AIBU Christmas gifts and cards from customers...

[NoFestiveCheerHere]

...that have been given to staff, some addressed personally, should not be taken home by management/business owner?

These are items that were removed from a communal area at to be honest it just feels really shit especially this year.

Anyone?

I don't understand.

Clients sent a present to staff. Maybe even name specific staff. Owner (not staff) takes it home.

?

No, totally not OK.

They should stay with who they were given to. Is anyone prepared to raise this with the business owner and embarrass them? They should.

Have seen it before where gifts addressed to individuals were removed and put in to share out among all staff which I think is fair enough but not for owner/manager to keep themselves.

I was once gifted a bottle of wine by a colleague for helping on a tricky project. It was removed from my desk and put into the Christmas raffle, to be won by a colleague that didn't celebrate Xmas and I got a branded desk calendar. Was 12 years ago and I've still not got over it 🤣🤣🤣

There was a bottle of wine, barrel of biscuits, tub of Roses that had been handed to me and then yesterday, a box of biscuits that had a tag and card addressed to me personally there were also several cards with my name on.

I left before the owner yesterday and it had all gone when I got in this morning.

It's a small business and I've been the only staff member actually working rather than furloughed since June. I'm under no illusions, I know they only kept me working because I was the only all rounder and actually know the business better than them. My hours and actual job have changed massively since June because I'm doing every aspect single handed most of the time and I'm now working every Saturday which I never did before.

It just feels so petty but it hurts too.

Is it because of the company’s anti-bribery/solicitation policy? What kind of company is it? Context is key. If it’s a care home and a resident has given a staff member a Christmas card or some chocolates to thank them for looking after them all year or a regular client at a salon wants to give a gift to the person who colors their hair so nicely it’s a lot different to, for example, my job where I negotiate contracts and due to potential bribery concerns I have to declare (and possibly lose) any gifts as it could be seen that a client is bribing me to give their company a more favorable contract than another.

Ask where have they put your presents, & stop working Saturdays.

It's a shop that offers a service so regular customers.

I was intending to share the gifts out with the other two staff that are furloughed as I really miss working with them and had mentioned the wine to one already as I don't drink.

It's not the first time things have disappeared but normally when we are all three working we just open things as we fancy them.

Employees had to declare any gift as we were not supposed accept gratuities for similar reasons as BritWifeInUSA.
All personal letters were opened by admin, stamped and then forwarded to a supervisor before you got to it.

Just ask surely? It seems the only way to find out what on earth has happened. Sounds v v odd indeed.

It’s not on. In my last job we tended to receive a huge amount of gifts at Christmas. Named gifts were obviously taken home by the intended recipient and communal gifts (boxes of chocolates, biscuits etc) were equally divided out. I’ve no doubt that the office manager siphoned off the best stuff for herself though.

Why not just ask what happened to them?

Ask. "Hey Clair, I had some gifts here from some customers, they were all togethe and some had my name on, cant find them now. Do you know where you might have put them? I was really looking forward to them."

Also - why did you leave the gifts and cards especially in the communal area instead of taking them home the same day?

Yea you need to challenge them and ask what happened to them? If they treat you like this, I would start looking for another job too

I'm in on my own today and I didn't want to phone her about it, it makes me feel like I'm being grabby tbh! I'll ask her tomorrow.

I left them in our communal area because I was going to share them like I would any other year, with the staff that are furloughed.

As a customer I would be beyond cross if I thought that a gift I had given to a specific person had being taken by someone else or shared out generally and if I got wind of it I’d be more than happy to express my feelings to whoever took it providing it wouldn’t result in the intended recipient getting into trouble. To me if someone takes things clearly intended for someone else it’s theft.
I’d be p’d off too OP but I’m a quick learner and if any more gifts came my way I’d make very sure I didn’t leave them for them to be taken by someone else.
As to the point made by Brit I agree entirely - if only everyone took that view and those that made the rules followed them themselves. There are plenty of people in high places and in certain professions who see nothing wrong in accepting gifts and freebies because they think that their decisions won’t be influenced by them.

Seems like your gifts were stolen. Ask for them back asap. Maybe taken by mistake?

Email "do you know where the presents customers sent me are?"