A reader writes:
I’ve had a couple of jobs since I graduated college and in some of those jobs I’ve gotten business cards as part of the job. I worked part-time in retail and not gotten business cards, though I noticed that the managers (full-time, salaried employees) did have the company branded business cards. I worked for a university (full-time, salaried) and got the university branded business cards. In my current full time, salaried job I’m also getting company branded business cards.
Is there an unspoken policy/tradition on providing employees company branded business cards? Is it a company specific policy on who gets a company branded business card? Are companies obligated to provide business cards to their employees? And, if not, should the employee make their own business cards?
Whether or not you get business cards will vary by company and role. Some companies give them to everyone. Some companies give them only to senior people, or only to people whose roles put them in positions where they need them (like salespeople, or other employees who frequently meet with others outside the company). It’s less common, although not unheard of, for part-time retail positions, especially if you’re not at the management level. Some companies don’t do them at all anymore.
There’s no obligation to provide cards, although there are some jobs where it would be really strange not to have them.
Business cards are definitely less popular than they used to be, although there are still plenty of jobs that rely on them. And a lot of people who gets cards never really use them, particularly if they’re not in outside-meeting-heavy jobs and don’t do much networking where cards are exchanged.
As for making your own cards … if you have a work need for them, the first thing to do is to ask your company and explain why you need them. If it’s less of a work need and more just something you’d like to have, you can make your own. They shouldn’t be company-branded (nothing should be company-branded that your company hasn’t signed off on) but you can certainly make your own cards with your contact info and what you do.
should the employee print business cards on his own without telling his company/boss
The fact that you include the phrase "without telling his company/boss" leads me to suspect you already know this isn't a good idea.
You do not have the right to print and disburse business cards that would lead the recipient to believe you are representing your company, without gaining their permission first.
You could instead produce personal cards, leaving off all aspects of your company affiliation, if you choose. Omit the company name, address, phone number, email, logo, etc. You could include your title, website URL, personal email and home phone number.
Then you could hand those personal cards out whenever you desire (such as at a networking event or professional society meeting), without asking your company for permission - not on company time, or on the company premises, of course.
If you really want to know if your company would let you do something - ask them first!