Do you contribute to every work collection?

[Amidepressedorlazy]

We stopped doing birthdays because it was non stop and now it’s every milestone birthday. They collect for engagements/weddings new house maternity leave. I don’t ever see these people have no relationship or connection with them. I’ve stopped contributing last month because I’ve had enough.

Theres 27 of us so it’s always something! AIBU?

No, I only contribute to those I know well.

Pre pandemic, when we were in the office and people still used cash, I’d have contributed to any collection that came round. Now it’s all online, I’m a bit more selective but I do give more than I used to when it was cash.

I only contribute to those I like and work closely with.

I do but it is more to do with where I work. I work in a very disadvantaged community running a lot of different kind of programmes I am a coordinator and better paid then the majority of staff who are from the area and would not be on great wages so I always contribute a lot to collections because I'm aware of my privilege. I also find those that have the least are often the most generous.
If my workplace was more equal I'd probably throw a few quid in the pot but not much

An old Friend never gave to leaving collections. Saying they won't ever contribute to mine ,so why should I contribute to theirs!

I do, but we only collect for big birthdays, weddings if invited and babies. We don't have a set amount so there's no pressure if people can only afford a £1. There are 15 of us.

I do because there's only 9/10 of us so if I didn't it would be noted 😂

I have a pretty good team and we do get alone generally, but I wouldn't speak to any of them outside of work and wouldn't choose to be friends with any of them etc... They just aren't my kind of people.

I'd prefer not to contribute in all honesty but its not worth the animosity that would follow for the save of roughly a fiver each month. If i worked in a team of 27 I probably wouldn't bother.

Nope.
Only the ones for people I actually know.
I actually declined to sign a card yesterday.
She's been there 8 months, and never said anything more than "morning" to me when I see her - maybe once a month. I doubt she knows my name.

No and I've made it clear not to include me.

No. If you don't contribute you don't sign the card though.

no.
we tend to only do leaving collections. Because most of us wfh it's usually paypal so I feel awkward giving less than a fiver. Whereas back when I was in an office you could stick a few quid in the envelope anonymously. So I tend to only give to people I actually work/have worked directly with, and like, now, figure it will generally work out the same overall as giving £2/£3 to absolutely everyone.

If a staff member has a baby or a close family member dies the office sends flowers - not sure if that's paid for from general funds, or if the managers just cover it, tbh.

Oh sometimes people ask for sponsorship etc and we do collections for red nose day etc, but it's quite rare, and, again, just on line so very easy to just not donate.

I've worked in lots of offices where there was something literally every week and I agree, it gets ridiculous.

I only contribute to my immediate team and people I know. The number of collections emailed out over the last few weeks for leavers and retirements alone has been beyond a joke and I wouldn't know most of them if I bumped into them in the street. So it's a "no" from Bananas.

Nope. Only people I know well.
But we only really did leaving collections. For birthdays someone who was closer might bring in a cake but that's it. Don't recall anyone doing it fur weddings. Maybe a new baby.

I do but there's only 8 in my team. I wouldn't if there were loads. More! We only do birthdays as well, we've had a lot of people .moving teams who don't get anything but I think if someone left the company completely we probably would have a collection.
Lots of teams don't do collections at all, it really varies

No, only to people I know and like; or if there's a particularly compelling reason for the collection, like someone leaving under sad circumstances.

No, I just say I’m sorting my own card and then do nothing

I’m part of a small team attached to a larger team. The small team always expected me to contribute to their collections (but not the men from my team) and then I wouldn’t even be invited to the actual cake eating or speech etc, let alone ever get a card myself (not that I wanted it).

I soon twigged on and just stopped contributing.

We never collect for birthdays. But do for people leaving, having babies or getting married.

Yes, I do. We are in a small team of 12.

In the past when I've worked in bigger teams, I've also always contributed. With the exception of staff from other sites, who I only put in for if I knew them well.

Never. If I want to for someone I'm close to I just buy them something myself.

Rarely, can only think of two in the last year. Will always sign cards. Also selective about leaving events/dos, will let the person know well in advance if I won't be there.

I have some colleagues who are excellent to work with, but not friends and keep home life separate. This is respected.

I preferred your unedited response 🤣

@StormKevin lol 😂

No, I got fed up with it.

I once got cornered by a woman waving an envelope in my face, demanding a tenner for the birthday of someone I barely knew.

They are very much popularity competitions where I work too. And with me being very unpopular I'll never be at the receiving end, so why bother 💁🏽‍♀️

Instead I buy token gifts for my work friends as and when I feel like.

I only contribute to those I liked or worked with directly. Ours was in a brown envelope in the office so fairly anonymous.

In a previous workplace the person organising it used to send pupils round with the envelope, then check it every time it came back and tittle tattle about how much people had put in it.

I do not contribute to any collections at all, nor any sponsored 'charity' events.

I find a blanket policy works well for me. People stop asking.

It's work, not my social life. If my employer wants to give them a present they can pay for it themselves, not coerce me into doing it for them.

I used to but then I hit my 10 year anniversary there and realised I’d shelled out thousands on the eleven billionty weddings and babies that had happened, and received nothing myself.Some people have had 4 or 6 massive collections in the same amount of time!

I could well see another decade going by in exactly the same way (I’m single and infertile and my workplace doesn’t celebrate birthdays or leavers because frankly there are already so many fucking collections without adding those on as well).

So now I feel like I’ve done my due and I’ll re-evaluate in another decade.