It was a festive company Christmas dinner where each person was supposed to bring a gift for the traditional gift exchange. However, there were certain requirements for the gift. It had to cost at least $10, could not be perishables, could not be impractical, could not be money, etc. With such requirements, it was difficult to find the perfect gift.
Gifts were randomly drawn and given to the employees. Celine, a Chinese employee received a gift from Fathin, a Malay colleague. Fathin excitedly went to Celine and said she would definitely like her gift. She claimed, “It (The gift) travelled from Malaysia all the way back to Singapore.” Celine thanked her but did not open her gift on the spot because it was considered rude to open gifts in front of the person.
So, Celine went home to unwrap her present, only to realise that the gift was a pink clock. She knew that the gift was inappropriate because the Chinese word “song zhong” had 2 meanings – give clock and send someone to the grave. It was highly insulting for a Chinese to receive such a gift. However, she also knew that Fathin was young and was not aware of such traditions. Since she was not superstitious, she did not blame Fathin nor pursue the matter.
However, the next day, another colleague asked Celine what she had received as a gift. Celine told her a pink clock. That colleague was superstitious and went to confront Fathin on behalf of Celine. Fathin became angry as she thought Celine did not appreciate her gift and went to gossip about it with her other colleagues instead of gently informing her. Things ended sour between Celine and Fathin.
As can be seen from the above scenario, conflict could have been avoided if the colleague was as understanding as Celine. Celine who was more understanding ended up being the victim of such an unnecessary conflict.
