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Is there any gray here? Example: you continue a contract with NewRelic and they buy you a fancy dinner at a michelin restaurant. You go with Splunk and they buy

Is there any gray here? Example: you continue a contract with NewRelic and they buy you a fancy dinner at a michelin restaurant. You go with Splunk and they buy you a vacation in Hawaii to talk things 'over'. Seems like if you aren't taking cash - things can get gray real fast.

mandevil 5y ago
Every company I've worked for (all US based) has had corporate policies on just this subject, because they are aware that this is a major danger for them, either giving or receiving. When I worked for a government contractor we weren't even allowed to give rides to government employees in our rental cars when we were all together on a business trip, to make sure that even a line that trivial was not crossed. Generally, the company will have a limit (somewhere in the $25-$50 range) on gifts you could give or receive without prior authorization. So maybe I can take you to a bar or coffee shop and get you a drink or two while we talk. But not a dinner at a high end restaurant, or a sporting event or a vacation in Hawaii, because the risk of being corrupted (on the receiving end) or reputational risk from being seen as corrupt, was too great. This is particularly potent issue for American companies because of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act. The FCPA means that US companies (and their subsidiaries, contractors, etc.) have to draw these sorts of lines over the entire world, or be subject to heavy penalties, even in countries where it might be more common and legal.
- heavenlyblue 5y ago
  I work for a finance company in the UK and the training we get is exactly the same as you described (Even the price of gifts we're supposed to report is in the same range).
grantc 5y ago
It depends on you and your company's ethical take. Personally, if a vendor is providing anything of value to me, I might as well be taking cash from them. This includes sporting events or concerts, meals, golf, xmas gifts, whatever. If you work for a company that the vendor wants badly for the money or the credential, vendors are going to throw all of these things your way. I keep it simple: if we need to do business, I have a perfectly good conference room and we can do it there. One area that's more fuzzy is free passes to user events, i.e., a DreamForce or Oracle World. We clear these per our process and are fine to accept them because we were going to spend money on sending someone anyway. We saved the company money. Also: it was never indirect between individuals, it was company to company.

mandevil 5y ago

Every company I've worked for (all US based) has had corporate policies on just this subject, because they are aware that this is a major danger for them, either giving or receiving. When I worked for a government contractor we weren't even allowed to give rides to government employees in our rental cars when we were all together on a business trip, to make sure that even a line that trivial was not crossed. Generally, the company will have a limit (somewhere in the $25-$50 range) on gifts you could give or receive without prior authorization. So maybe I can take you to a bar or coffee shop and get you a drink or two while we talk. But not a dinner at a high end restaurant, or a sporting event or a vacation in Hawaii, because the risk of being corrupted (on the receiving end) or reputational risk from being seen as corrupt, was too great. This is particularly potent issue for American companies because of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act. The FCPA means that US companies (and their subsidiaries, contractors, etc.) have to draw these sorts of lines over the entire world, or be subject to heavy penalties, even in countries where it might be more common and legal.

heavenlyblue 5y ago
I work for a finance company in the UK and the training we get is exactly the same as you described (Even the price of gifts we're supposed to report is in the same range).

grantc 5y ago

It depends on you and your company's ethical take. Personally, if a vendor is providing anything of value to me, I might as well be taking cash from them. This includes sporting events or concerts, meals, golf, xmas gifts, whatever. If you work for a company that the vendor wants badly for the money or the credential, vendors are going to throw all of these things your way. I keep it simple: if we need to do business, I have a perfectly good conference room and we can do it there. One area that's more fuzzy is free passes to user events, i.e., a DreamForce or Oracle World. We clear these per our process and are fine to accept them because we were going to spend money on sending someone anyway. We saved the company money. Also: it was never indirect between individuals, it was company to company.