Left job after 25 years, all I got was flowers 🫣

[BruceLeTerror]

i did get a few gifts (chocolate, alcohol) from colleagues, but after 25 years all I got from the company was a box of flowers?!

Previously when people have left, there’s always been a collection of sorts. I know I shouldn’t expect anything- but I realise now how under appreciated I was - it has left a sour taste (and not filled me with confidence to start my new job tomorrow)

This is why no-one should ever prioritise their jobs over their family/friends/hobbies. Your job and your company gives no shits about you. You're replaced the second you leave.

Your flowers will have been from a staff whip round, not from your company.
I might get flamed for this but I never give to collections for people who leave.
I know I know I know that's awful.
Doesn't matter how much I like someone.
I mean a colleague left recently who I loved to pieces and so enjoyed working with - I still didn't donate to her collection.
Don't take it personally! You were still valued.

Unfortunately this is called being realistic. At my place we don't even have a staff id number.
I am 'Resource No.xxxxx'. My desk is probably 'Resource No.xxyyy'.

This is very grabby.
Presumably you got paid each month for 25 years - this is the only recognition that a reasonable person expects.

And in today’s episode of ‘you’re just a payroll number to them…’

Were you liked? Were they sad you were leaving or pleased? Were you leaving them in the lurch by leaving?

I got nothing after 10 years, not even a card! They must have hated me!

I'd be broke if I contributed to the constant whip arounds: the constantly changing support staff, baby showers, wedding showers, etc Frankly, i can't afford it.

I was made redundant after two years and I quite literally din't even get a goodbye from colleagues, not one of them, not even the managers (I WFH).
I can't say I had a great deal of sympathy when the company came back for more redundancies early this year.

Precisely.

It often takes retirement or death for people to discover that they're just a number of a spreadsheet that can easily be replaced by generating another.

Every last one of us are dispensable and will be quickly forgotten.

People seem depressed and fed up of collections.

Our place, seem to have collections for weddings, babies and leaving. Then there are the ‘sponsor me’ notices.

It used to be chuck a couple of quid in the envelope, so most people participated. Now though, it’s all online. I don’t wanted to be judged tight so I don’t bother at all. I’m aware I’m not alone.

I was recently asked to take a leaving card around because no one had signed it. Sad but reality.

Try not to take it personally and good luck in your new job.

At least you got some gifts.
But it's natural to compare the generosity of previous leaving gifts to yours and perhaps feel short changed particularly if you've contributed to leaving collections in the past.
I work for a LA, in previous teams we've had collections for milestone birthdays etc my current team aren't into collections and when I've organised it nest in the past for colleagues that are leaving even the manager hasn't contributed or put a message in a card.
And very few colleagues have contributed. I think it's sad.
Times change especially since covid and every team is different.
Good luck in your new job, I think it shows you've made the right decision at the right time

My colleague left after 35 years. She got nothing. It has been 1.5 years and nobody has formally informe us. I mean, she called me to tell me. Her name is still on an excel sheet but we just skip it in a team meeting. I wonder when they will tell us. Usually there is a collection. We've now skipped few people in the past 10 years. Employer gives nothing.

Anyways, I think flowers is good. Seems like a solid gift from enployer and then other additional stuff. Even more awesome.

In interested...? I can understand not contributing to someone you don't know /like... But to do nothing for people you DO like??

Before I've got people small separate gifts when it's been someone I worked alongside and liked.

Who would be paying or organising, the CEO? They won’t care unless you worked directly for them. Do you mean HR and it comes out of company funds? I mean, I don’t know who, other than colleagues, would be planning and paying for presents for anyone really.

This! I’m not seeing the problem here at all. On a broader note colleagues of course can turn into friends but as for the company/CEO/your boss caring that you’re leaving…why would they? As PP said everyone is dispensable.

Teaching here... 27 years at the same place I watched the fantastic farewells for staff, usually only 1 to 3 leaving a year. We were smaller in number, all much closer, lots of individual presents on top, genuine friendships and hugs etc.

Then after being taken over by an academy
the number of staff leaving grew and gifts became smaller, speeches less sincere. When I left, senior management had only known me for a couple of years, my older colleagues who would have made it special were gone, another 11 were leaving.

So, I was a small mention during a rushed lunch hour where everyone was tired, many of whom were newly academy trained and also didnt know me as well. It wasn't the exit I'd expected after seeing all of the others from the previous era but sadly expected. Kind words, flowers and a voucher for a shop I never go to lol 😆

To top it off a senior member of staff who had been there for 2 years was moving on to another school was above me as number one for the presentations. He got extra time and even a special song played.

It sucked but just confirmed what I already knew about where long serving, caring, devoted teachers stood in the system. Tbh I really didn't care by this point and took with me my worth to so many students who I helped throughout their teenage years and the mutual appreciation of colleagues.

So please don't take it personally, time and money for such trivial things as being a loyal worker isn't top of the list for so many places. Xxx

I left the NHS before Covid, after 15 years working on the same ward. I’d contributed to numerous milestone birthdays, weddings, births, retirement and leaving presents. I didn’t even get a card, let alone flowers. No exit interview either. I left at the end of my last shift with my uniforms, ID and even my locker key. It did made me realise I’d made the right decision in leaving.

It is upsetting, and a bit shit, but you too have made the right decision.

This.

Honestly I dont blame youngsters now who move around jobs every few years. You are but a profit maker for the company. Until the economy starts to decline then you are a painful cost. At which point there will be no hesitation in getting rid of you.

A job is a job and sadly loyalty doesnt mean much to the majority of companies these days.

Work to live not live to work.

It’s difficult & some context may help, my mum worked for the council for 30 years & got a card, bottle of fizz & some supermarket flowers (she didn’t seem bothered though) obviously the council couldn’t use funds to purchase a gift/gift money and although the first 20 odd years were pretty much with the same colleagues, the last 4 - 6 years they’d had high staff turnover & lots of restructuring so not much chance to create deep friendships, which might have resulted in a whip around/nice gift. Alternatively my step dad worked his last 5 years prior to retiring at a private company & received a paid for retirement party, £500 & a gift voucher for a weekend on a barge… I couldn’t believe it as I didn’t even know the name of the company 😆

We keep getting reminder emails for someone who has worked for 40 years and I have given a contribution but I suspect not many have as we are all getting the reminder email daily. As a previous poster noted since Covid it seems a couple of things have changed. Also cost of living is hitting so many. I personally think a gift card if about £50-100 is suitable and would hope people contribute. Good luck in the new role.

Sadly I’ve learnt the hard way that employees are just a number. When you become too attached it hurts more when you’re treated badly. If you just see it as a transaction then you’re less likely to get hurt.

I actually really respected one of my directors when she admitted this at an away day. She was like ‘everyone always says they’ll stay in touch and never do so I don’t say it anymore. My colleagues are my colleague not my life long friends.’ Quite a few people were really shocked but I was like yup fair play.

I wouldn’t say I’m a youngster - at the tail end of being a millennial - but it’s never occurred to me not to do this. Longest I’ve ever had a job is 3.5 years. Of course work is a transaction and you should play the game to make it work for you, not slog your guts out to make it better for your employer. But I’m a natural cynic and pessimist. I find this is actually a very helpful approach to life!

Our company gives employee recognition gifts at each 5 year anniversary.

Which sounds lovely, right? And I don't want to be ungrateful, it is nice to get the gift.

But - the whole thing is automated. You get an autogenerated email with a standard message saying [company] congraulates you and thanks you for all that you do, and a link to chose your gift. Literally no human being is involved in the expression of the company's sincere gratitude to its employees.