To no longer buy cards and gifts for office colleagues birthdays and special occasions?

We do cards. I buy the cards. My assistant sorts out getting them signed. If people want to bring cakes, they do.

We do a collection for birthdays with a 0, mat leave, leavers and getting married. We tend to arrange collections on-line nowadays.

It's a nice touch but a bit of a pain in the arse.

Please stop doing it this shakedown is one of the worst bits of office life you're not a martyr you're annoying everyone

That's been my observation too.

At my new workplace it's cards and gifts for big birthdays only.Much better than every year.

Such a shame. Don't feel bad. It's management's fault for instead of addressing that workers lateness directly, they then subjected you all to timesheets, which I'd resent more, than the issue with cards.

Good for you. i wouldn't be doing it either. The MD of my work put a stop to asking for donations and buying gifts and cards. Whenever its someone's birthday they get a virtual card via email now.
i used to be the person that bought the cards for colleagues and when it was my birthday i never got a card, so was glad that things changed.

I was that person at work - but id buy enough cards for the whole team at the start of the year then vouchers were the emailed code type or purchased online. There are workarounds if you enjoy doing it

Yep. In over 30 years working, I've only ever known one man organise a colleague's present.

But if they were truly happy about it and felt it was a good use of company time, they could have amended the timesheet system to allow it to continue eg some form of code like "special admin"

I don't think it's reasonable to wander round John Lewis on company time, sorry

Well, is it? The Japanese have a much more integrated work/life culture and although I think this is probably quite as tricky as our culture of hard lines, UK ideas of professionalism are not the only ones in the world and frankly I get a bit ticked off with the lengths everybody has to go to in order that lazy arses are preserved from finding out that they are failing to do their job.

Everybody knows who is useless at work.

I don't think it is leading to a happy work environment.
Most people don't like it.
That may well be why no one else has come forward.

Of course there was the great scandal where some git took the cake in the kitchen and cut a big slice before the get together for the cake and tea, it was Agatha Christie levels of whodunnit, never did find out.

Thoughts and prayers. We've never quite recovered from the who stole a colleague's Pork Pie scandal.

Hate it too op. It is time consuming. Nobody wants to take it on either. You be sick it.

What I hate about gift collections is that it's always women doing it. Men wouldn't do stuff like that but women are always expected to. It's all bollocks.

Send an email to say that though you've enjoyed doing this over the years, you're now stepping back. Full-stop, you don't need to justify this or arrange an alternative.

Leave it to your colleagues/manager to decide if they want someone else to carry this on.

Personally, I think 'official' gifts should only be for milestone birthdays and occasions; if you do it for every birthday, you never stop!

Card rotas (e.g. last birthday buys card for next birthday) are OK in theory but can fall apart if people are on holiday or with the inevitable disorganised/can't be arsed person you get in every team, so someone needs to own it and be prepared to step in if needed. Again, quite possibly more trouble than it's worth, but let your team decide.

Whoever’s birthday it was brought in a cake, that’s it. Of course there was the great scandal where some git took the cake in the kitchen and cut a big slice before the get together for the cake and tea, it was Agatha Christie levels of whodunnit, never did find out.

I loathe office gifting, it really gets on my nerves. These people are not your friends! IME, theres always one performative person all like 'let's get a gift for x for whatever reason', who just likes shopping and gets to spend other people's money

I think the same. It's a bit like the Office Hugger thread recently.

YABU although OP for not sending around an email saying that you would no longer be organising the collections or gift giving.

Of course you're not unreasonable to stop, but if you are the official gift organiser, you perhaps should have said you were stopping before your generous colleague's birthday.

It sounds like management have let it fly but probably rolled their eyes behind closed doors

Whoevers birthday ot is brings on the cake.
No one needs cards and gifts! Wtf
These are colleagues. I can't believe it's been going on so long!

In your response upthread you say management were happy for you to do this in past as it made for happy workforce etc then all they need to do is have a code that you can allocate your 15 mins to each time you do this

I loathe office gifting, it really gets on my nerves. These people are not your friends! IME, theres always one performative person all like 'let's get a gift for x for whatever reason', who just likes shopping and gets to spend other people's money.

Now I just blank, don't add to anything. Don't care. And if I left, I'd be very clear - no leaving gift thanks!

If the time is the only reason you don't want to do it why can't you just order things online. It takes a couple of minutes.

It mean that no one got the last woman anything.

In our team each person has a birthday buddy who they arrange a group card for. So everyone receives a card and we only have to buy one once a year. Most people set up an e-card, which takes 5 minutes to do, likely in work time. I can't say I'm that bothered about it to be honest but happy to take part if others like it.

If someone leaves or has a baby their managers organise an optional collection. If I was buying a gift I'd do it in my own time, but then if I was 10 mins back from lunch no one would care.

I'm not saying it's your fault but I feel really sorry for the person who has contributed but not got one. I don't think yabu but I think you should have been more vocal to your manager that you dont have time or want to do it anymore and to highlight the implications for this person of you suddenly stopping. If it's stopping then it needs to be transparent across the team. I don't have a strong feeling about in work versus out of work time, but your manager could have made that call. Sounds like the flexibility thing hasn't been managed all that well.

I think you put your annoyance about the principle before the feelings of your colleague, which is a shame but I don't really blame you as there's no way I would want to be lumbered with all the gift giving.

We had that policy too. Someone would take turns in organising things. Until they didn't.

But we did it online only. No actual presents. Just a card and gift card if we get enough money - and that's only for special occasions like big birthdays.

The other rule I've had in another office was the person who just had a birthday (or baby, wedding, whatever) card did the next one. That way everyone had to take a shot. You get a card, your turn next.

Online is so easy. You could do that at your desk and nobody would know.

The policy has to be discussed prior though.