to think you dont stipulate how much people put in for present, work related?

[NoahVale]

A new colleague recently asked how much for birthday,
we buy for birthdays,
there are about 20 or less

another colleague said £2.
At the same time I said, How ever much you can afford, one or two.

thing is there were a tonne of birthdays just recently when i was particularly skint, one got nothing, one got £1,
but on hearing that remark, I gave the next person £1.50

the colleague who said £2 may be heard me saying I was skint and said about putting money aside for these eventualities.
and another colleague mentioned how she had been out of pocket by assuming everyone put in £2.

WIBU

Out of pocket for £2?
Yanbu in principle, you put in what you have in your wallet/what you can spare/an amount that reflects how much you like the person in question. The envelopes always end up full of 50s and 20s so I assume some people put in less than £1 and that's fine.

yes, mephisto,
believe it or not, others are also finding it hard to believe by the sound of things,
at the beginning of the week if i only have a fiver til pay day, that is ALL I have

YANBU. £40 for a work birthday present is a lot!

Every birthday? I wouldn't bother putting in for every birthday that seems a bit extreme. For big birthdays, births and weddings, I'd put in £5.

No one should expect anything for a collection.

I'd never stipulate, put in what you want to. Same with leaving presents, presents for teachers at the end of the year, or any other gift.

perhaps 20 people was an exaggeration
um, let me count; may be 15 but not everyone is always available.

£2 seems reasonable to me, and has always been the norm for collections wherever I've worked, so over the year you'll pay out £40, but you get it back on your own birthday.

and if you can't spare £2 that week?

I hate the whole work collection thing, it's always so awkward. A new girl recently had to shell out £2 each for 3 different people's leaving do's/birthdays in one week that she'd never even met but the collection person didn't give her much of a choice.

and if you can't spare £2 that week?

Well then you put in whatever you can spare, or you decide you don't actually like the person/don't want to contribute, and you don't put anything in.

I never understand buying group presents for colleagues birthdays.

i did that, i decided one person I didnt particularly like, and she did actually prove me correct a bit later

As long as you don't expect everyone to contribute towards your own birthday then it's all good.

there is absolutely no expectation. i am not bothered.

When you work in an environment where there is a big staff who all know each other (a primary school, in my case, for example) collections for everybody's birthdays, engagements, weddings, births, xmas, retirement, leaving, re-joining, get well presents, ect gets too much.

I hated them! I do remember some occasions when it was expected to put in a fiver each. I just couldn't afford it. YANBU OP.

this can be so awkward, why do these things get started ?

We've never really done birthdays, just leaving gifts and there is a pot available should you choose to donate. No pressure, and that's how it should be.

I've worked in same place for years & always payed into collections. When I got married a few years ago I didn't get so much as a card!! Nevermind a collection or present.
Now I'm not one of those give to receive types but that really pissed me off. If it's someone's birthday/wedding/ new baby etc if I'm close to that person I will buy them something independently & steer clear of putting into collections.

I just put in whatever I have in my purse, whether that's 40p or a fiver. I don't feel guilty putting lower amounts in - it must even out, as most of our office collections raise about the same.

We don't do birthdays where I work! We have had a collection for a birth though recently. We had an envelope to put money in and if you contribute then you put your name on the envelope but not the amount. Some people put a few quid, others a lot less I would imagine. I work in care so we're all on a low wage. We wouldn't ever stipulate an amount to put in.

I'm at the ones who think that 'they are out of pocket' if you didn't pay the £2.
Surely you just put whatever you feel is appropriate?
And if you don't have the £2, you just don't.

As for 'putting money aside in advance', well yes for your child, your DP etc... For work colleagues, nope.

My workplace recently bought a present then "billed" the staff
You put what you've got and buy a present after its all collected!

I've never heard of putting in for work birthdays unless it's a 50th or 60th. Sounds barmy.
Do you have to give for weddings, births and leaving on top of that?

Billing the staff is pretty crap Monken

and leaving yes, probably.