How to Choose a Birthday Present for Your Boss
Before you start choosing a presentation, you should cut off those not suitable options in this situation, although they are not bad in themselves. There is a whole list of easily presented items to loved ones, but it would be inappropriate for a boss to buy such.
These include such things as bed linen, perfumery and hygienic products (shampoos, razors, deodorants), comic gifts (unless there is a firm belief that the meaning will be interpreted correctly), items of clothing (except for ties, neckerchiefs, and scarves ), pets.
The list of gifts that are not recommended to be presented also includes watches: this is associated with certain superstitions and hints at the transience of life, reminding you of the frailty of existence. A serious approach to choosing a gift assumes that it is ahead of time. If you take care of this in advance, you can choose a present with more excellent care, use regular stores for purchase, and online trade, where the range is even more comprehensive.
If everything is postponed until the last moment, you may have to limit yourself to a standard stationery set or a similar faceless item. The approach to choosing an offering is determined by several factors: the personality of the leader himself, his hobbies, preferences, and habits, as well as the style adopted in the company he manages.
Thus, as they say, a boss who is with subordinates “on a short leg” is more likely to receive a more emotional or personal presentation than a stern boss, whose formal style makes more appropriate a traditional gift with nothing to do with his character.
A wide scope of action is given to those subordinates whose boss has some hobby: fishing, hunting, or, perhaps, a dacha with a bathhouse. In this case, the only thing required is to be aware of the chef’s hobby and know what else he would like in this lesson. In this case, spinning, some bath accessories, hunting equipment – everything that will successfully complement the leader’s hobby can come up.
However, when choosing a gift, you should not cross some boundaries and forget that this is not a colleague, but a chef; that is, the gift should be original and moderately business. Gifts for smokers are a separate story.
They can be presented as a handmade cigarette case, a rare variety of tobacco, packed in a decorative wrapper, a mouthpiece, a pipe. An original design ashtray with natural stone inlay, a beautiful light, or even a hookah will look impressive.
According to many, making a gift for a lady is even easier than for a man, and a woman leader will not be an exception in this regard. She will also like an interesting picture, a stylish statuette, and a strict stationery set. Still, this list can also be supplemented with a chic bouquet, a houseplant, or a beautiful vase, which is more appropriate to present to the fair sex.
Gifts Universal
A present for a boss can be presented both individually and collectively. The latter option is much more common – so it becomes possible to organize a more reliable and expensive offering. There are both traditional gifts, customary to buy for such an occasion, and original or focused on a particular person’s habits and hobbies. Also, gifts can be gender-oriented or universal and suitable for both men and women.
It is somewhat easier to find a universal gift; it does not require such deep immersion in the topic. There is another danger: it may well happen that such a present has already been presented earlier, and the current gift will take its place in the line of vases or corporate gifts.
Picture
The choice of this option provides ample opportunities: knowing the leader’s tastes, you can choose the canvas in accordance with them. Abstraction, classics, avant-garde – all this will be appropriate if the painting’s direction is correctly determined.
The order of a portrait of the birthday man will look somewhat obsequious, but it all depends on the specific case. It’s not bad if the picture matches the tastes of the donee and the decor in his office: there will delight both the birthday person and his visitors, forcing them to distract themselves and relax for a few minutes during the working day.
Cake
It can serve as both the most incredible gift and a modest addition unless customary in the given team that the birthday person himself is involved in this part. A large multi-tiered cake, baked to order, will be a great gift, regardless of the birthday person’s age and gender.
Portfolio
A business portfolio – expensive, made of good leather, classic design – will be an excellent gift for both a man and a woman leader. It will be especially useful for practical people who like any present to be useful and not collect dust on the shelf.
Stationery Set
This does not mean an ordinary organizer from a stationery store, but more reliable and expensive products, for example, such as a pen holder made of natural stone or a pen from a good company that will serve as a souvenir rather than for practical purposes.
TV
Of course, it is worth presenting such a gift for the boss’s office only if the team is 100% sure that they just wanted to purchase this piece of household appliances for their office and not distract them from work.
Gifts-jokes
For the most part, gifts with a playful orientation are not recommended to be given to the boss; however, if the manager maintains an informal communication style and seeks to close the distance between himself and his subordinates, it is possible to present an object from this category. It can be a tabletop punching bag, a bath hat with a playful inscription, or other appropriate product in this case.
Interior Items
For the most part, this category of things focuses on the boss’s office and is matched to the style in which it is furnished. It can be a floor vase, decorative panel, figurine, or decorative composition. Some bosses like to have relaxation items in their office, such as a small fountain or a massage chair.
In this area, ashtrays or alcohol kits with brand symbols, globe bars, sailboat models, and other similar items are suitable. The gift industry is developing quite rapidly, providing ample opportunities for choosing any present.
Gift for a Male Boss
As in many similar cases, it should be based on the personality of the chief. A homely teetotaler is unlikely to appreciate expensive alcohol in a gift box. Still, he will cheerfully accept some brazier or power tool for working in the country, which became known thanks to incredibly attentive colleagues. Small gifts will suit a tie, a pin for him or an exclusive lighter (of course, if the boss smokes), a branded mug, a barometer on the wall, souvenir chess, or backgammon.
Gift for a Woman Boss
In general, as mentioned above, it is no more difficult to find gifts for women boss than for men. There is some specificity in this matter: for example, a lady can be presented with just a large and expensive bouquet or sweets (if, of course, she is not an opponent of this case). Don’t give away such undoubtedly useful things as kitchen utensils or fitness membership, as this can be misinterpreted and even offend the birthday girl.
Jewelry (both silver and gold), personal accessories from the field of cosmetics, and gifts that emphasize masculinity will be inappropriate, even if the leader adheres to a strict and rigid style of work.
Many women will be pleased to receive antiques or favorite books in a rare or unique edition, handicrafts, and items related to her hobby as a birthday present. Scented lamps, miniature gardens, some types of souvenir products may be appropriate.
Final Thought
Okay, this is perhaps one of the most suitable gift options, since all this is so individual that there are almost no universal recommendations on this matter. Well, if you don’t know what to give your boss, you can always throw off the team and donate money.
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