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?

I think even £2 is too generous - £1 each, that’s £10 - enough for one nice box of chocolate from hotel chocolat and a card.

Nothing unreasonable about it at all, it's totally voluntary, you didn't volunteer your own hard earned money.

Like a PP I believe that gifts should only move down the hierarchy. My company gives an annual bonus in November but I personally get something for each of my team a few times a year; Easter eggs, selection boxes, I’ll go out and get ice creams on a hot day, I buy pastries or fruit or biscuits for big meetings, all that I pay for myself. I would never ever expect anything back from them.

Totally ridiculous for minimum wage staff to sacrifice any of such a tiny bonus for the benefit of their manager. 40 hours a week at minimum wage earns £26,436.80 per year so this bonus is barely 1%, and it'll be subject to tax & NI so you'll only get to keep not much more than £20. The manager will get their own bonus awarded by thise senior to them, they don't need anything from their juniors.

Well how many if you are there? 10 then you’d have to contribute too much each. 25 and you could get away with £1. But no I wouldn’t. I’ve never done it in any job (nor have an ever had a bonus).

I work in the nhs and we use our milk money surplus to get gifts for some of our support staff such as our appointments booker - it’s a tub of celebrations or a tin of shortbread level gift. Nobody is getting gifts for managers and it’s under £1 each level. Our consultants buy us a posh tin of biscuits between them - we get them nothing. Getting a manager a £100 gift from a miniature bonus is obscene and embarrassing.

The norm is to gift down the hierarchy, not up, and you don't need to be suggesting charitable donations either. It is your bonus for you to spend as you wish, i guarantee you won't be the only one who doesn't feel it necessary to contribute.

Your colleague sounds like a right sap, who doesn't understand how anything works. Just say no thank you.

I always opt out of anything that involves contributing money at work, be that presents flr birthdays/new babies/weddings etc, and I would just say in this instance as well. I don't expect anything back either.

Forget all this present buying for adults at xmas, they do.not need it.

Just cos one person suggests it dosent mean it has to happen.

I can't abide this sort of self appointed head girl behaviour.

Do your colleagues a favour and say no, and tell them you've said no. Then it'll be easier for them to say no too. Nobody should be pushed into giving up some of their bonus, even a little portion of it.

"No, I won't be contributing - I only buy Christmas presents for very close family."

£1 each would be the most I’d be up for.

Id frame it as I don’t have enough money to buy presents for everyone so I need to say no sometimes. I wish I could afford a tenner like Claire suggested but I’m really sorry to say i cannot. I was planning on using the £30 bonus on a filling at the dentist. Im skint.

This

Fuck that, why does everything have to be given to charity on MN? Probably to pay some charity CEO’s bonus! It’s literally only £30 and the OP earns minimum wage, why can’t she just enjoy it for herself?

YANBU. A card signed by the team (if anything) is fine. I'd ask the colleague if she's planning on doing this, to make sure it's clear it's optional to donate, as some people may not be in a financial position to contribute. I used to hate these whip arounds when I worked in the office as there seemed to be at least one every week and I barely knew most of the recipients.

Dont do it, just dont.
Hopefully these things will stop, but until they do, you dont have to be part of it.

Arse lickers, he should be paying you a living wage. I would say no if I dared. He’ll probably feel awkward as fuck anyway.

No you do not contribute! This is madness! I've never bought my LM a Christmas present and most of them never bought me anything.

Honestly these creepy present buying things made me so cross. One year my Zumba class suggested clubbing together to buy our instructor a present!

This bonus is for you to spend on you!

Since your bonus is unlikely to come out the manager's own pocket I wouldn't get involved in any collection if I didn't want to.