I have received business gifts – should I keep them?
A salesman has recently given me two gifts. Last month it was a $50 gift certificate to a favorite coffee shop and just this week I received a beautiful sweater sent to my home address. I have already used the gift certificate and the sweater is perfect, but now I’m having second thoughts. Should I return the sweater (with a new gift certificate)?
Your question is legitimate and deals with the ethical side of business which can sometimes be rather difficult to quantify.
In your case, however, it has also become incrementally perplexing because the first gift – the gift certificate – probably seemed reasonable to accept as a way of saying “thanks.”
The sweater, though, is something more personal, even intimate, and the fact the salesman had it delivered to your home would suggest he didn’t want it to be revealed to others at the office.
In accepting the sweater would you be taking the relationship with the salesman to a different level? Does he have feelings for you and the sweater is a symbol of this affection?
In any case, it is important to realize that as an employee, your first responsibility is to the company, not yourself. Any benefits you may receive as a purchaser of services should therefore accrue to your employer.
So, yes, you should return and sweater and you may also purchase a gift certificate of equivalent value which you could present to him at the same time.
I’d recommend you simply give him the sweater and gift certificate with minimal explanation. Refer to company policies and don’t criticize him or make him feel uncomfortable. Be gracious and thank him for his generosity – which you do appreciate.
It should not be necessary to mention the issue to co-workers or management because you are resolving the issue independently by returning both gifts. This should almost certainly conclude the matter.
Putting closure on the gifts will give you peace of mind and should ensure you will continue to have a professional business relationship with the sales rep. As a purchaser of his services, it would not be appropriate for you to consider him as more than a valued acquaintance.
Ethical considerations in business can sometime represent a “slippery slope” with initial decisions spinning into something considerably more problematic. You have wisely considered the matter early and will be able to apply what you have learned to any future issues.
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