Employee Gift Policy
A ready-to-use Employee Gift Policy covering guidelines, exceptions, and procedure for giving and receiving gifts, plus a free downloadable PDF.
Download Employee Gift Policy Template
Table of Contents
What is an Employee Gift Policy?
An employee gift policy sets out the rules for how employees can receive, offer, and exchange gifts in any circumstance. Employees shouldn't be given favors through gifts, since that tends to hurt everyone else's morale. The policy defines exactly when employees can accept a gift, along with any exceptions and provisions, since gifts that go unchecked can easily turn into a source of unfairness or conflict. That's why the policy needs to apply equally to every employee, in practice as well as on paper.
A well-formed policy does more than inform employees: it also helps agencies, vendors, and suppliers understand where the company stands. Putting a policy like this in place is a solid way to cut down on inappropriate gifts and the problems they can cause. This gift policy template walks through every step of building and maintaining a well-rounded policy.
Standard Employee Gift Policy Format
Here's a sample Employee Gift Policy you can adapt for your own organization:
[Company Name] supports gift exchange between employees, whether given or received, but firmly rules out using gifts to curry favor among staff.
Purpose
This policy exists to keep the exchange, distribution, and receipt of gifts among employees consistent, including gratuities and rewards. The company believes no employee should be given a gift purely to benefit from them, since that undermines everyone else's morale.
Scope
This policy applies to every employee, regardless of designation or department, including permanent, temporary, and contract-based staff.
Guidelines
[Company Name] follows strict guidelines around gifts and rules out any favoritism or bribery.
- No one may solicit gifts or favors from employees, organizations, or agencies the company regularly deals with.
- Anyone giving or receiving a gift must make sure it doesn't create a conflict of interest or shift anyone's preferences.
- No employee or team may accept gifts, donations, or services from customers, competitors, or business dealers.
Exceptions
The company stays firm on these rules, but a few exceptions apply. Authorities and employees may accept:
- Edible, entertainment, or accommodation gifts of [value], as long as they're shared with as many employees as possible
- Items of [value] that can be displayed at the company, like flowers
- Handmade items from children
- Donations from a charity
- Gifts with prior approval from the CEO
- Gifts given in return for serving the community
- Gifts received as a team
Procedure
- If you receive a gift this policy doesn't allow, decline or return it graciously, and let the giver know about the policy.
- If you don't know who sent the gift, donate it to charity right away, or use it for community purposes with the advice of a higher authority.
Policy Violation
Violating this policy is never treated as an honest mistake. Action will be taken against the individual involved, up to and including immediate suspension.
Quick, Actionable Tips
- A sample policy covering every piece you actually need.
- What guidelines keep your gift policy free of favoritism.
- The scope of your gift policy.
- The purpose your policy is built to serve.
- What to do when a gift's sender is unknown and could create a conflict of interest.
- What happens if someone breaks the policy.
- The exceptions employees are allowed under this policy.