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.

LOL No

Yes, birthdays aren’t even acknowledged where I’ve worked. You wouldn’t get a card, let alone a present. If anything, the birthday person might bring in a cake and announce it’s their birthday and they’ve made a cake for everyone l.

I've got 26 line reports no way can I buy all of them a gift!

I actually think it’d be embarrassing to receive a birthday gift from a manager. It’s a bit infantilising, if that’s the right word. If there was a company policy that, say, everyone gets a 10-pound bonus on their birthday, that’s different, but I imagine payroll wouldn’t be happy about organising that.

Not from just the manager.
We do a team collection and someone gets a card a little gift or voucher and a cake to share.
Since March each person has taken a turn to get something delivered for the birthday person.

We always do cards, cake, balloon in the office, but no presents generally.

We do do presents for things like weddings, babies, passing a driving test, completing a Masters etc though.

As we're all WFH at the moment it's just been a card, but if you could send some flowers or something it'd be nice seeing as it's a big birthday (but I don't think expected at all!).

I should add, we don't do a collection for it - the company pays. We wouldn't make the team pay.

No, never.

Back in office days, there'd be a card signed by all the team on birthdays (for anyone who had opted to be on the team birthday list).

If it was a milestone birthday there'd be a team collection and gift, but I have never known a manager give an individual gift although some of the more generous senior managers, if approached, might shove in £20 rather than £1-£5 which is the accepted normal amount.

We bring cakes in where I work now. I once worked for a well-known musician who bought me a handbag one year.

No, I'd think my manager had gone mental if he turned up with a birthday gift.

Wow - this is quite the variety of responses. I didn’t think anyone would answer such a boring thread 🤣

Thank you all - I’ve bought her a small gift which I’ll leave for her as we aren’t working together right now and can’t bring in cake etc.

As I mentioned before it’s a very small team - just me and her - we’re quite close and informal which is how I like it.

She’s also had a bumpy first year as she started just before the first lockdown and we didn’t see each other in person for over 6 months which is tough when finding your feet.

No. I'd expect my mates at work to perhaps join me for lunch at the pub and buy me a drink.

My previous employer did cards, and collections for ‘big’ birthdays. Current one does nothing- I much prefer it!

For our wider department team no we wouldn’t but my smaller sub team of 5 of yes we have done presents over the last year. Lockdown birthdays are shit so a nice surprise from my team was a very welcome addition to my birthday (especially as it was a ‘big’ birthday)

But unlike some others these people are friends but I know having friends at work is a big MN no no 🙄

Non covid times we would always go out for a few birthday drinks

At Christmas our department manager sent us all a bottle of Prosecco which was lovely

We used to put a tenner in for every birthday with the boss putting in £20, plus lunch out. It genuinely exhausted me. There was 10 on the team which means they seemed to come round quickly. Plus maternity gifts, leaving gifts, etc etc. We have a new manager who asked for votes on keeping it going and we unanimously voted for it to stop, lol

Card round for everyone to sign, bish bash bosh, jobs a good'un

Get a card signed by the wider department. And a gift usually you're favourite tipple from the smaller team.

Sometimes get a Easter egg at Easter and always get box of chocolates and a candle or something from my manager

I've had cake given to me by one former boss, more recently my last boss would suggest a pint if he was around (I was mostly on my own) or one of my clients I suppose I would call them (outing to explain) but I never expect more than a happy birthday

We do a group card for birthdays unless it’s a big one when we each put in £5-£10 and buy a gift.

No I wouldn’t.

It depends on your workplace culture though - nobody here can advise you. If everyone else at your work does do it you’ll look mean if you don’t.

But it’s not the norm at any place I’ve worked.

It was my manager’s birthday recently and I gave flowers and chocolates.

I work in a team of over 15 (currently expanding). We are asked for a set amount for every birthday, new baby, engagement, you name it... Birthdays alone would cost over £60 a year per person.
I don't take part and have (politely) said not to get anything for me, but they still do. I am closer to a couple of people in the team who have said they give the money because they feel they have to, but would really rather not.

At my workplace we get a gift voucher from the managers on our birthday. For big birthdays there is a collection which the whole team usually contributes to.

I’ve never worked anywhere previously where I’ve received a birthday gift from work though, my current employer is just extra lovely.

In my workplace, this would be bizarre and utterly inappropriate, culturally.

(Engineering. Large gobal company.)

I don't really have one specific manager at my job but no, no one outside the people I work closely with know when it's my birthday

It's certainly not an obligation and I don't give or receive gifts to and from my boss. I do give gifts to people below me in the team and they give to me but we like each other...

We also have collections for big things like weddings and babies and big birthdays.