Farewell gift from work - best and worst

[Flashbackcringe]

Name changed as outing but what's the best/worst/cringe farewell gift you've received or contributed to for a work farewell?

Light hearted - hugs to those who haven't received, etc. Posting here for traffic.

Mine? Colleague worked at the place for 3 months and they asked for (and we duly delivered) gift voucher for the fancy bra shop next door 😆

I once pointed out an artwork that I really liked while at a work meeting in a hotel, and when I left my boss went back, found out who the artist was, and got me something by them.

Best was a gift voucher for my favourite store and a book where everyone had written a letter or created an artwork etc – it was so lovely and I still have it.

Worst was somewhere I worked for 6 years, and thought I had good relationships with everyone – going away gifts were always really thoughtful and I was involved in picking out a few (think thoughtful/funny cards that were made specifically for the recipient, expensive perfume, jewellery, handbags etc) I was gifted a bottle of pink rose champagne (that had been lying around the office as a gift from clients) and a box of caramel chocolates (they were those really sickly ones and I thought most people knew I'm not a fan of sweet things) and no card. I was pretty hurt by it tbh and still feel a bit down about it when I think back on it as it makes me feel like no one actually really liked me there.

Best: A generous gift voucher for a chain store selling outdoor kit.
Worst: A pair of earrings for pierced ears in a horrible design (my ears are pierced but I don't think my ex-colleagues had ever seen me wearing a scrap of jewellery) and being uninvited from the forthcoming staff Christmas party.

Best was a beautiful Mulberry purse - felt a little bit guilty when I ended up rejoining the same team a year later!

One of them probably started a mumsnet thread about it! 😆

Best, a John Lewis voucher, sounds a bit boring but means I could get what I wanted
Worst, Nothing, I was made redundant with lots of others so no one bothered with a gift.

Another worst was poor DH who worked for a large company for very many years but because he retired in Covid times, no one was at work to organise a gift or card or anything, half were furloughed and the other half wfh. He got a couple of gifts and cards from individuals but not the usual stuff that people got.

Worst - somewhere I had worked for nearly 25 years - a card and an ordinary bottle of wine. Fortunately my own department got me a voucher.
Best - my next job where i was only part time for 7 years - they just did a collection and gave me the cash, it came to forty odd pounds iirc. I treated my family to a takeaway!

That is awesome and incredibly considerate!

How much was the Ann summers voucher for?

I thought you meant a sex toy 😂🙈

That’s like giving someone a carriage clock when they’ve spent their working life being ruled by the clock.

My farewell gift after 38 years in the Civil Service and 15 years of those at the Department I was then working at, was a crystal ball for photography (which was thoughtful given my hobby) and a £35 gift voucher for M&S. I was a bit underwhelmed tbh.

I left 2 part time jobs at the same time. One I'd been there for just under 2 years. They gave me a beautiful fancy pen in a box, with a proper presentation saying how much I'd be missed.

The other I'd been there 8 years. They stuck a poinsettia and a windchime by my elbow while I was on a call. A temp who'd left the team the previous week had been presented with a decent bath toiletries set. Confirmed I was doing the right thing getting out of there.

Best: When I left my first teaching post after 5 years, I was given a beautiful, framed watercolour (I'd asked for something I could keep to remind me of colleagues for life). I still have it, 41 years later and it still gives me pleasure every time my eyes fall upon it.

Worst: none. I'm grateful for any gift I've been given.

An enormous book token- think it was about £400. Obviously needs a decent collection but it was such a fantastic present and meant that I could buy books to my heart's content for ages.

I left my first job after uni after just a year to go travelling and they gave me a digital camera as a leaving present. This was back in 1999 so they were relatively new, and I’d never have been able to afford one. I was so touched, and it was such a lovely surprise, I still remember the surge of joy I felt when I opened it!

I was 24 when I left my first teaching job. At the final staff meeting at the end of term, I was presented with my leaving gift by the deputy head who'd done the collection and purchased the gift.

I unwrapped the gift, and it was... a beige, plastic salad spinner.

As I looked around the room I could see the shocked expressions of my colleagues, who clearly hadn't known what had been bought. Several of them came to to me afterwards, apologising and horrified at what their money had been spent on

I left a role to go on maternity leave - no goodbye, no lunch or drinks, no gift, no card, no one except manager in the office on my last day. She walked me to my car and apologised for not getting me anything. I hadn't even realised until that point how cold the goodbye had been.

Best was from a teaching placement during teacher training. It was a basket full of stationary and a notebook with the name of the school on and a message that said thank you and good luck.
worst was from a school I’d worked in for 12 years and become a member of SLT, a paltry collection, whereas others who left at the same time got bunches of flowers and champagne. Luckily my team in KS2 got me more heartfelt gifts.

The best was when I left the school I'd worked at for four years last summer to start ordination training, they got me a new Bible and a water bottle with one of my favourite Bible verses on it.

When I left my supermarket job, someone gave me a load of Abernethy biscuits because we used to nip into a cupboard and snack on them all the time! 😂

That's shocking! How horrible for you.

Library after 6 months: a chocolate champagne bottle and a Hawkwind coaster (don't ask). Lovely gifts. A school after 9 months: personalized lovely gifts including a magazine subscription.
School after 5 years: nothing. It really is the thought that counts!

Slight derail but I remember I was collecting for a person who worked on my department, who was leaving to travel for a year. She wasn't coming back to work at our company. In the weeks prior to her leaving, she would regularly pop over and ask me how much had been collected so far (I said 'not telling you') and told me the exact items she would like to have purchased for her (I said 'you'll be lucky!')

Whilst yes, always nice to have an idea of what to buy a person but that was stepping into CF territory for me.

When I went on adoption leave, I asked for and received a baby sling so I could baby wear my little one. It was perfect.

Best present we had leaving an earlier job was a piece of art, in fact two pieces of art that still have lovely memories.

I was once responsible for organising a leaving present for a guy at work, he was an all weather biker so I picked a thermal merino base layer top. Only realised later it was basically underwear and might have sent the wrong message! [Blush]

I got a cartier watch and a round the world plane ticket. Best year of my life travelling and will be forever grateful for that gift.