Manager announced that the colleague is leaving and as usual, a card and collection.
I contribute £10 and wrote a lovely message.
I always contribute and always the same $ regardless of who it is UNLESS I had no interactions with the leaver at all which is rare.
< In my last job I used to do the ssme but used to do £5 since I earned a lot less (once the secretary told me that I was too generous because someone on 3x my wage gives only £3) but anyway…>
So I contributed £10 plus drinks at the pub. All good.
After 4 weeks of working somewhere else, colleague decides they don’t like their new job and asks the boss to come back. Since the position was still vacant with everybody else (includinv me) picking up the slack, colleague walks back as if they never left.
I mean, I know colleague shouldnt give anyone’s money back of course and it is not the future leavers fault and they shouldn’t be penalised but I’m massively put off now.
But having said that, when I left my last job, I did have some lovely gifts and a gift card which is no nice but I’m now thinking this culture should end.
Will feel super bad if I don’t contribute moving forward though, it is such a habit.