Singapore Expats

Hi,
I am American and have a mix of different people who work for me. Can somebody tell me if it would be appropriate for me to give them all Red Envelopes the day before CNY break? What is considered an appropriate amount? Also what about other people such as Receptionists, Security, Teachers, Hairdressers, etc.. What exactly is the "protocol" ?
Thanks!

you only give ang-pow if you are married. and only give it to people that are single. since you are not chinese, i think you can get away without giving any

Are you their BOSS (paymaster) or their Department Boss? If the Department Boss, then I would only give to the Chinese staff (but please remember to give gold/green/purple packets to any Malay/Indian/Christian staffs on the eve of their holidays as well - our Co. practice). Or you can give to all the staff if you want. If you are only their department boss then it's only a token (unless it is replacing a year-end bonus) and $8 is a good sum (make sure it's new bills). In this case it doesn't really matter if you are married or single or if they are married or single. It will be the thought that matters. In a matter of speaking you will be a surrogate parent (boss) anyway.

WIMH,

What is the official accepted protocol in a situation like this?

I believe theres some other superstitions (is that the correct term?) to follow. Like even values only, and not values that include the number 4...

sundaymorningstaple wrote:WIMH,

What is the official accepted protocol in a situation like this?

I don't think it's an across the board expectation for bosses to give angpows, even if you're Chinese. It really depends on your company's culture. Ask around and see if the other bosses are planning to because if they don't and you do, you might 'spoil the market' and affect your working relationship with your peers. If they do, ask how much and match them.

Some companies have a practice of paying the month's salary in advance just for that month, so people have more cash to use for CNY. Depending on when your company's pay day is, this might be a goodwill gesture.

Another goodwill gesture is to give Chinese employees the afternoon off on CNY Eve. This will give them more time to prepare and cook the big dinner, or get dressed if they're going out for dinner.

In smaller companies the bosses take the staff out to dinner (night before the Eve, never on the Eve itself as that's reserved for family) and give food items or commemorative coins or oranges at the end of the meal, rather than cash.

If you do decide to give out angpows, a useful tip is to prepare more than you think you need (in smaller amounts if need be), since once people like cleaners, security guards etc hear you're handing out angpows, they may just 'happen' to cross your path and you'd have to give them something too. I wouldn't fret about the exact amount as long as it's in multiples of two. I seriously don't think it matters since it's a token, unless of course your employees have been spoilt in the past and expect a certain minimum. Ask a long-time employee whom you trust what the company norm is.

Hope that helps. Good luck!

Thank you for your replies. Much appreciated!

ehhh... so do we at the forum get ang pow from you as well?

Well, from what I have learned from all of the helpful people on this forum, only if you are single

If you do decide to give, get two dollar notes asap - the banks have been known to run out at this time of the year due to demand - most givers like to use new notes in two dollar denominations

barbaraus wrote:Well, from what I have learned from all of the helpful people on this forum, only if you are single

i am free, young and single

I'm expensive, old and married. But I can lie if necessary!

do any of you give ang pows to your condo's security guard(s), and if so, how much is a good amount? Thanks!

hi newtoisland

i give ang pows to the security guards and cleaners and the post man every year. usually it is $6. but i give $10 to the post man (nice old malay guy). i always wish them "happy new year and good luck" when i give them.

some may think this is unnecessary but it is up to the individual.

We've been here for about 3 years now. So far, we've given $8 to the guards and $20 to our cleaning lady. We also standby some red packets of $6 for some unexpected visitors, grocery man etc....