Should my Christmas card list include all of my co-workers, or can I just send cards to a select few?
Q: Should my Christmas card list include all of my co-workers, or can I just send cards to a select few?
A.M., Boston
A: Every year, holiday greeting cards cause a tremendous amount of office angst needlessly. The bottom line is that you have no obligation to send greeting cards to everyone at work. However, you do have an obligation not to hurt anyone's feelings by flouting your card-giving.
The best way is to send cards to a select few co-workers at home. Do not give cards out at work or mail them to your work address. Giving a greeting card is a personal gesture, friend to friend, so treat it that way.
Q: A week after my one-year anniversary with the firm, my boss handed me an envelope containing $100 in cash. Is it appropriate for a manager to give an employee a cash gift?
D.R., Norwood
A: Cash? Out of the blue? Probably a little dicey. More commonly, a manager or a boss gives a cash gift to an employee at special times, such as holidays and birthdays. Regardless of when it is given, be aware of the tax consequences.
If it is a cash gift and is from the employer itself, rather than an individual, it will be deemed income to the recipient. However, if an individual boss or manager on his or her own wants to make a cash gift to an employee, that will be considered a gift and is not subject to income tax.
Q: When a man wears a necktie, shouldn't a tie tack or tie clip be worn as well? It looks so messy to see a tie flapping in the breeze.
S.B., Medford
A: There is no rule that says men have to use a tie tack or tie clip when wearing a tie. In fact, very few men actually wear them, and it's only on the rarest of occasions that a flapping tie poses a problem.
If it does, here are some easy ways to solve it: Button the jacket (the top button only on a two-button jacket, or the top two buttons on a three-button jacket); slip the small end of the tie through the loop sewn into the back of the wider end; or wear a vest or a V-neck sweater over the tie.
