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Original poster

Do you get a Christmas present from work?

110 replies

Lltb · 14/12/2023 20:23

Just wondering really. I started a new job 6 months ago and have always received Christmas gifts from work (normally just a card, cheap bottle of wine and/or Xmas flowers). This year in this job I don’t think that’s happening. I work in a small team and we’re only all in the office one day a week (not necessarily the same day). Yesterday coincidentally we were all in the office together and the other team in our office were also there and received gifts from their manager (we are all one big team as our work helps each other but we have different roles and so different managers) and we did not. I was just wondering what the norm is really as I kind of expected it but don’t want to be unreasonable.
Before anyone says there’s still time that’s true! I just doubt we will all be in the office together next week as it rarely happens

OP posts:
Username5678910 · 21/12/2023 21:35

From my 3 bosses yes, but I never expect anything and am always flattered that I do.

I give them birthday presents as there is no way I could fork 90 quid at Christmas on top of my family presents. Thankfully, their birthdays are spread out over the year!

DomingoinLittleOakley · 22/12/2023 14:37

We get a fully paid for Christmas party at a swanky hotel, an additional day's leave in December, contribution towards a team event, a bottle of champagne and some posh chocolate. And we are allowed to leave at around lunchtime on the last working day before Christmas, which is why I'm on here and not working!

ConnieCroydon · 22/12/2023 14:51

This reply has been deleted

This has been deleted by MNHQ for breaking our Talk Guidelines - previously banned poster.

rainbowbee · 22/12/2023 15:00

We got a lunch that one of the seniors could expense. Then the boss used her own money to buy us a bottle of wine and nice chocolates each. Small team so manageable. Last year in the same job but different office, the big boss gave us a tin of Celebrations between a whole floor. Maybe one or two each. Apart from that, nothing.

MumDaisy1980 · 23/12/2023 00:47

this is depend on the manager .

i did get once and he is indeed the most admirable manager I ever worked for.

daisychain01 · 23/12/2023 04:54

Nope but I'm public sector.

I got a small Christmas Tree size box of truffles from my manager (her gift not expensed of course) at the Christmas lunch (self funded), which was very kind of her and a nice gesture - we're all well paid and I wouldn't expect anything from anybody other than a card.

Brird · 23/12/2023 06:09

Almost every job I've done has given a xmas present, usually chocolates or a voucher, that everyone is given. I'm a PA, so usually my manager would give an extra gift that they paid for - not always though.

Aposterhasnoname · 23/12/2023 06:12

Yes, we get a hamper from the company and my manager personally buys everyone a bottle of something, usually those light up gin bottles from M&S.

autienotnaughty · 23/12/2023 06:15

Our area manager gets each branch bc a box of chocolates (local authority so not high earners)

We are a small team of three so also get each other gifts (less than a tenner)

Dh gets a £50 amazon voucher. Plus his works do is paid for. (Although he never goes)

Goldmember · 23/12/2023 06:21

I've worked places where we used get gifts from suppliers that would shared/ raffled off between the staff. These often dwindled throughout the years.

I'm really lucky where I am, I get a Xmas bonus in Nov, this year was £1500. £50 in Amazon vouchers, 6 bottles of wine of my choice and some prosecco and chocs from a supplier.

We also had a full expenses paid boozy naice lunch that went on until the bars shut with taxis home.

Gonnagetgoingreturnsagain · 23/12/2023 06:29

In all my years of work even in small companies no there’s never been a present from work. Card yes sometimes. Maybe chocolates or bottle of wine. But mostly always a bonus.

In past places (I was a secretary in a buying department one year) we share out fairly all the gifts from our suppliers which included small hamper, salmon, whisky and other “food” luxuries. I did have a boss (direct but not director or anything) give me a posh giftset from Space NK one year but he’d asked me out, I didn’t fancy him plus had a live in boyfriend and he was insistent I took it. For all my hard work, so he said.

Hangryhelena · 23/12/2023 16:58

I got nothing from my boss, no card, no present and no thanks. A heartfelt “thanks for everything you do” would have done and he earns £££s. Never used to be like this, 5 years ago he took colleagues and I out for our birthdays or just for the sake of it. Not sure what happened. Was also left out of pub drinks after work this year which sucked and made me feel rubbish. Feel really unappreciated to be honest and have started looking for another job!

tinselvestsparklepants · 23/12/2023 17:34

Never. Public service so we don't get anything and have to pay if we want a Christmas lunch.

pinkspeakers · 23/12/2023 17:36

No. But as a Uni lecturer, I wouldn't expect it. I always buy a small gift for my "scout" (cleaner) and sometimes for the people in the academic office.

Actually, I do sometimes get small gifts from students. Forgot that.

CornishGem1975 · 23/12/2023 17:38

Yes, got a four figure Christmas bonus, and a bottle of fizz. Also a branded product but can't say what it was as it would be quite outing but it was worth a few hundred. But this is rare and haven't had this in previous jobs.

CatamaranViper · 23/12/2023 17:38

I got three bottles of wine (red, white and prosecco). Also our office is closed between Xmas and NY and this isn't taken out of our annual leave so it feels a bit like an Xmas gift

littlegrebe · 23/12/2023 17:45

Public sector so nothing officially but tradition dictates our line managers pay for our Christmas meal. This year I couldn't go and my manager is talking about going for a nice lunch in the new year, which is lovely of her but totally unnecessary.

In the past I worked for a company whose Christmas gift was a ham. I'm a vegetarian and asked if an alternative was possible, nope, ham or nothing. Fair enough my vegetarianism is a stupid woke hipster fad (yes it was that sort of workplace) but what if they'd had someone who couldn't have pork for religious reasons?

Beckafett · 23/12/2023 17:50

We get a token gift card and the rest for my team comes out of my pocket. I've never had a gift from previous employers but had some lovely gifts from my managers paid for themselves which meant a lot.

OddBoots · 23/12/2023 18:05

champagneproblems13 · 14/12/2023 22:52

I work in a large retail firm and each employee gets £10 in a card with a 'thank you' written by the boss 💀

I can't work out what you mean by the emoji, is that a bad thing?

Gemstonebeach · 23/12/2023 18:12

I’ve always worked public sector and it depends on the manager if they give you a gift out of their own pf pocket. Maybe a box of chocs or a bottle of wine. My current manager is very generous and gives amazing expensive gifts and I always get her a bottle of wine and something else small to say thank you as I feel bad!

thedukeofbuckinghamshire · 23/12/2023 18:16

Never in twenty years. And if it's a crappy bottle of wine does it really matter?

thedukeofbuckinghamshire · 23/12/2023 18:18

Hangryhelena · 23/12/2023 16:58

I got nothing from my boss, no card, no present and no thanks. A heartfelt “thanks for everything you do” would have done and he earns £££s. Never used to be like this, 5 years ago he took colleagues and I out for our birthdays or just for the sake of it. Not sure what happened. Was also left out of pub drinks after work this year which sucked and made me feel rubbish. Feel really unappreciated to be honest and have started looking for another job!

He probably can't afford it out of his own pocket anymore. But a thank you costs nothing.

tokesqueen · 23/12/2023 18:27

We get £30 from the four GP partners. From the cleaners to the ANP we all get the same. About 20 of us.

MissBuffyAnneSummers · 23/12/2023 18:29

Nope. charity sector so no presents

FizzyStream · 23/12/2023 18:32

I work in the NHS and over the years I have had little gifts from my managers bought out of their own pockets. Sometimes a gift (usually a voucher or a bottle of wine) from a consultant who I've worked for. For the last two years the Trust gave everyone a £25 love to shop voucher but thats been binned this year. I wouldn't ever expect anything tbh.

DH works for a large private sector European company and got a £1k bonus last year and this year.