Do you put in for coworker's presents?

lulu_92

LutonGirl wrote: »

Where I worked years ago, when it was a more formal working environment, the dreaded envelope would come around with a list stapled to the front where you were obliged to put your initials and an indication of how much money you'd put in. I refused to say how much I'd put in each time and others soon followed suit.

:eek::eek::eek: That's ridiculous.

At the moment it's the same three or four people organising them, and they will come up to you with the envelope and card. The girl who used to do it just used to say "it's on my desk, give what you want" and it got rid of the pressure.

Torry_Quine

When I worked the only gifts were when someone got married or was having a baby. I don't anyone was even aware when others birthdays were!

SailorSam

I've always thrown in all these collections, but it use to annoy me that we'd have leaving presents for temps that had only been in the office. Once i was on the Cabs with the same ones coming around for their mates. People came to say the Cab was off the road and wanted £20, nobody collected when my Cab broke down. The final collection after which i started to say was for someones Mum who was ill, i didn't the guy let alone his Mother but was asked for £10. I think often you needed to be in the 'clique' who collected.

gellerbing

I work in a school as a dinner lady so luckily we only have a whip around if another dinner lady has a birthday or other celebration, if we were asked to put something in for teaching staff or support assistants I wouldn't bother.

surfboard2

LutonGirl wrote: »

Where I worked years ago, when it was a more formal working environment, the dreaded envelope would come around with a list stapled to the front where you were obliged to put your initials and an indication of how much money you'd put in. I refused to say how much I'd put in each time and others soon followed suit.

At another job, in a much larger place, we used to say "I don't like [insert name] but I'll give you 10p if I can sign the card!

They do this in my office - i hate it. So unnecessary.

TBagpuss

pinkjets wrote: »

In our office we bring in cake/buns on our OWN birthday - that means we are only out of pocket once a year but have the benefit of having treats once or twice a month - everyone in our office (@20) seem happy with this arrangement.
As for work nights out, people go/don't go, it's their preference and nobody pressures them either way :-)

This is what we do. We only have collections for big events such as a retirement, wedding or new baby/adoption, and in those cases a card and envelope will be sent round and everyone can put in as much or as little towards a gift as they want.

I work in a smallish company - there are about 60 people in total (spread over three offices) so it doesn't happen very often In a bigger organisation I would expect collections etc. to be limited to the department/location the person was in, rather than the whole office.

I agree that you should not contribute if you don't want to. You may find that a lot of others would follow your lead. You could also consider speaking to HR to suggest that they propose limiting collections to a departmental level.

barbiedoll

I work in a large NHS department but I'm also part of a small team. We do cakes on birthdays and we'll chip in for flowers and a card if someone is ill.

Recently, we've had a spate of retirement collections. Some of the people were colleagues who I've worked with over the years but it's a bit annoying when, after forking out to put in the collection, I then discover that they're coming back to work, two weeks later on "a part-time basis"

What's the point of buying them a bloody retirement present if they aren't actually retiring? :mad:

I don't put in for maternity-leave presents, I work with a lot of 30somethings and I'd be spending more than I earn at the rate they're breeding at present! :rotfl:

dontone

LutonGirl wrote: »

Where I worked years ago, when it was a more formal working environment, the dreaded envelope would come around with a list stapled to the front where you were obliged to put your initials and an indication of how much money you'd put in. I refused to say how much I'd put in each time and others soon followed suit.

At another job, in a much larger place, we used to say "I don't like [insert name] but I'll give you 10p if I can sign the card!

That used to happen at a place I worked for as well. It wasn't just to show who had put in (which was apparently the reason for it) but it was used in spite occasionally, when someone didn't put in, their name cropped up a few times as someone who was a tightwad.
It backfired on them in my case though. Someone commented that I never put in, my response was that it would be nice to be asked. Many was the time that they planned things for people and not one person in the department I worked in was asked to contribute. Mainly because where I worked dealt with rather nasty stuff sometimes and they were paranoid that we would pass germs on if we handed them money or touched the birthday/leaving card. I didn't mind in the end, 'cos it saved me a fortune.
But, in other cases, I have given a few quid here and there in a collection. I don't mind, as long as the person who is leaving doesn't come back a few weeks later - had that happen a few times as well. (And I asked for the money back too. Never got it though)

hazyjo

Make sure you don't get the card after someone may have counted the dosh. Always sign after another person who has just donated, and if someone hovers round your desk, fish out some coins and bung them in the envelope. Can be 20p if possible. So long as they hear a jingle and you say you've added, that's fine. Make sure it goes to another person after you. They won't know who put in what. So what if you put in 20p and someone else puts in £2.


We had someone leave after just after a year and my cow of a line manager told everyone not to bother with a card or collection for her (the girl actually worked for her). Shame as she's one person I would actually have put in for (as would others as she was really nice and part of the reason she went was cos of the Old Dragon)!


Jx

eadieb

In 2013 most of our team were made redundant (15 going on same day), and it was agreed amongst those of us leaving that we could not do wip rounds for everyone, so we did a secret santa redundancy present of £5 each, and one large card using photos of everyone with a copy given out to each person. It did irk me that no one else in the organisation outside of our team made any effort to do a collection or farewell or anything for us. I had been there 13 years and several of my colleagues 18 years plus. I am not sure if it was embarasment at the situation, but many staff in the rest of the organisation we had worked closely with seemed to pretend it wasn't happening.

I wonder what the leaving card/present etiquette is for redundants