Tips for surviving December in the office from specialized staffing firm Robert Half.

1. © 2016 Robert Half International Inc. An Equal Opportunity Employer M/F/Disability/Veterans. All rights reserved.
’Tis the Season to be Jolly
(at Work)
Tips for surviving
December in the office
roberthalf.com

2. © 2016 Robert Half International Inc. An Equal Opportunity Employer M/F/Disability/Veterans. All rights reserved.
We asked: What is the most inappropriate
gift you’ve seen or heard of a professional
being given in an office setting?
Responses included:
• Frozen pork
• A manager who
gave a framed
picture of himself
• Expensive jewelry
• A wig
• Lingerie
• A dozen roses
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Source: Accountemps survey of more than 300 human resources managers in the United States.

3. © 2016 Robert Half International Inc. An Equal Opportunity Employer M/F/Disability/Veterans. All rights reserved.
Robert Half recommends …
Leave the inappropriate gifts at home.
• Use the PG-rating as the
boundary for what to buy, leaning
more toward “G.” Gift cards (for
coffee, the movie theaters,
restaurants and various stores)
are acceptable and often
appreciated.
• The majority of HR managers
don’t think employees should
spend more than $20 on a gift for
their manager, and a similar
amount goes for managers
buying employee gifts too.
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4. © 2016 Robert Half International Inc. An Equal Opportunity Employer M/F/Disability/Veterans. All rights reserved.
We asked: What is the strangest item
you’ve ever seen exchanged at an office
white elephant gift party?
Responses included:
• A leg lamp
• Pigs’ feet
• A roll of toilet paper
• A bobblehead of the
boss
• A water gun that
shoots marshmallows
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Source: The Creative Group survey of 400 marketing and advertising executives in the United States.

5. © 2016 Robert Half International Inc. An Equal Opportunity Employer M/F/Disability/Veterans. All rights reserved.
Robert Half recommends …
Understand the office culture.
• Every company or department is
different. If you’re relatively new
to the organization, it can be
difficult to figure out who
exchanges gifts — and what
types of gifts are appropriate.
Ask a trusted colleague or your
manager what is the norm.
• Gifts should show an
understanding of the recipient,
and are often appreciated when
they relate to the person’s
hobbies and interests.
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6. © 2016 Robert Half International Inc. An Equal Opportunity Employer M/F/Disability/Veterans. All rights reserved.
We asked: What is the most embarrassing
thing you’ve seen or heard about a
manager doing at a company holiday
party?
Responses included:
• Inappropriate singing
and dancing
• Packing the leftover food
to take home
• Opening someone else’s
gift
• Telling bad jokes
• Performing the chicken
dance
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Source: Robert Half survey of more than 2,000 CFOs in the United States.

7. © 2016 Robert Half International Inc. An Equal Opportunity Employer M/F/Disability/Veterans. All rights reserved.
Robert Half recommends …
Keep it classy.
• Remember to always
present your best self
on and off the dance
floor.
• Managers: Keep in
mind you’re setting the
tone for your team and
the company. If you
need to hold back, hold
back.
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8. © 2016 Robert Half International Inc. An Equal Opportunity Employer M/F/Disability/Veterans. All rights reserved.
In addition to holiday parties, we looked at
employees’ holiday shopping habits:
• 49% of employees say
they typically shop on
Cyber Monday.
• And, 36% of North
American workers have
admitted to taking a day
off of work to shop for
the holidays.
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Source: Robert Half Technology survey of more than 1,400 workers in North America.

9. © 2016 Robert Half International Inc. An Equal Opportunity Employer M/F/Disability/Veterans. All rights reserved.
Source: Robert Half Technology survey of more than 1,400 workers in North America and a survey of over 1,400 CIOs in North America
Shopping Habits and Corporate Policies
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• 65% of CIOs in North America
allow access to online shopping
sites, of them 43% say they
monitor for excessive use.
• Yet, regardless of their company
policy about shopping, 65% of
North American workers will
minimize their screens if their boss
comes over to their desk while
shopping online.

10. © 2016 Robert Half International Inc. An Equal Opportunity Employer M/F/Disability/Veterans. All rights reserved.
Robert Half recommends …
Shop at your own risk.
• Become familiar with your
company’s web policy.
Many companies provide
guidelines.
• If the policy is unclear,
play it safe and save your
shopping for before or
after work or during your
breaks.
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11. © 2016 Robert Half International Inc. An Equal Opportunity Employer M/F/Disability/Veterans. All rights reserved.
Happy Holidays
from Robert Half!
Visit The Robert Half Blog for
more career and hiring advice.
roberthalf.com/blog
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