What is the term for when someone offers or agrees to confer a benefit upon an employee without the employer's consent?

The term that best describes the scenario in which someone offers or agrees to confer a benefit upon an employee without the employer's consent is commercial bribery. This practice involves a third party attempting to influence an employee by providing them with benefits, which can range from gifts to money, with the intent of swaying their decisions or actions in favor of that third party, rather than in the best interest of the employer.

Commercial bribery specifically focuses on the interaction between an employee and an outside party. It underlines the unethical nature of attempting to gain an advantage in a business context through improper means. The act of providing benefits to an employee without the employer’s awareness or permission violates the trust that is inherent in the employer-employee relationship.

Bribery in a broader sense refers to the act of providing undue rewards or inducements to influence actions, but does not necessarily limit itself to the workplace context or specifically involve an employer and employee relationship. Official misconduct typically refers to wrongful acts committed by a public official in their official capacity and is not focused directly on interactions between employees and third parties. Therefore, the specificity of commercial bribery to the workplace makes it the appropriate term for this scenario.