MONEY MORAL DILEMMA. Would you put £10 in Kitty's birthday kitty?

Emma-lou_2

I have recently been in this situation. Someone from my work had taken
voluntary redundancy and we were all asked to donate £10 to his leaving fund. I'm in the process of moving house and need every penny at the moment, however, I didn't want to look like a skinfilnt so I contributed. I've since found out the guy who took redundancy has retired early (he is 59) and gone on a month long cruise!

It is unfair for work colleagues to put pressure on people to contribute to leaving/birthday/wedding etc funds when they don't know their personal situation.

So I would now say no, even though I would be called 'tight' by the people I work with!

Stubert

chilli_cymru wrote: »

A similar thing happened at work recently - there are only a few of us and I am the latest arrival but I have been there just over a year. Everyone else has been there for years - even decades! One of the staff is having their fortieth and we were all "invited" to contribute £35. The smaller the firm, the less able you are to really say no - so I have coughed up but it feels so excessive. I don't spend that on some of my friends and family!!!

£35!!!!!

Do you work in some high fly law firm or something? I don't think my parents even spent any more than £35 on me at Christmas let alone some random at work.

drtilson216

I would put £10 in as it is the right thing to do. Tough luck that you have just arrived. Furthermore, you can be sure that if you didn't, it would be held against you for evermore! Long memories in offices! :rolleyes:

Tali_2

I would offer a token amount and point out that I'm not flushed with cash, not having been paid yet, and hardly know her.

kirstyrae

I would put in what I could afford, explaining that as I'm new I've not been paid yet, and hope that would suffice.

robnye

personally if youve only been there less than a couple of months, i wouldnt expect the other staff to expect you to contribute fully if at all......
it depends on what the other staff are like.....

c7borg

not a chance - wouldn't these types of threads be better if they had a poll attached?.. I love statistics

Bagpuss73

I agree that it's inappropriate to be pressurized to give, or to give a specific amount (the only time a specific amount would be appropriate would eb where a lmeal out was being arranged and there was a fixed price, in which case you are paying for your own meal (+ possibly a small cotribution to the cost of the meal for the brithday person) but there should be no pressure.

In our office, we only make collections when someone is leaving or has a baby - an envelope goes round, you put in what you want or can afford (typically £2 or so) and initial the envelope. If you don't want to give you don't have to.

In the past, we had a similar arrangment for birthdays - the money was given to the person whose birthday it was, to buy whatever they wanted, and they would also buy or bring cake. We agreed to end the collection on the basis that some people were uncomfortable with it, so now the birthday person will usually bring in cake, and that's it.

I would comment that although I don't feel here is any obligation to give, I would feel uncomfortable not giving in thsi scenario as I would be worried it would mean I got off on the wrong foot with my new collegues, so I do feel there is a moral issue which the employer should be addressing, and that collections should, ideally, be anonymous.

unhealthyman

I probably would. It's only a tenner and I wouldn't want to be that "special little snowflake who doesn't do birthdays" at the office. It's a bit like the guy in Reservoir Dogs who doesn't believe in tipping. If it is a socially accepted and expected convention then there is actually value in conforming. I don't want to look like a miserable tight git.

That said, £10 does seem a bit much, and the whole notion of putting in for a joint present seems a bit daft. Press ganging people into giving money isn't nice, but for me it would work. Our office (admittedly it is a small company) pays for a cake and a bottle of champagne for birthdays. Very generous of my employer and none of us have to put in for it. We do all have to sign the card though.

tim_n

When I worked for the county council in Norfolk a few years ago I did a 6 month temp contract with them. During that time four people left, including a temp who was only there for a month or two. Each time round there was a card and a collection. I paid in even though I didn't really know these people

Did I even get a goodbye when I left?

Now I don't contribute to these things.