How do I tell my colleague...

[user9090909]

to stop asking me to contribute to her twice monthly workplace collections. With a cost of living crisis and on minimum wage my money is tight enough without paying out for the never ending workplace collections.

Im sure we collect for every occasion now, I think next week is her cats birthday so no doubt have a collection for the cat 🤣

Tell her, simply, that you can't afford it. I hope she's baking a cake for the cat

This pisses me off! I'm happy to contribute a bit towards cards - large bundle of generic cards we all sign, but every now and then fine ... monthly no thanks! I also hate the 'will you sponsor me for doing something g I love
Doing and would do it anyway but I can't unless I get £5k so friends need to pay so I can do it and have fun, at your expense 🤬🤬🤬

^^ sponsorship

Just say 'sorry, I'm afraid I can no longer afford to contribute to all the collections, so please don't bother to ask me in future'. Simple!

The bundle of generic cards sounds a good suggestion. Say you can’t afford it and what about just keeping the sentiment of wishing happy birthday in a card signed by the team but scrap the monetary contribution.

Im sorry but I can't afford to contribute to any collections. I'd be grateful if you didn't ask me next time as I find it awkward to say no. Thanks.

Just say no, or at most not now.

You don't need to explain or excuse yourself. Even if you could afford 20 quid a time and only gave a penny it's none of her business.

If you say no often enough she might even stop asking, and a few other people might become bold enough to say no too!

Definitely get in before the next collection and ask her to stop asking you.

We had a colleague recently suggest we all put in £20 for everyone's birthday and we'd all get it back on our birthdays - the idea being it's like a saving account for each of us..... Given 6 people had a birthday in one month, I declined and said I would be happy to make it £2.50, but I simply couldn't budget for that. She was most put out. Batshit.

My old workplace set up ‘birthday club’ - you paid £20 a year to get a £15 voucher and a card back. No one understood when I said that really doesn’t sound appealing so no thanks! I only ever gave to baby collections. If someone I liked was leaving I’d buy my own gift. Most people called me a grinch but I was quite happy!

I hated when people physically came round collecting. Much better when an envelope just anonymously came round so you could choose to put in or not. Could you suggest in the current climate it might be better for something like this so people don’t feel obligated?

It depends what they are collecting for to me. We had a flurry of people leaving, new babies and significant birthdays that probably seemed a lot but were all equally valid iyswim?

I just say know. For reasons I'm the designated team (of 50) collector. We only buy for "round" birthdays, marriages, births or leaving. But one lass recently: had a baby, then 3 months later got married and 4 months after that, during ML, got a new job. so i had 3 collections for her.

First one, baby, got a lot of money.
2nd one, marriage, got a fair bit.
3rd one: not much, and a lot of complaints about me being cheeky asking for money (bosses instruction). Each time i mail "it's voluntary, everyone can sign the card regardless, there is no set amount for those who do pay"

It's really annoying to have so many collections. I don't pay into them

Same problem here. Asking for a set amount for someone. Its a set amount which I think is a bloody cheek plus its for someone who isn't a particularly nice person. I'm not going to popular but am not going to put in. Not sure what I'll say though.