Office Birthday Etiquette

[Officecakedilemma]

Hi MN'ers

Help with please with my sudden panic although in truth this is more long term due to WTF rather than short term.

I've just changed jobs after over 30 years working in car dealerships. In your birthday you'd bring in cakes for everyone whether they're shop bought or home made. Usually no more than 40 would work there so not a massive hassle or cost

I've now moved to a more Corporate type environment where there will be 200 plus people who work in the company on that site once this pandemic is over and we get back to what will then be normal

Do people buy cakes for over 200 people, what is the etiquette that is followed here. Do you only do your Dept/immediate colleagues??

Hardly first world issues I know but as my birthday is not far off it it occurred to me I don't know.

I would just ignore your birthday at work this year until you know the office culture a bit better.
I’ve never worked in an office where you would be expected to bring cakes for 200 people. In such a big company, you would bring in a treat only for your department or team (if at all). I would skip this year and do it the following year! No one will bat an eyelid

I’ve never taken in cakes on my birthday before. In our office in normal times you’d get a cake and a card (organised by your boss) but now it’s just a virtual card that people sign for you

Yes absolutely - you need to bring in cake for 200 people on your birthday 😀

Sorry OP, I'm being facetious! Of course you wouldn't do that - it would be utterly bonkers! Just don't mention your birthday in work, why would you?

I can't believe people brought in enough cake for 40 in your previous job. Such a pain in the arse not to mention the expense plus cake turning up nearly every bloody week of the year!

Cakes for your department, I would think. That's how it was when I worked in a corporate environment.

Now I work in a more caring sharing type of place and they all buy actual thoughtful presents for each other. Now that is WTF!

We’re a department of about 50 (in a building of about 250 - one company). Cake (pre COVID) was brought in for the department but never mad amounts...people helped themselves and there were no hard feelings if you got there last and there was none left.

OP, first, I don't think you should assume that any birthdays will be recognized.

Is there a chance that yours will be the first birthday that occurs when you start your job? With 200 other people working there, that is unlikely. Just see what other people do.

Cakes for your immediate team.

Or a wider selection of cakes (but nowhere near enough for everyone) and send round a general email "It's my birthday, cakes by my desk". Realistically people will only come and get them if they know you. Apart from a couple of cake fiends.

Just bring in a normal sized cake as a gesture, whoever gets to it first can have some!

Tins of biscuits or sweets in the staff room IF you get a card/gift or I wouldn’t bother

My company is 25000 people. We have a birthday month day eg all September birthdays are read out at once on one day and there is a spread put on for the whole department.

I am in a tiny team and we completely ignore one another's birthdays!

I just left Corporate- 200+ in the building (over 3 floors) cakes /sweets for your area/ dept only! But with that many people it was as if there was always a birthday going on! The cringy thing was that your immediate team / line manager would do a card / a whip round for a gift - but if somebody else had the same birthday it was embarrassing if they had a 'bigger fuss' (I was ok with this as an introvert!)