Is it appropriate for a male boss to give a gift to a female subordinate

Nothing nefarious. The woman's husband is a real organic chemist: everything that he touches turns into crap. He was a mortgage broker that lost his job last year and since then decided to be "the best father that he can be" to their two small children. They had two houses that they bought with nothing down, two expensive leased cars, finally declared bankruptcy and moved out. And now, she is pregnant again.

My friend would like to offer her, say, $20 for Christmas but I think that this can have bad implications, no matter how honorable his intentions are.

I think that, perhaps, a gift certificate for $20 may be better.

These days, with perceptions often are worse than facts, what do DUers here think?

Thanks.

Thanks.

throw around, give the person a raise, or tack on a holiday bonus to the paycheck. You get cash from your grandma, not your boss.

ETA: As someone else mentions below, cash doesn't look like a gift, it looks like charity or a handout, which can be embarrassing to the recipient. A gift certificate or debit card can look more like a gift.

that she could use to treat her entire family would seem very appropriate to me.

You can get them as branded (MC/Visa/Amex) debit cards so she could use them anywhere.

I wonder where one gets one. From a bank?

What it says is harsh but it's the truth.

I'm in favor of physical gifts myself. Not gift certs, and certainly not money.

But I'm sure there was a printed script with this exact dialogue. Or am I confabulating?

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0560466/quotes

Alice: A gift certificate is completely different from cash.
Dilbert: No, it's not. They're both pieces of paper you can exchange for goods and services.
Alice: You're missing the point.
Dilbert: Actually, a gift certificate is worse than cash, because you can only use it in one place.
Wally: And it expires.
Alice: At least it shows some thought.
Dilbert: It shows defective thought. You're trading perfectly good money for something that does the same thing, only not as well.

If it were the other way around, a subordinate giving a gift to a boss, there could be more issues raised. But $20 is not really an amount that should raise flags regardless.

Maybe a gift certificate for birth control pills would have been a better gift last year. ;)

Put it in a card with a note that he hopes this helps some.

However, if done for one employee, if he has others who report to him, it should be done for the others as well.

Thanks.

gas, something useful, needed, or frivolous.

gifting up looks like you are buttering up the boss to get something.

gift card is a great idea, always popular in my office.

and then an additional 100 to settle a bet because mccain lost (woooohooo).

Then various agents who contract to us gave me the room I stayed in at the casino, wine, champange, a bracelet, casino chips and even a victoria secret gift card!

My asst got the same minus the bet winnings.

Party was Tuesday/Wednesday....I think I am still drunk !

This weekend I am going shopping with it to make my boys a nice Yule this year! They have had to many with hardly anything under the tree.

I'd guessing $20 to $30 was the average range so he's go the right amount. I don't think it looks bad. I just don't think it looks like a gift. But I don't think anyone would think anything of him for giving her $20 in a card.

$20 in a nice card would be fine. He could put something like "I thought of giving you a gc, but didn't want to limit your use of this gift." or some such, if he wanted to include an explanation. If they have a decent relationship, should be ok.

They're available in various denominations and are usually accepted widely in the place you live. Check your local CoC's site.