To ask if your manager acknowledges your birthday with a gift?

[Merryoldgoat]

Where I currently work we don’t do birthday collections etc (which I am grateful for).

Would you generally expect to give a present to your direct report? Or receive one from your manager? If so, what kind of value would a gift like that be?

I’m newish to this dynamic and don’t want to embarrass or offend anyone or do something stupid.

Oddly where I work now bosses tend to buy Christmas presents but I've never been anywhere where bosses do birthdays.

Ah in that case yes a little gesture for a big birthday is probably a nice idea. It doesn't have to be big but it's nice to recognise.

we get the day off and a card

We do a voluntary team collection of £5 each for birthdays. Our manager gets us little appreciation gifts at other points during the year such as advent calendars and Easter eggs which are really thoughtful and takes us out for a team meal separate from the Christmas party (just a local pub). Wouldn’t expect any of it but it’s nice.

We do a pay monthly type thing, I think it's £1 a month
This was my birthday gift

My manager doesn’t normally acknowledge I exist, never mind birthdays 🥳

No way I wouldn’t even expect them to know when it was

@NoPupIsTooSmall

No, but for a big birthday (40th, 50th, 60th) we usually do a small team collection and buy a bottle of wine and some flowers or something similar. It wouldn't be for a 'normal' birthday and it wouldn't be solely from the team leader/management.

Hmm, not sure I like this. I don't want the whole company knowing I've reached a "big birthday", and I'd be uncomfortable broadcasting another person's age too. Will Julie who hit the big 6-0 last week now be (unconsciously) thought of as coasting along till retirement?

To answer the OP, I have only once been given a birthday present directly from manager, and frankly it was awkward and unnecessary (perhaps especially because he was a man). It would normally be the manager buys cake and organises a card to go round, but that's all fallen away now we're remote, so perhaps it would be nice to send something inexpensive...there are companies that send tray bakes through the post.

Nope. We normally do a card (no present) within the team without getting the manager involved at all. I’m not sure he even knows when our birthdays are! For a big birthday and a small team like you describe I think it would be a lovely gesture but not required.

Not just from the manager, no. We do team gifts though (which includes manager) and we all go out for a long lunch together (oh how I miss those days) I work with a lovely team though and genuinely enjoy spending time with them

No presents. The only time we have ever done a collection was for a 65th and the person was also retiring.

In our office the birthday person brings cakes.

Not the manager but we get a day’s worth of pay from the employer. I think that is generous.

Not at all. I don't even know when my team's birthdays are, it would be weird.
When we used to work in an office, the person who has a birthday was meant to buy cakes/treats (usually just Tesco mini boxes) to share with the team which gives everyone a chance to say Happy Birthday to them.
I'd just be careful of starting off something people feel obligated to return or keep up with on every birthday.

If you want to show appreciation generally that's different. Like my team worked their socks off last year and I sent them some bits for them to share with their families at Christmas.

I've had quite a few jobs and never come across management giving staff birthday gifts.

A bottle of wine or box of chocolates for everyone at Christmas but no marking of birthdays

We can choose to pay into a fund. You get a gift on round birthdays and life events eg wedding, sickness. Pay 10 quid or so every year.

Yes my boss and I exchange birthday and Christmas presents - but it's a small company and we're quite close.
I don't do gifts with other colleagues generally though.

No - but managers I have worked closely with have given a small present around Christmas time.

I think some may have got me BD cards before - but not often.

My boss gets me a bottle of Prosecco which is very kind and appreciated. It probably helps we used to do the same job and were quite matey before he went for his promotion and became my manager.

It was my birthday last week. My boss emailed me first thing. No gift. Didn't expect one.

He did send me a really nice hamper for Christmas, though.

@NoPupIsTooSmall

No, but for a big birthday (40th, 50th, 60th) we usually do a small team collection and buy a bottle of wine and some flowers or something similar. It wouldn't be for a 'normal' birthday and it wouldn't be solely from the team leader/management.

This is what our work does, we are a large team so big birthdays do quite well with everyone putting in 1 or 2 pounds

Nope. Another one whose manager doesn't even respond to my emails never mind give me a birthday present

How does you boss know it’s your birthday to start?

I know some people will say and like a fuss, i don’t, and nobody at work knows when my birthday is. I’ve worked there 4 years, and same with my old job.

To find out they’d need to breach confidentiality and go into my HR records.

So does a manager only buy for those who announce their birthdays and leave out those who don’t? Could that be construed as favouritism, giving gifts to some staff and not to others?

Birthday gifts have never been a thing in any of the industries I have worked in.

Don’t do it.

No. I wouldn't expect to receive anything from my manager. If I had a team, I would say happy birthday to the person and may get a card for each on their birthday (depending on how big the team was).

In your situation I would especially if it is a big birthday and a small team.
I have never had a direct present but worked in a company that celebrated all the staff's birthday with a cake and small collection.

No. We tend to get a card though. But only if a colleague has shared their birthday - the manger doesn't do it otherwise, despite obviously having access to that data.