Q. When a company visits our plant, is it proper to list all of the attendees separately (when four or more attend) or to just list the name of the company on the board in our entrance?
Mary Miller, York, Pa.
A. If you have room, listing visitors' names would be a welcoming gesture. If you list just the company, be sure people involved in meetings receive a list of visitors' names and titles.
Q. In our office (40 employees), a woman's 19-year-old daughter recently gave birth. A close friend of the woman sent a companywide e-mail announcing a baby shower requesting donations from all the employees for the woman's daughter. Furthermore, the e-mail went to other divisions in the company where the woman previously worked.
Is it appropriate to hold such an event at work when in the past three months three male employees each became grandparents? When I questioned the host, she said the men told her it was fine if she wanted to host a party in the office.
I told the hostess I thought it was inappropriate to hold such a celebration in the office without celebrating the arrival of all the recent grandchildren, but that I would give something toward the gift just to get along with people in the office. What are your thoughts on this?
J.P., Crosby, Texas
A. Employees already complain about the number of times they are solicited for contributions, either for charitable causes or for co-workers' social milestones: birthdays, weddings, births, or deaths. Asking for contributions is difficult enough when the person being honored is a co-worker. By asking for contributions to gifts for spouses, children, nieces, or nephews of co-workers you're opening Pandora's box. Where does it end?
The appropriate course of action for the woman in question was to make the shower a social event, not a work-related one, by hosting the shower off-site and inviting workers privately. Asking publicly at work puts people, like you, in the awkward position of feeling compelled to contribute in order to "get along with people in the office."
It's important for companies to set policies regarding office solicitations. Some don't allow "social" solicitations or draw the line at birthdays or condolence gifts or cards. Others require that any charitable request be cleared with HR or management. It goes without saying that no one should be pressured into giving for any reason.
