Left job after 25 years, all I got was flowers 🫣

It often takes retirement or death for people to discover that they're just a number of a spreadsheet that can easily be replaced by generating another.

Every last one of us are dispensable and will be quickly forgotten.

Precisely.

I was made redundant after two years and I quite literally din't even get a goodbye from colleagues, not one of them, not even the managers (I WFH).
I can't say I had a great deal of sympathy when the company came back for more redundancies early this year.

I'd be broke if I contributed to the constant whip arounds: the constantly changing support staff, baby showers, wedding showers, etc Frankly, i can't afford it.

I got nothing after 10 years, not even a card! They must have hated me!

Were you liked? Were they sad you were leaving or pleased? Were you leaving them in the lurch by leaving?

And in today’s episode of ‘you’re just a payroll number to them…’

This is very grabby.
Presumably you got paid each month for 25 years - this is the only recognition that a reasonable person expects.

Unfortunately this is called being realistic. At my place we don't even have a staff id number.
I am 'Resource No.xxxxx'. My desk is probably 'Resource No.xxyyy'.

Your flowers will have been from a staff whip round, not from your company.
I might get flamed for this but I never give to collections for people who leave.
I know I know I know that's awful.
Doesn't matter how much I like someone.
I mean a colleague left recently who I loved to pieces and so enjoyed working with - I still didn't donate to her collection.
Don't take it personally! You were still valued.

This is why no-one should ever prioritise their jobs over their family/friends/hobbies. Your job and your company gives no shits about you. You're replaced the second you leave.

This

My place seems to make a fuss of managers-there's a collection and leaving do for them, but not for anyone else these days, which seems unfair if someone who has been there ten times longer (and arguably, been a much better employee in terms of actually getting the work done) doesn't get that. It used to be different, as in if I had left 5 years ago, I know for sure I'd have got a better present and leaving party than if I resigned tomorrow, Think work culture has changed in a lot of places, and maybe yours is the same.

Shes not wrong though

Let it be a lesson for next time. It's an employer....they rarely care so don't invest yourself emotionally in work or make it your personality. Do your job and have a rich life outside it with friends and/or family.

The place I worked the longest was the only place I got nothing. My boss wasn't even there when I finished for the day, I just left my laptop in his office and walked out. Sorry, I mean skipped out. I skipped out.

I left my job last year (admittedly after only 6 years) because I have cancer and could no longer work.

Normally, there is a collection for a gift and a card and a party. I got absolutely fuck all. Not even a card. 😂 It was like I had cancer and they assumed maybe I’d be dead soon and they were like okay, see ya!

That said, my mum worked for a big corporation for 35 years. When she retired, she got a commerative lamp. 🤣

My brother was a milkman for 40 years. In latter years, he managed the loading of the floats, and had to cover when milkman didn't turn up - a regular occurance. If he hadn't retired when he did, it would have killed him. When he retired, his manager presented his leaving gift from the company, a large national corporation. It was a beautiful presentation box, so he thought some nice engraved glasses or similar. In the box, was an empty milk bottle, with a message printed on it, like they do with adverts, thanking him. He was not impressed, but we have had plenty of laughs about it since.

It's really random where i work. Sometimes a collection is organised, sometimes not. I don't think it bears any relation to how people feel about you. Just more about how organised they are at the time.

Some places I've worked have been really generous. One was memorable for no card, no present, not even a word of thanks after nearly 8 years. Then they tried to get out of paying minimum statutory redundancy. Really appalling.

I left a job after 7 years and got a compliments slip from the manager with the word "cheers" on it.

It's not pleasant, but you are just a number, a bum on a seat and entirely replaceable.

That's the workplace for you.

I'm sorry 💐(more flowers, I know, but I feel like I should put something)

All the best in your new job!

Some people get nothing .. especially men, they surely wouldnt get flowers, we,ve all been there where we give the job blood , sepweat and tears and the management dont give a damn, tis life unfortunately

Were you the person that did the collections normally?
Three of us left in the same week. All 3 done 20 years.

I was the person the Director always asked to sort gifts and collections. He came to me three weeks before we left and said "can you do the three collections... oh actually you can't do your own.... can you do Mary and Maggie's and I'll get someone else to do yours. I'll organise cakes for the last day so don't worry about that". He gave me the company contribution to their leaving presents and his own contribution to them.

He forgot to ask someone else. So on the last day the other two leaving got the standard flowers, chocolates and gift vouchers for somewhere they'd like. He'd run out on arriving that lunchtime so I got a bunch of flowers from the petrol station and cash from the cash machine, and the cakes (which normally came form a lovely bakery) were ice creams from Burger King 😂

Me too!