The worst post-Lunar New Year behaviours of colleagues

Giving red packets is a great Chinese tradition for people to share their wealth and happiness.  The married men and women in the office give out red packets to colleagues and business associates to wish for a great beginning of the new year.

But for some greedy colleagues, this friendly gesture is a loophole to exploit. People bringing their children to work after the Lunar New Year holidays to "hunt" for red packets is a common post-Lunar New Year situation in some offices, as a post on Hong Kong Discussion Group reveals.

According to the post, there are colleagues who take their children from door to door in the office, getting the kids to greet everyone in hopes of getting an extra red packet or two.

One way to deal with these greedy families is to have a packet of sweets at your desk to give away. It's still a nice gesture, and a nice way to save money.

Besides greedy colleagues, the boss is another easy target post Lunar New Year. It is a custom for bosses in Hong Kong to give out a new year red packet to wish staff well and a prosperous year ahead.

In most offices, the packet will usually  contain HK$20, while anything more than HK$100 is considered generous. But not giving new year red packet is not an option in a Chinese society like Hong Kong.

Here is what staff had to say on heawork tumblr, about how they would like to deal with bosses who refuse to give out new year red packets:

• If the boss does not offer new year red packets and wishes the team good health, the entire team  will call in sick on the first day of work after the Lunar New Year holiday.
• If the boss does not offer new year red packets and wishes for a prosperous year ahead, staff members will wish that company won't make it past 2017.
• If the boss does not offer new year red packets and wishes for a harmonious office, colleagues will stop being team players. As a result, the efficiency of the company will take hit.

While the above seems a little extreme, it's understandable to be frustrated by a boss who ignores such a long standing tradition. Whether your boss has or hasn't, Human Resources magazine wishes you a prosperous and healthy Year of the Rooster.

ALSO READ: Your career and money forecast in the Year of the Rooster

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