25 work anniversary gift is not the same as other colleague even though we have a HR long service

LinLui

He said when he asked the other manager they said no it was never done, so he's concerned that others things have happened that's he's not aware of 

Or... you are being played. It seems rather odd that one manager can breach the policy; but more than that, I am trying to think of any way it is possible for an employer to make a payment tax free to an employee - the rules around tax free payments are very clear and the circumstances very limited. A 25 year anniversary isn't one of the circumstances. So it would seem that a manager authorised a payment, and managed to get it all processed without anyone stopping him and contrary to the tax laws. Accounts and payroll are usually hot on things like that.

Hmmm. 

You know what - it is really easy to fake letters and many other things these days. 

DullGreyGuy

It seems highly unlikely to have been "tax free", of course the gross number can be calculated such that the net number is equivalent to.

As others have said, as long as it's not discrimination based on protected characteristics then all is legal. There could be an argument that a 25 year reward is age discrimination anyway. 

Back in my perm days we had a 15 year and 25 year award, the former was something fairly token and the later was a watch etc. Didnt get close to it myself but whilst I was there they changed the rules and created a "prize draw" of a free car; for each year over 10 years your name got put in the hat, each year over 15 you got 2 entries and over 25 years 3 entries. 1 name from the hat was drawn each quarter. Never heard of anyone from our division getting it in the 18 months or so I was there (division was 20,000 employees). Certainly some were disappointed to lose getting something to the chance of getting something better.

Some managers breach rules they dont like, depends on how strong HR (or other governing function) are and how senior the buy-in is for the deviation. A former client would pay no more than £X/day for a contract project manager and any deviation was supposed to be signed off by the COO who almost never signed off deviations. The head of the function I worked in thought that number was too low to get the quality of person he wanted so just gave it an unusual job title, circumvented the cap and offered up to 25% more money. The CFSO fully supported him and rather than butt heads with his ExCo colleague just let it continue happen under the radar. 

LinLui

@DullGreyGuy I am shortly to retire (kind of,  different story) ... I am deeply grateful that I haven't got 25 years. You really need to see the 1950s cut glass rosebowl with the employers crest on it to realise that it isn't a reward. My mum had one (without the crest) which was a prized wedding gift... in 1953...

Marcon

pete1975 said:

Marcon said:

pete1975 said:

hi all,  I work for a fairly large global company,  around 4000 employees and what should be a time for celebration (i've work for the same company for 25 yrs) the company provide a dinner and a a watch which is engraved.   I was talking to another colleague who also got his 25 yrs 2 years ago and he he was showing me the watch, and then said whats also nice is they surprise you with you a months gross salary tax free and he was showed me the letter from HR.

Fast forward two years and i have quite a good relationship with another director and he mentioned for me to choose a restaurant so he can book it, and we were talking about holidays this year and i said half jokingly that the money will be handy to pay off the family holiday.  He kind of looked at me and said what money you only get a watch,  i told him what i had seen and he said that's not possible because that's not the HR policy,   i told him i had seen the letter and he checked with the other director on teams, the director said no the other employee was not given any money.   the letter actually stated 'long service award 25 yrs'    my manager said let me check with the HR team, because its all tracked and there never is any payments for long service just the watch.    I still think my manager is telling the truth and he wasn't aware but we have had issues in the past where the company advises the employees that polices are fair and transparent yet it seems one director and team can do something completely different.   
I actually spoke to the colleague last week again thinking maybe my mind had gone mad and he said he confirmed again about the payment.   

Waiting for my manager to speak to HR as he said it is all in the system and we can't just give some people money and other not,  he said himself he's just completed 40yrs and received no payment from the company for that.  if we have a HR policy can director do something extra.   

thanks

I understand the disappointment, but what's your question? Nothing to stop an employer treating employees differently.

I guess it was that,  you can be treated differently even though there is a policy in place as long as thats followed then everything else is just that a bonus to that individual,  as one of other colleagues has said, so far it seems its just one manager has been giving his team the payments as the other managers were following the policy .
Disappointed I am, but if the the company can do it, or individual managers then i guess i will just have to live with it and wish i had that manager lol

...and it grates all the more when you've been loyal to a company for many years...I get that entirely.

As others have pointed out, it couldn't have been as simple as a month's gross salary tax free: https://www.gov.uk/expenses-and-benefits-long-service-awards/what-to-report-and-pay

DullGreyGuy

LinLui said:

DullGreyGuy I am shortly to retire (kind of,  different story) ... I am deeply grateful that I haven't got 25 years. You really need to see the 1950s cut glass rosebowl with the employers crest on it to realise that it isn't a reward. My mum had one (without the crest) which was a prized wedding gift... in 1953...

Dont worry, having delivered some particularly large projects clients have given all those involved a glass/crystal trophy, gone straight in the recycling bin when I got home; would have much rathered the c£50 they spent on them

LeafGreen

I got a very cheaply made pin badge for my 25 years and a generic A4 certificate from the CEO (that my manager had to print off) for 15 years!

Grumpy_chap

I must be the lucky one - after 8 years with my first employer, I got relocated and they gave me a lump sum relocation allowance which was the deposit on my first house.
At 12 years, I got relocated again so moved up the housing ladder.
At 15 years, I got made redundant with enough money to refit the kitchen and bathroom.
Very generous of them indeed.

stuhse

Grumpy_chap said:

I must be the lucky one - after 8 years with my first employer, I got relocated and they gave me a lump sum relocation allowance which was the deposit on my first house.
At 12 years, I got relocated again so moved up the housing ladder.
At 15 years, I got made redundant with enough money to refit the kitchen and bathroom.
Very generous of them indeed.

How on earth did you get your name with luck like that ?

DullGreyGuy

Grumpy_chap said:

I must be the lucky one - after 8 years with my first employer, I got relocated and they gave me a lump sum relocation allowance which was the deposit on my first house.
At 12 years, I got relocated again so moved up the housing ladder.
At 15 years, I got made redundant with enough money to refit the kitchen and bathroom.
Very generous of them indeed.

Was the relocation anything to do with the length of service?

My job that lead to my first real job, was in it for 18 months when they offered be a job in London with 1 month in a hotel, weekly return tickets for 6 weeks and a relocation allowance... not enough to be a deposit on a house in London but a lot for someone who at that point was on £15k. Wasnt any form of service award 

Grumpy_chap

DullGreyGuy said:

Grumpy_chap said:

I must be the lucky one - after 8 years with my first employer, I got relocated and they gave me a lump sum relocation allowance which was the deposit on my first house.
At 12 years, I got relocated again so moved up the housing ladder.
At 15 years, I got made redundant with enough money to refit the kitchen and bathroom.
Very generous of them indeed.

Was the relocation anything to do with the length of service?
 

No.

It did all work out very well, though.
I was on £14.5k
They gave me £8k.
First house was £59,990 - I would not pay more to keep under £60k stamp duty threshold.

The alternative to relocation was redundancy which, on their rules related to length of service, would have been £6k.  The relocation was enhanced above redundancy for "valued employees".
The company was unusual in having a contractual enhanced redundancy calculation and pretty much everyone aimed for a successful redundancy between 15 and 20 years as that was the most lucrative time to secure a deal - it was a fixed salary multiple in that period and then started to decline after 20 years service.  Very few people got the gold watch at 25 years (though that was also contractual).  If you did stay for the watch, you pretty much had to stay for life as the pension became very favourable at 30 years.

Oddly enough, I have returned on several occasions to the same employer in various functions since I started doing consultancy.