Work Collections

[Itcouldbeyoubutitsnot]

I work in a team of 15 in a large company.

When I started it was a team of 7 and has grown over the last year.

The original six decided that they would each give £10 for birthdays, so that a gift for £50 could be purchased for each person.

Since the team has grown the original six want everyone to carry on doing the same. I said I don't want to give £10 but am prepared to give £5 despite in every office collection I've known previously £2 was the going rate and then for special occasions (birthday ending in 0, wedding, baby etc) only not every birthday. But they said no £10 or I couldn't partake, so I didn't partake and they have got very stroppy and have sent out an email to me specifically stating it is £10 to contribute and everyone has to do it.

AIBU to think £10 is a lot for normal birthday contribution in the office?

AIBU to think it should be voluntary to contribute?

AIBU to think the person contributing should state how much they are willing to put it?

[Redglitter]

I think when it's a small group contributing for a birthday pressie for each other then really everyone has to pay the same. I don't that's at all unreasonable It's not very fair if you're paying a fiver for theirs but they're all paying a tenner when it's your birthday

For general collections you should be able to contribute whatever you want

[ilovesooty]

We pass an envelope round and write our name on when we've contributed. Seems to work ok.

[Chrysanthemum5]

Well they can't force you to join in, and do you want a birthday present from your colleagues? Personally I'd rather keep the money to buy something myself.

[ilovesooty]

And we put in what we want and can afford.

[MrsKCastle]

Yanbu. Of course you should feel free to opt out, they're basically saying you need to budget £140 per year on presents for colleagues- that's more than I spend on my parents and siblings altogether most years!

[Icimoi]

Buying presents for everyone does seem way OTT, particularly as I bet the reality is that the money goes on things the person doesn't really want anyway, and it puts quite a burden on whoever gets to do the shopping. In offices I've worked in the most we have done is cards, plus maybe a few extra bits and pieces for significant birthdays.

If your colleagues feel they must do presents, might it be worth suggesting something equivalent to Secret Santa, with say a £10 or 20 limit for the present?

[echt]

The very idea of collecting for a birthday boggles my mind. Never heard of this in all my puff. But then I'm in teaching which, as any fule kno, is not the real world.

Weddings, births, leaving, that's it.

[BikeRunSki]

We put in what we can afford and mostly only do weddings, babies and leaving. I usually feel sorry for the youngsters and put in a fair bit, even though they probably have more disposable income than me.

There's 25 people in my team - we bring in cakes on our own birthdays. Every birthday would cost a fortune!

[WhyCantIuseTheNameIWant]

Hey. It's my birthday in a few weeks..
Can your "birthday organiser" go to my workplace?
£10 from each of my 600 colleagues would clear all my living costs for a year!
These things should be small, fun, cheap and optional.

[AuntyMag10]

Yanbu, I don't think they should set a minimum amount. So if there's a few birthdays in a month then you would need to fork out quite a bit. However are you going to be ok with not receiving any for your birthday, and how it would make you feel?

[MaidOfStars]

I assume you've offered the fiver because now there are 14 people contributing for each birthday, not 6?

Anyway, it's all a massive hassle for birthdays, especially at the proposed tenner contribution. Who wants to be the shopper, having to work out how to spend £140 on someone you don't really know. Every 4 weeks.

Weddings, babies, leaving gifts here. No set contribution. Money into an envelope.

[PerfectlyPosed]

Surely a collection is at the discretion of the person donating and there is no set amount? Like PP, we have an envelope go round and everyone writes their name on when they have donated. The amount donated is irrelevant. There are people in my office that I would give more to than others.

[ThinkIveBeenHacked]

Birthday collections?! Thats bonkers! We have a small team (10) and if it is a Big Birthday the manager brings in a cake. Other birthdays are generally ignored.

Leaving/Babies/Weddings are our collections. And even then people put in what they can, but it is never more than a fiver.

[echt]

YY to private donations.

I think it is the height of vulgarity to stipulate amounts of money; it is always entirely up to the giver.

[KinkyAfro]

Just opt out and tell them you don't want anything from them either. Collecting for birthdays is ridiculous, every company I've worked at it has just been cakes from the birthday person.

[FenellaFellorick]

email back and say you are mistaken, I do not have to contribute. You need to leave me out of the birthday collections and obviously don't collect for me on my birthday either. Thanks.

[BeaufortBelle]

A card for the birthday person and they bring in cakes.

[Notso]

£140 seems a lot to fork out.

When I worked we paid £5 each month towards birthdays. It was a school so worked out we paid £30 a year, then each person got a £30 gift for their birthday. Effectively you saved for your own present.

[Toohardtofindaproperusername]

And you will probably find that if you email the whole group saying you are opting out of the birthday collection fund - a few others might join you and express relief that you have said 'no'. You just have to weather the initial 'party poop' child like playground stuff/responses before people realise that actually, you are a grown up now.
Yanbu x 3

[WhatchaMaCalllit]

Where I work we aren't given a card. If we want our colleagues to know it's our actual birthday then the birthday person brings in their own cakes. No gifts are collected for. Only if someone was to leave would a collection be done and even then it's up to the giver how much they want to contribute (no amount is stipulated). If the team has grown, then the amount to contribute should have decreased to keep the gift at around the same value.

Opt out and let them know why.

[tilliebob]

I'm in teaching and we get an envelope each from one of the office ladies. You can put in what you want and stick it into a drawer in the office - no one knows what you've contributed or even if you contributed or totally forgot like I did last time

[Collaborate]

YANBU. £140 is far too much. You're better off out of it.

[fastdaytears]

We do collect for birthdays within the team (not the whole business). Around 10 people and we put in £3 each. It's nice to be able to make a fuss of people on their birthdays and generally the presents are pretty generic so hard not to like. £10 x 14 is bonkers though and £140 on a work present is huge. If the birthday thing is working well in your workplace then it's fair enough to reduce the contribution so that the overall present is worth a more sensible amount.