Re Valentine’s Day at dp work?

[Nc2201]

Dp works for a very cool, well known brand. Tech industry. He came home yesterday (valentines) and told me about how the company had laid on free red roses and valentines chocs, encouraging employees to give them to each other if they “appreciated each other’s work”. I was like Aibu that this is taking employee engagement slightly far? I work for a global corporate which spends quite a lot on engagement and networking but I can’t imagine any of my male colleagues giving me rose/chocs on valentines despite how much they “appreciate my work”, it would be super awkward esp for the ones with wives and gfs! I can’t help but think that stuff like this really encourages slightly inappropriate employee relationships. Aibu? Is it weird?

It is a bit cringy, I can't imagine many men or women in stable, healthy adult relationships feeling comfortable in exchanging what is seen as romantic gifts with others.

Single people and friends probably had a laugh and joke about it.

Personally my DH would have used it has an opportunity to take it home and pretend he hadn't forgotten 😂

its a bit cringe but harmless

We had a Valentines post box set up I think at our office. Our head of department wasn't impressed but we all have a fairly dark sense of humour so had a laugh about it and suggested we mix it up with some equally inappropriate death threats.

I think it's weird.

I can’t help but think that stuff like this really encourages slightly inappropriate employee relationships

Are you always this insecure?

In the USA, St Valentines is seen as an expression of pure love, not sexual love, and is celebrated from babies right up and through adult hood. Looking at DS company site this morning, it's oddly smothered in roses and hearts, but it is a very young company wiith and average age of 24.

My office did something similar, no roses, just chocolates, and delivered to the person’s desk anonymously by the employee engagement team.
Did many people participate at your DP’s work OP? No one really did at mine.

I work in tech and some of the 'employee engagement' stuff I've seen is cringy but quite funny at the same time. I don't think it was meant as a serious thing but if it makes a few people smile (or laugh at the whole concept) then it's a break from the norm. I certainly wouldn't be worried about it.

Is it a foreign company? Because some countries see Valentine's day slightly differently to us - for instance an American friend gets cards for her daughter to give to all her classmates- rather like "we" do at Christmas.

In Japanese work cultures it is common for women to give Valentine's Day chocolates to male work colleagues .

As long as they are giving them all the sickly strawberry , orange, and soft caramel centres I don't see the problem. If they are giving away nut and other praline loveliness I think it is wrong, very very wrong.

Is it an American company? Sounds really cringy frankly. Not something we would do at all!

That is so pathetic!

Valentine’s Day is different everywhere. My 18 year old dd who is at a school with many different nationalities came home yesterday affronted because her friends had been given cards/presents/money by their mums/dads/cat (presume that is really a parent....!!) to celebrate.

That's really interesting PlainSpeaking because I've been finding people posting 'my Valentine' with pictures of their kids/taking their kids out for Valentine's really creepy, because to me it's a day for romantic - and therefore possibly sexual - love. Hence Ann Summers and the like promoting their Valentine's underwear, the cards are all weirdly sexual etc - even the idea that the 'male equivalent' (eyeroll) is Steak and a Blowjob day reinforces that, at least in the UK, Valentine's is primarily about your romantic partner. But it would explain the shift if we're adopting a more American attitude to the day!

This wouldn't bother me, although I think it is cringey. People saying valentine's Day is about all kinds of love, friends, children etc, that didn't make sense. Valentine was executed by Claudius when it was discovered he was helping Christian couples (lovers) marry. So it was always about romantic love. It's been broadened by companies trying to cash in

*doesn't make sense

I can't imagine many men or women in stable, healthy adult relationships feeling comfortable in exchanging what is seen as romantic gifts with others.

I feel like that sentence contradicts itself, if you're in a stable healthy relationship then you should feel more comfortable about things like that because you're comfortable enough in your relationship that you know a stupid valentines day related work rose or box of chocolates isn't gonna undermine you're entire relationship

Never seen valentine's day as a day to celebrate sex

My mum used to give me a card when I was little. Yesterday I gave my partner a card from our cat

Company I used to work for used to do it's big annual get together on valentine's day.

I don't think it's traditional in the UK that it's about sex, that's just the way that marketing has moved it

I feel like that sentence contradicts itself, if you're in a stable healthy relationship then you should feel more comfortable about things like that because you're comfortable enough in your relationship that you know a stupid valentines day related work rose or box of chocolates isn't gonna undermine you're entire relationship

This in spades

puppymouse Mixing up the Valentine's Box contents with a few death threats. That is so funny