To ask is this normal? New job

[whispawhisper]

I have recently changed jobs (6months) from one career in public sector to a completely different career in the private sector. This is my first Mother's Day at my job and they have given all of the mothers a gift of chocolates and a lovely candle for Mother's Day!! I found it crazy but a lovely idea!! Do other workplaces do this or are they just super nice??

@MrsTulipTattsyrup how what pans out? The bonus or the men's getting a similar gift on men's day?

We just got our bonus last week.

Its a nice idea,thought but could be potentially problematic
Sorry to be negative note on it

For several reasons if someone has losed their mother recently or in the past or if someone like a poster said has fertility issues or if someone has a difficult relantship with their mother.

No I never had anywhere I work celebrate mothers day in any way.

Why don't they celebrate international women's day instead in some way !?
(I think more companies should take on that idea too.

(Also in international women's day /or and mother's day awareness of specific issues obviously related to women should be raised and how to find potential solutions in practical etc too.

I've only ever worked in the public sector so never come across anything like this. As someone who is happily childless it would annoy me to see one section of the workforce being given preferential treatment. To be fair though, your employer probably is just being (in their own minds) super nice.

[quote whispawhisper]@MrsTulipTattsyrup how what pans out? The bonus or the men's getting a similar gift on men's day?

We just got our bonus last week. [/quote]
The men‘s gifts, on International Men’s Day, or Fathers’ Day. If they are similarly sexually stereotyped then it might be worth having a critical eye open for other ways in which men and women are treated subtly differently.

@thosetalesofunexpected they did, on international women's day they gave us all a free lunch voucher.

@MrsTulipTattsyrup I will ask my male colleague on Monday 🤣👍

No that is definitely not normal, I have worked in private sector for three decades and that has never happened. I also do not think it is nice, it is thoughtless, divisive and in all probability downright unkind and hurtful to some members of staff. I hope that somebody complains.

[quote whispawhisper]@MrsTulipTattsyrup I will ask my male colleague on Monday 🤣👍[/quote]
Great!

And I thought my dh office was just weirdos 😂.

I used to assume that my males colleagues were paid the same as me.

They never are.

No. And it’s weird and inappropriate IMO - but glad you like it

I think it is fairly normal for private sector companies - the big ones anyway, to have relatively good budgets for staff retention.

Ha! I can assure you that some of the biggest employers in the UK, supermarkets, certainly do not have any budgets for this kind of thing.

I’d hate that. As a woman who wants children but doesn’t have them it would make me very sad.

With the add ins of prize draws and vouchers etc .... could it be tax dodging by the company rather than staff retention?

I worked in private before the nhs and I never got anything like that!

@Woebegonad we are performance based and it's % linked so technically no one is one the same money as such. This is a top global employer to be honest.

@Okbussitout

Just feels like opening a can of worms to me. What about women who can't be mothers? Or childfree people who will see it as another example of parents getting preferential treatment. As there's often a devide in work places with parents and non parents regarding time off anyway. So big no from me.

This