Boss Appreciation

November 3, 2005 11:53 AM

How do you show your boss that you are appreciative of his generosity?

My boss recently approached me with the offer of a substantial raise - which I promptly accepted. This offer was totally unsolicited. As a matter of fact, I requested and received what I considered to be an above average raise earlier in the year. I've been with the business through some tumultuous times when compensation was sluggish and I think this is his way of saying thanks for sticking it out with the firm.

Should I give him a gift to express appreciation for his generosity? If so, what type of gift would be appropriate?

If it helps, I would define my relationship with my boss as friendly and mutually respectful. He is also the owner of the firm.

posted by quadog to work & money (17 answers total)

I don't know that a gift is necessarily appropriate, though you might offer to take him out to a nice lunch sometime though.
posted by scody at 11:56 AM on November 3, 2005

No gifts period. Your Boss is looking after his business not your personal well-being. A brief but sincere handshake with a few words regarding a positive future for the company should suffice. Then get on with earning your wage.
posted by brautigan at 12:00 PM on November 3, 2005

i don't really think a gift is appropriate. he's not doing you a favor; he's doing the ethical thing of paying you more because of your commitment and hard work. i think the most appropriate thing to do would be to continue to be a good employee and show that his esteem is deserved. if you really want to do something extra, take on a new project or responsibility or something work-related like that.

and besides, given that he's the owner of the firm, helping the business succeed is probably far more valuable to him than a pair of socks or something and therefore a better gift.
posted by sergeant sandwich at 12:03 PM on November 3, 2005

A few sincere words of thanks is sufficient, but taking him out to lunch would be a nice gesture too.

A gift would be inappropriate.
posted by Count Ziggurat at 12:10 PM on November 3, 2005

Keep doing a great job :)
posted by o2b at 12:20 PM on November 3, 2005

Don't under estimate the power of a hand written thank you note. Nothing extravagant, but a simple and obvious gesture of appreciation would be reasonable, I think.

People appreciate being appreciated.

I agree with most others that a "gift" wouldn't be appropriate.
posted by friezer at 12:23 PM on November 3, 2005

This happened to me to me recently. They didn't even tell me about the raise. Just suddenly I started making double what I was before. I have a similar relationship with my boss (who is also the owner of our firm) and I just let her know that I appreciated the opportunity to be a part the company and that I look forward to helping us grow in the future. And then she went off on some long tangent about how great it will be and I just smiled and nodded. That's all you need to do really.
posted by panoptican at 12:30 PM on November 3, 2005

A gift is not appropriate in this situation, but like friezer said above, a note would be a nice touch.

You could conceivably get her a nice present for her bday or the holidays, but it should not be a 'thank you for my raise gift'. I'd go with the note if I were you.
posted by widdershins at 12:41 PM on November 3, 2005

oops - your boss is male.
posted by widdershins at 12:42 PM on November 3, 2005

Crap, did not intend to hit 'post'. Anyway, the fact that your boss is male does not change my answer... I"ll go away now...
posted by widdershins at 12:45 PM on November 3, 2005

Remember - you say you got this raise as a "thanks" for sticking it out through tough times. You did a favor or performed a task, and this raise is acknowledgement and thanks for that. You were owed a debt of gratitude, and you were paid it.

It's nice that you want to say "thanks" for the thank you - but a gift is definitely not appropriate. If it were, there'd be a neverending exchange of smaller and smaller gifts until the end of time - eventually the thanks have to stop, and you've gotta go back to work! :-)
posted by twiggy at 12:55 PM on November 3, 2005 [1 favorite]

I think that gifts are good. Get him somthing small during the holiday season. It's not a gift that's a direct response to your raise, but it is a nice gesture to show that you care about your relationship with him, in general.

My boss is generous to me all the time, but I don't usually give gifts as a response to his generosity. You can bet that he's going to get a great bottle of wine this christmas though.
posted by TurkishGolds at 12:58 PM on November 3, 2005

I would shy away from putting a thanks in writing. Asking him for lunch and letting him know verbally that it means a lot to you that he values you, etc. would be my preference.

And congrats on the raise.
posted by FlamingBore at 1:28 PM on November 3, 2005

How do you show your boss that you are appreciative of his generosity? ... My boss recently approached me with the offer of a substantial raise - which I promptly accepted.

Earn it.
posted by cribcage at 1:58 PM on November 3, 2005

Thanks for the reality check, guys. I wish there was a button that marked all responses as "best answer".
posted by quadog at 2:02 PM on November 3, 2005

Nothing better than a bit of appreciation at work. Or a huge wage rise. Congrats!
posted by brautigan at 2:18 PM on November 3, 2005

Traditionally the best way to do this is to cut a check and send it to me.
posted by Joseph Gurl at 8:16 PM on November 3, 2005