To not want to contribute to Christmas collection at work?

[Summeratdavies]

I work a minimum wage job and we are due to receive £30 cash as a Christmas bonus from our manager. A colleague today has suggested making a Christmas collection to get our manager something in return, they haven’t suggested how much to contribute. AIBU for not wanting to contribute, being that the manager already earns enough as it is and he would receive a healthy bonus from work anyway?

Even if you only put a tenner in each, that would be a large percentage of your bonus- don't do it!!

This bonus system sounds completely mad. He gives you money and then you use it to buy something for him? What’s the point of that?

Is the money coming from him personally or the company? If the latter then the whole thing is even more weird.

YANBU

It’s fine to say you’d prefer wont be contributing.

How many are there of you.... card and a box chocolates... couple quid each?

Where does the bonus money come from

If I was giving staff on minimum wage £30 each as a bonus I’d be sad and embarrassed if they used some of it to buy me a present.

every post university job I have had, we only gift down the hierarchy. Personal gifts between friendly coworkers are different, but any kind of collection should only go in one direction.

There’s a few on a couple more quid than minimum wage that’s just what I’m personally on. There’s about 10 of us in the team. The plan is to present the gift at our Christmas work do so I don’t want to be the only person in the group that hasn’t contributed but also don’t want to spend my Christmas bonus on work

I’m assuming he’s not the owner of the company so the bonus is not coming from his personal bank account? It’s counterintuitive to give him back some of the bonus: why would you?

This! A tub of Heroes for £4 between you all would be fine as a thank you.

Suggest to the colleague that charity donations are done instead.

Surely they get their own bonus, they haven’t paid yours out of their own pocket?

When kids were at primary school, class all contributed to the teachers gifts and then we were all asked to contribute towards a gift for the reps (for organising gifts). Madness!

A bonus is earned, don’t give it away, say no

To add, I don't think it's necessary, but if you were to do it, that amount collectively is all you need to spend. 40p. I wouldn't agree to anything bigger.

As a manger I was horrified (but very polite and said beautiful thank yous) when my team got me a present last year. It is unnecessary. I get them a present. My boss gets me a present. Anything else is madness.

If there’s 10 of you, I would say £2 each would be very generous. £20 can do a box of chocolates and some nice flowers.

Is the £30 from their own pocket, or the companies?

I take it that the colleague suggesting such nonsense, is not short of a bob, or two. As pp suggested, a charity donation would be better.

Awful idea. She still has to give away some of her own money.

I used to work in a team where collections took place for colleagues every month it seemed. And the expectation was £5-£10 each time which was excessive. I think, in your case, a maximum of £2 or £2.50 each is fine to buy a bottle of wine, box of chocolates or some flowers (as long as you all think your manager has been supportive and done a great job). Anything more than that is a no from me.

Colleague is ass kissing hard!

No. Gifts don't go upwards at work. To spend your bonus on your boss who makes more money than you is absurd.

Also, not everyone celebrates Xmas.

Agree with the others that usually any gifts from people's personal money is gifted down, so a manager buying small gifts for their team. If they are gifted upwards, e.g. for a particularly supportive manager, it's only ever been token gift - tub of chocolates or supermarket flowers. Even then it's never been compulsory, people might be on the same wage but have different outgoings etc.

Is your colleague who suggested this madness on the same pay grade as you? If so, I'd have expected them to have more sense.

Please don't do it.

Just say no.

I’d understand putting one or two quid on a pot for a Christmas card and box of chocolates, but nothing more. I doubt the manager expects it. It’s not his fault.

workers should NEVER gift upwards. Never ever ever give a gift to a superior unless its a crayon drawing or other free item (and probably not a crayon drawing LOL)

I regard most office collections as a racket and dont mind saying so. When I ran a team I forbad them except in very special circumstances (eg someone in hospital seriously ill). Of course colleagues were free to give personal gifts to one another but I did not want to see anyone hawking round the team putting pressure of people.

I also consider it as patronising for one group of staff (eg office staff) to gift another (eg cleaners) if you are all paid by the same organization. Its like giving out Im a queen of the castle and your the peasant vibe. Especially as some of the cleaners in my organization got a higher hourly wage than the junior team staff. If you employ a person directly as your gardener/clearer etc that the hierarchical relationship is different. They are performing a personal service for you, rather than being simply another employee. In those circumstances it might be appropriate for you to show your appreciation for good service with a bonus or gift.