The Virtual Woman: A Woman's
Weekly Guide To Cyberspace
Web Helps With Office Parties and Gifts
Office holiday parties can be not unlike those gruesome fruit(and-mortar)cakes that seem to rise up (but not too high) once a year during December. Both are distasteful, hard to chew and even harder to swallow. Weeks before the party you begin to brace yourself. First you bone up on the boss' wife's special interests like the saving of the endangered Bavarian Fruit Fly and then you rehearse being nice to the slacker in the cube next to you, pretending that, for this one evening, he's actually a nice guy. But worry less this year as I've got a link or two to keep your misery to an all time low. Now, isn't that cheerful?
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Nervous in New York
Dear Nervous:
Honey, you're what we call an OPN (Office Party Newby). You're right to take this
seriously though as office parties can offer terrific opportunities to hobnob, brown-nose
and grovel for a raise! For the do's and don't of office party etiquette, point your
browser to
http://www.ivillage.com/content/0,1625,1971~65,00.html and you'll have the basics down
in no time. To make sure you arrive in style, head on over to
About.com's
fashion expert at http://fashion.about.com/home/style/fashion/bldefinitions.htm.
There's a section called "Dressing for Special Occassions" that defines things like "black
tie," "semi formal," "white tie" and cocktail attire" so you actually have a clue what
to wear after reading the invite.
-
Kristi T., San Mateo, CA
Dear Kristi:
Before you give that corporate American Express card a good workout, all you need to know
in order not to offend is only a couple clicks away. The Netique website has some very
good advice on what to do and not to do when giving gifts to international clients. To
get there, go to http://www.netique.com/, click on
"Gift Giving" on the left-hand toolbar, then follow the International Gift-Giving
Protocol link to find out things like whether or not it's okay to surprise a Japanese
client with a gift or why you should avoid giving alcohol or leather to a client from the
Middle East.
-
Judy G., Austin, TX
Dear Judy:
One thing to keep in mind is that if you like certain large stores or mail-order companies
such as Macy's, Bloomingdale's or Harry and David's all of these guys now have websites at
the obvious addresses. Relative to gift baskets, you could head into the new millennium
and then some looking through the myriad of gift basket sites. I did narrow 'em down to a
couple that offer corporate gifts and baskets. The
Creative Gift Solutions, Inc.
(http://www.gifts-cgsi.com) has a pretty wide selection of gifts from about $35 and up that
are appropriate to send to clients and business associates. The site has an easy-to-use
shopping basket as well as quick delivery and personalization options. The
Red Envelope (http://www.redenvelope.com) also
has some good business gifts. Click on the Corporate Gifts link at the top to begin
browsing. If you want to go the candy route check out
http://www.godiva.com. I don't think you can go wrong
with this one!
Happy Surfing!
Dear Virtual Woman:
I graduated from college this past summer
and two months ago I finally landed my dream job as an editor at a large publishing
house. The problem is that I just got an invitation to the company party, and I am really
stressed. I've never been to one and don't have any idea about what to expect. Are there
any websites out there that offer some good party advice for a first-timer like me?
Dear Virtual Woman:
Help! I am an event coordinator
at a financial services company. We are inviting several international clients to our
holiday party and I'm in charge of buying them gifts. It might sounds like a dream job, but
here's my problem: I've heard that a lot of foreign countries have very strict gift-giving
policies and practices, and the last thing I need is for one of our clients to be offended
by their gifts. Any websites that can help me out?
Dear Virtual Woman:
I'm a freelance graphic designer
and this is one of my busiest times of the year. Although I already have a lot on my
plate, I still want to send out gifts to my clients and business associates to say thank
you for their business and referrals. Can you point me in the direction of some sites that
have affordable yet quality corporate gifts that I can buy over the 'Net?
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Contributing Editor: Mary Bergner
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