Splitting the spoils at the office
Q. Here's the situation: An employee of an organization has been appointed the go-between between the organization and an outside vendor. A half-dozen other people within the organization also work on the project along with the go-between. At holiday time, a large gift basket of food arrives, addressed to the go-between.
Should the recipient see that everyone working on the project shares in the gift basket's contents? Or is it OK for the go-between to assume, since the basket is addressed only to him, that he's not obliged to share?
D.B., Pittsfield
A. The first question that comes to mind is this: Does your company have a policy limiting the cost of business gifts that an individual can receive and keep? If so, this policy might well dictate that the gift basket has to be shared by everyone on the team in order to stay within the price cap.
Usually a holiday gift, especially a food item like a gift basket, is addressed to the company, department, or team, rather than to an individual. That way there's no confusion about who it's for. Because this particular gift was addressed to the go-between, a very narrow interpretation could lead the go-between to assume, "Hey, it's addressed to me, so it's mine." Given the circumstances, however, the considerate action would be to share it with the entire team.
Q. I have a co-worker who always wears heavy perfume. The fragrance offends those sitting around her, and some are even allergic to the scent, but no manager wants to confront her about the problem. How should we handle this?
D.D., Plymouth
A. Many companies have adopted "no scent" policies because of the negative effect that perfumes, colognes, and other scents can have on co-workers. The first thing you should do is check with your HR department to see if your company has such a policy. If not, you have a couple of options.
Employees tell us that if they had a problem with body odor or other personal issue, they'd prefer to be told about it by a friend who's a co-worker, as opposed to being told by a boss or not being told at all. If there's a co-worker that the employee likes and trusts, ask that person to talk with her.
Otherwise, discussing the issue with your manager is the next step. Make it clear that the issue isn't a personal one, but rather one that's affecting the whole office. Even better, ask several co-workers to attend the meeting with you, so your manager will realize this isn't just a case of one person complaining about another.
