AIBU to think workplace collections are getting excessive?

[user456876]

I work in retail in a team of 15 in the last 6 weeks we have had collections for -

Leaver
Wedding
New baby
Leaver
Manager's Birthday
Retirement

Everyone is expected to put in £5. I've chosen not to participate (I don't expect a collection and have never received one) but I have heard the two staff who organise the collections slagging me off.

AIBU to think the amount of collections and the amount people have to contribute is excessive? Also AIBU not contributing?

As one of the managers I always put in £10. Yes i’m on more money than all of them, but i’m a single income household and have a big mortgage. There’s always someone who is sick / recovering from surgery, new baby, deaths, big bdays. It is a bit much, and I feel for colleagues who genuinely can’t afford it. For me, I don’t go without but when there’s a few in one month it does add up.

I haven't done it for years, I was harrassed by colleagues in a team once when they knew I didn't participate in the birthday club and decided to make a song and dance about it rather than just keeping quiet and respectful.

I don’t do it. I worked somewhere where the manager has a birthday, engagement, wedding, house move, another birthday, whereas some of the staff (who also had birthdays) got nothing. Fuck that shit. Just tell them you’re trying not to topple over into bankruptcy or something. This comes under the ‘five year rule’ - in five years you won’t be in touch with any of them.

Workplace collections are awful. Over the years, I have given to birthdays, leaving, illnesses, and death.
But it got silly when there was a huge collection organised for a supervisor who tripped and fell when running for a bus... and no collection at all for another colleague who was mugged and put in hospital.

Haha I’ve been responsible for organising 3 collections since April! 21st birthday, wedding and 60th birthday and I’ve felt so guilty asking! There’s at least another 2 upcoming before the end of term! I generally just suck it up and stick a fiver in.

I have decided to be selective about who I contribute to and for those people (who are the colleagues that I genuinely like) I’m happy to put in more rather than put in a smaller amount of money to everyone’s collections.

We had a couple of collections recently for colleagues that left, both of which were difficult to work with so nothing from me!

We would do baby, leaver, retirement, wedding and big birthdays for everyone - no special treatment for managers. We did all birthdays until this year but it was getting a bit silly.

We're a small team of 13 but have had 5 big birthdays, a wedding and 2 babies in the last 12 months which is quite unusual.

We have 30 people in our team - It falls to the line manager to organise a collection so some people have line managers who have calendar remonders for birthdays amd anniversaries and do a collection for everything and a few colleagues managed by the 2 male managers get fuck all as they don't bother unless someone tells them/ does it for them!

I never donate anymore.

I'm usually the one collecting. I don't specify an amount and try not to harass colleagues. Fortunately, no babies or retirees this year and only one wedding.

Work in a school with 80 staff. Whole school staff do leaving presents, big birthdays, new baby, long term illness. Other normal birthdays and other celebrations are done by the year group the person works in. My year group we have a small collection for each persons birthday.

Contribution is up to the individual and no-one is obliged to put in if they can’t afford. Can be as little as a £1 if you do want to contribute.

End of school year and we always have staff leaving as they move on (or in many cases leaving teaching altogether).

We banned them, by popular vote, a number of year's ago.

I've recently stopped contributing, as ours was getting out of control. In my second day in the job, i was asked to contribute £10 for someone going on maternity leave - who I'd never met or worked with ?! After that, there's been multiple birthdays , leavers, movers , babies , weddings, plus all the other contributing events like charity coffee mornings, sponsoring colleagues fun runs , sponsor this , sponsor that , coffee morning for this , coffee morning for that, and now this week we're expected to chuck in for the world Cup sweepstake!!!

I just joined a team recently and it’s £20 for a retirement collection. I’ve barely worked with the woman! 🤦🏻‍♀️

I remember when we were asked for money for the COO’s birthday! The most well paid person in our office and we were expected to chip in! Nope!

I worked in a page with constant sponsorship, some dick was always running a race and passing round a sheet (pre just giving). I was on low pay and just getting y but this was making a massive dent on my income. Once one women put out her husband’s sponsor sheet then got annoyed that we passed on it and we felt guilted into sponsoring him…a guy I’d never fucking met!!!!

I don’t do it and have no guilt. Somebody farts the wrong way and there has to be a collection these days.

To me they are people I work with. I’m not fussed if they are leaving, having a birthday or they or a partner have had a child.

I’m there to work, not make friends.

I think those online cards with optional contributions are so much better that the old envelope going round.

Only if you let them OP. Have you never learned to say no?

I decided to completely opt out when I was asked to pay towards to a colleague's present to celebrate her moving house. So over the top!

These collections aren't compulsory. Opt out. Plus the advantage is that you then have no disappointment if they forget your birthday or are not given a present.

No expectations means that there is no stress. Now you can spend money on people you really care about.

My old job did collections. There were 2 factories, one very laid back, put in a contribution. Sometimes id put £1, sometimes 10. The other was a set amount, I didnt contribute. I hated that they told me what I had to add.

I don't put in for collections which have nothing to do with work. So leaving/retirement is fine but no to babies and weddings. It's old fashioned and not very inclusive. (We've never done birthdays thankfully).

We had a spate when we had someone leaving every month for a period of six months. The first got over a hundred pounds, and a getogether at lunch. The last got half that, and had probably been at the workplace longer. The novelty of donating had certainly worn off.

Yes! We had someone retire a few weeks ago. A card and a gift was all arranged.

Not 6 weeks later, he comes back as a contractor.

That’s not the first time that’s happened, either.

What’s not inclusive about babies and weddings??

And not everything in life has to be inclusive, by the way.

In our team historically we used to do EVERYONES birthday
we now do a card for birthday signed by everyone
special birthdays we collect for 21st, 30th and 40th
weddings and new babies

sometimes it does seem a lot but it’s £5 and I just have a couple of £5 notes in my locker in an envelope ready for it

individual choice and all comparative to earnings but it is a nice thing to do and helps build relations