... to not want a big presentation at work?

[Anglepoise]

I'm due to leave work to go on maternity leave in a couple of weeks. Like most places I guess, when someone leaves/gets married/etc then we have a big presentation - everyone in the department (60+) gets together, there's a brief speech then a handing over of card and goodies, then everyone has a glass of wine and mills around for a bit. I'm quite shy and will find it pretty excruciating, but is saying I don't want one a bit like saying I just want the presents and rather churlish? Tbh, apart from the wine and crisps, I think a lot of people find them a pain and just interrupt their work anyway.

I hated mine. You could have a quiet word with the most likely person who would be organising it, blame pregnancy hormones?

I'm pretty sure that I can request not to have one, I'm just not sure whether it's bad manners to do so! I am always happy to play the pregnancy card though

At our place lots of people don't do the presentation and ask that the money that would be spent on the wine etc go to the company charity of the year.

Due to Ds's untimely arrival, my boss presented me with him along with the presents (this was when he was 2 weeks old, and boss had come over from the US for my 'going on maternity leave' handover which was scheduled to be at 37 weeks)

just say you do not feel up to a big presentation, could you all go out for a nice drink and no speeches.

I nearly cried at mine. Was awful. Especially as I'm usually such a hard nosed cow at work

I remember when someody turned 40 and there was much teasing, she said "I dont want a big fuss. I want to go out the office, come back, and find my present on the desk, no big speech, no fuss, I can read the card in my own time and say thanks" which is what we ended up doing.

I said I didn't want a presentation til the baby was born as was superstitious about receiving gifts until safely here BUT you may find a lot of people like the presentation and just make sure you have a few words rehearsed to say thank you and you'll be fine!

"Thank you everyone for your gifts and thanks X for your kind words. I'm going to miss being here in the office with all of you but I'll be in soon with the little one! Thanks" having that 'prepared' will make you much less nervous!

Wow, I hadn't thought of asking them not to do a collection either (I'm not quite that altruistic!).

Can't really go out for drinks as presentations are always as the secretaries are going at half five, I don't finish work until half eight and all the lawyers just have a quick glass of wine and then go back to work!

Personally I think it would be cheeky to ask for no presentation but assume you will still get money/present etc.
No-one really likes being on the receiving end of these presentations but they're just something you have to do when you have babies/get married/leave etc.
IMO it would be very ungrateful to all the people who contribute, if you don't let them have some kind of presentation of whatever it is they've got you.

Sorry, I meant that theres still a collection for a present, but that the money that the company would have spent (for normal presentations, the drinks/cakes, and for retirements the party) goes to charity.

You do have to make a bit of an effort to say thank you to everyone individually though

Flibberty that's what I'm worried about!

Someone else did it when she was getting married, but I guess it's a bit different when you're actually leaving (I'm not coming back after leave).

I'm the same and hate being the centre of attention so my colleagues arranged a surprise baby shower for me on my last week (last week), they let me in on the surprise as we got to the pub for lunch and it was actually much less painful than I thought - I was actually totally bowled over by the gifts and the amount of people that had turned up. It may have been a bit more informal than what you are going to have but it was more than ok to just informally thank everyone as they were all milling around at lunch, followed by an email to thank those who hadn't attended but had given gifts.

You just never know whats in the future and you may well want to come back, even though you might not think it now.
Best to just humour them for the few minutes it will take

Honestly its a nice way to start maternity leave.

Mind you I had dp picking me up that day and I waited in the reception area for him. I saw dps car and just left the building - he commented on the tight buggers not getting me anything, and I couldn't get back in the building as I'd handed over my security tab! Had to buzz my boss to let me back in to collect all my pressies hee hee.

Hee hee

I'm moving 200 miles away (hence leaving) so I'm unlikely to go back tbh. Think I'll have to grit my teeth and bare it though (I'm probably moving to a company that has three employees including my little brother, so at least I won't ever have to go through this again!).

I am the same - really shy and I think my immediate boss knew that. So when I left we just went for a small lunch to the pub in our team and I was spared the embarrassment of having the entire company gather round my desk and expect me to make a speech.

Work for the company I worked for..!! They did absolutely nothing for me when I left and told me later that if I had wanted anything I should have organised it myself...

Had absolutely no qualms about not returning after maternity leave...

In the case of your presentation _ I'd just ask for it to be a bit scaled down - its lovely for people to see what you have been bought etc and say Bye to you, but just mention that heavily pregant will make you a blubbering wreck and you don't want to embarrass yourself...!