Kenyans' Reactions To Company Which Banned Delivery Of Valentines Gifts At Work

Hours before Valentine's Day 2024, currently being celebrated in Kenya and across the world on Wednesday, February 14, an internal memo issued two days prior cautioning against exchanging Valentine's gifts within the workplace went viral across the country.

The memo seen by Viral Tea sparked debate amongst employees and on social media platforms, bringing to the fore yet again the inconsistencies of workplace policies in a corporate environment that has of late allowed liberal behaviour which in the past used to be frowned upon.

The company's Group Chief Operations Officer (COO) in the address to all staff members, advised them against allowing Valentine's gifts in the office, explaining that the decision was for the safeguarding of their welfare.

A memo that went viral advising employees against giving gifts at work. /FACEBOOK

To be specific, a romantic atmosphere that is commonplace every Valentine's Day can spark pressure on single individuals, thus interfering with their concentration with work-related activities.

"Please note that no Valentine's gifts are allowed within the company premises. Management has made this decision in order to safeguard other employees from unnecessary pressure and stress," read the memo in part.

The COO further instructed employees to relay the same policy prohibiting gifts to their loved ones, warning that any violation would result in disciplinary action.

"Kindly communicate with your loved ones about this instruction in time to avoid any inconveniences. Please note that this will be taken seriously and commensurate action will be taken against violators," added the memo.

On this Valentine’s Day, couples are eagerly seeking unique ways to publicly express their affection. The memo thus sparked mixed reactions on both Facebook and X, with some wondering why the company was still clinging to age-old restrictive policies.

"HR have circulated a memo saying no Valentine's gifts are allowed within the premises. Who hurt them?" Mishi Serut wondered on X.

"Aii this is silly. As an adult, if you feel some type of way because your mate is getting gifts and whatever, you should check yourself. Humans will never be equal at any point. So people should stop driving cars on the road because us legxus owners will feel stressed? Nonsense," renowned author, Sarah Haluwa weighed in.

Some however agreed that it was right for the company to safeguard the mental well-being of every employee.

"With the way things are hard not all of us can afford to buy Valentine’s gifts for our loved ones. The management has done the honourable thing by making sure that our loved ones at various workplaces don’t get tempted and demand gifts from their partners simply because their colleagues received gifts," D’Angelo D’Silva wrote.

Viral Tea was unable to independently identify the name of the company as well as the nationality, despite the memo going viral within the territory of the republic.

However, we did ask the AI platform ChatGPT, which responded by revealing that whether it's appropriate to exchange Valentine's gifts at work depends on the culture and policies of the workplace.

In some workplaces, exchanging small tokens of appreciation or friendship on Valentine's Day may be acceptable and even encouraged as a way to foster camaraderie and boost morale. However, in other workplaces, it may be considered unprofessional or could make some coworkers uncomfortable.

Before exchanging gifts at work, it's a good idea to consider the norms and expectations of your workplace.

"If you're unsure, you could check with your HR department or observe what others are doing. If you do decide to exchange gifts, it's important to keep them appropriate for a professional setting and to be mindful of any workplace guidelines regarding gifts and interactions between coworkers," states ChatGPT.

Image of a box of chocolates. /PIXABAY