AIBU to think that this is taking the piss?

[ToothGrinder]

I work for a charity. Our remit is that we help people on low incomes but a lot of us are on low incomes ourselves. So the trustees/board doesn't extend its largesse to their own regular staff on the ground which is frustrating given the comms we put out around low income and my frustration at that is clouding my judgement.

One of our directors has a big birthday coming up. He is paid quite well. At least £60k. The people he manages such as me are on £18k. We make up the bulk of the workforce. He hasn't actually been in the office for around two years (most senior staff haven't) so there's a virtual collection and card on the intranet.

Today an email went out to all staff by accident discussing the board's plans to give this guy a £150 voucher towards the cost of a weekend in a luxury hotel in the context of this collection they've got going.

Obviously the rest of us weren't meant to see this. The person who sent it sent it to all staff by mistake. But still I think this is a massive piss take. This guy earns a more than comfortable amount while the staff he "manages" from his house get very little. It just struck a wrong note for me waking up this morning to massive increases in council tax, energy, water etc on the pittance I earn while this guy who I haven't even seen in two years gets a voucher for a luxury hotel. AIBU?

Btw I am applying for other jobs as even prior to this I was so disenchanted with the whole situation so I'm doing what I can about me personally. But the broader situation is that they'll keep on employing people on v low wages and giving out cash to the few there who do wrangle their way to earning well.

Yeah it’s very poor judgement. I’d be annoyed too.

Thanks. It doesn't sit well, them giving out about poor families struggling etc and doing this. I wonder what they think their staff's family lives look like, on £18k a year.

Yeah that would piss me off too. Any idea how much the online collection has raised or if the other directors plan to 'top it up' to the £150? Is it a milestone birthday? Does the company arrange collections for all staff at all levels?

I wish I was on £18,000 a year! I work in pupil support, and am nowhere near that.
£150 isn't a huge sum. How many people will be contributing? If it works out at £5-10 each, I'd struggle to lose sleep over it. The fact that he's paid more than you is just life unfortunately. And presumably he earns his salary behind the scenes.

You could take it to your local newspaper and shame them for their actions but that could damage the charity.

Sorry, I wasn't clear. The email said they're giving him a £150 voucher because they know he likes the hotel, but also asked how much the collection had raised. Didn't see the reply! So don't know how much they've got collecting from staff. I've not noticed them collecting for any staff birthday before, not on an organisation wide level - it happens but it's kind of and hoc and informal between mates kind of thing, although we did used to send cards round pre-pandemic.

Get another job if this place is so insensitive. It's an employee's market at the minute. You'll be well rid and a lot happier somewhere else. Very insensitive email and I'd be pissed off and looking elsewhere.

Whistle blow on them.

No charity should be giving out vouchers or stupid salaries if they rely on charity funds to be run!

@mycatisannoying I earn £9.23 an hour. Sorry to hear you're on less than that but it's not a huge amount. I'm hoping to get up to £9.50 now this minimum wage is going up but we haven't had it confirmed at work yet.

I have never understood adults making 'a thing' about birthdays.
birthdays are for kids or possibly when a family member get to 80
you do no have to put anything in

Oh don't worry I'm not putting anything in. But the board is giving him £150. They were just wanting to know what else had been raised.

And I'm sure he does work very hard behind the scenes. Behind the scenes of his luxury hotel room that is lol.

This is why i dont donate to charitys because there are poeple being paid more than i or anyone o know earns.
i prefer to help and know its actually helping.

i know a ceo of a cancer charity being paid 90k a year raising every year.

hes not even the one out there begging for peoples money. or the one running marathons to donate it.

Is it members of the Board clubbing together to give him £150, or is it the Board agreeing the charity should give him £150?

If the former, then I think you’re being highly strung - well-off individuals do tend to spend more on gifts! But if it’s the charity giving him £150, that’s hugely inappropriate (even if all employees are given £150 for milestones it’s just not an appropriate use of charity funds).

@Saz12

Is it members of the Board clubbing together to give him £150, or is it the Board agreeing the charity should give him £150?

If the former, then I think you’re being highly strung - well-off individuals do tend to spend more on gifts! But if it’s the charity giving him £150, that’s hugely inappropriate (even if all employees are given £150 for milestones it’s just not an appropriate use of charity funds).

Yes, I agree with this. If £150 is their personal collection, fair enough, but otherwise, no.

Shame on this charity spending money on peoples birthdays, definitely leaves a bad taste in your mouth when this country is so generous with charity donations.

If staff are arranging this collection then fine but still in this current climate asking for donations is cheeky.

Is this £150 froma collection? If so, not an issue, people can presumably choose whether or not to contribute

I really doubt any of the money is coming from charity funds, charity governance wouldn't allow it. What's bad is the birthday collections for 'important' senior staff while the majority of the staff get nothing.

I also hate the narrative that anyone who works for a charity should work for peanuts. Charity workers deserve a wage as much as anyone else. I work for a charity and earn c.60k, not a director, but in the non-charity sector I'd probably earn 75-80k for the same job. So I'm already being penalised for wanting to help make a difference precisely because people can't understand that charities need to have staff to operate and they deserve to be paid what they're worth.

I would look elsewhere for work. Arse licking is not a pleasant thing to watch or behold.

There is no way I would contribute and would probably reply when asked that my contribution will be made to the children of Ukraine and leave it at that.

This is all about the pecking order op, and I dont blame you for feeling cross. They should be doing it for all staff or none.

I assumed it was a personal collection. In which case, the OP is free to decide not to contribute.
It seems like much ado over nothing to me.

@Kuachui

This is why i dont donate to charitys because there are poeple being paid more than i or anyone o know earns. i prefer to help and know its actually helping.

i know a ceo of a cancer charity being paid 90k a year raising every year.

hes not even the one out there begging for peoples money. or the one running marathons to donate it.

I work for a charity in the lowest paid position possible (less than the OPs 18k a year). Your logic on charities is seriously flawed and very damaging.

90k is honestly a extremely modest salary for a CEO. For a non charitable organisation the same role with the same number of people beneath them they could earn 6/7 figures easily.

People who work for charities are expected to do the same work as those in the private sector for a fraction of the money and people still complain that it’s too much, yet most wouldn’t dream of doing the work themselves for the salary given.

The idea that you prefer to “help out” is a nice idea but impractical. Are you a specialist cancer nurse? Or for the charity I work for…are you a qualified vet? Would you be willing to put those skills to use, which cost you years of your life and thousands of pounds to obtain, for no or below market value pay for 40+ hours a week?

If by “help out” you mean do some fundraising or donate some dog food for example, that’s wonderful, but it isn’t enough to run a nationwide charity that helps thousands of people each year.

@CallMeDaddy58 do you claim universal credit? You must do if you're on less than £9.23 an hour.

I do.

I think this is clouding my judgement about this guy's hotel stay. His wage is enormous compared to mine but the charity we work for literally campaigns about families on low incomes. What the fuck do they think £18k is and what do they think family life looks like on it, while some guy who nobody's seen for two years has loads of money and a hotel voucher? Loads of us have had birthdays in the last two years, some of them big birthdays. There wasn't any board largesse towards any of us.