(Business Insider)
We’ve given you some dos and don’ts for exchanging gifts at the office.
But if you’re still undecided on what you should get your coworkers this year, perhaps knowing what not to give is a good place to start.
According to a new survey from CareerBuilder, conducted online by Harris Poll among 3,300 employees and 2,379 HR professionals, about a fifth (22%) of employees say they plan to buy holiday gifts for coworkers, and 21% plan to buy a gift for their boss.
As a general rule, it’s the thought that counts when it comes to gift-giving, which means gifting something thoughtless doesn’t leave a very good impression. You’re better of avoiding gifts that are inappropriate, offensive, or that might leave your coworkers scratching their heads.
To help you avoid these gift-giving faux-pas, here are 31 gifts real employees have received from someone in the office during the holiday season, according to CareerBuilder, CooperKatz, and Business Insider survey respondents:
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Thoughtless gifts
Thoughtless gifts- A bunch of stationery from the stationery cupboard
- A broken ornament
- Expired canned food
- Too-small, company-branded apparel
- A pad of paper
Second-hand gifts
- A used Yankee candle
- Used plaid tennis shoe
- Old backpack full of old shoes
- Piece of cake that was already being eaten at the party
Mean gifts
- A bottle of axe and a card that said, “Take a shower.”
- Lump of coal
DIY disasters
- Handmade quilted chicken
- Lampshade made out of egg cartons
- Music CD of a coworker
Living things
- Live fish
- Live lizard
Unfunny joke gifts
- Farting Santa
- White elephant, literally
- A pen holder that looks like a crime scene victim
- Oversized pencil (1 1/2 inches in diameter, 12 inches in length)
- A fake lottery ticket
Inappropriate gifts
- Jewelry
- Coconut bra
- A whip
Head-scratchers
- A book about using playing cards to predict the future
- Rain stick
- Shoe box with a ping pong ball inside
- Two left-handed gloves
- Meat injector
- A real stuffed duck
- A jar of gravy
