Gift …or Bribe

It is the gift-giving season.

This creates a dilemma for many professionals. The American Board of Industrial Hygiene (ABIH) code of ethics, like many other codes of ethics, contains a “no bribery” provision. It states –

“Refrain from offering or accepting significant payments, gifts or other forms of compensation or benefits in order to secure work or that are intended to influence professional judgment.”

Yet, giving gifts is a normal and important part of building and sustaining relationships with other professionals and clients. Particularly for consultants, building and sustaining relationships is what makes their businesses successful.

So what should you do?

Give gifts or not give gifts?

Give gifts to some colleagues – but not to others?

If so, how do you decide?

The answer depends on the purpose of the gift.

In other words, is the gift solely for the individual to whom it is being given or is it being given in order to persuade the recipient to take some action that may conflict with a duty they owe to someone else – such as their employer?

For an interesting article on determining when something should be considered a bribe, check out the article – When is a Bribe a Bribe? – referenced in the “Related Resources” section below.

And to everyone – Happy Holidays!

Related Resources:

Click here to access the article –  When Is A Bribe A Bribe? Teaching a Workable Definition of Bribery by Harvey S. James, Jr.

This article sets out a range of examples to consider when answering the question posed in the title. As the author acknowledges, not everyone will be comfortable that some of his examples are not actually bribes.