Collections for people in work

Mister Vain

There seems to be a collection every second week in my job. Someone leaving, someone's birthday etc. I don't mind and I usually give a few Euro if I know them well, but its not done for everyone. It seems to be only done for the more popular people. There are workers there years who get nothing. Is this a common thing in your job?

Amanda.ie

We get a card and send it round for weddings and when people have babies only. I have never seen a card go round for a birthday, that's usually just between a few close friends.
We do get all the usual cards for charities and most I would give something too.

Tasden

We only do collections for significant birthdays so maybe it's not to do with the people and more to do with if their birthday/age is significant?

looksee

One place I worked had a voluntary scheme that the salaries section helped out with, where people could volunteer a small fixed amount each month and cards and bunches of flowers were taken out of that. Every now and again if there was a surplus built up they would get in goodies for break time. Worked very well, a few people did not do it but no-one got uptight about it!

Galwayguy35

Yeah it was done in the last job I was in, got a few bob myself when I was leaving but I used it to buy a round for the lads when we met for a few pints on my last day.

I remember one fella said he was leaving and he took the money and a few days later came back when he changed his mind.

Clampdown

I used to get annoyed at this too when I worked in an office, even though a few euro here and there would hardly break me considering I had a wage. NowI'm unemployed nearly two years and having to buy birthday gifts etc actually does put me under pressure. If I am lucky enough to get back into employment in this joke of a country I won't be minding the whip arounds I can tell you!

arybvtcw0eolkf

I'm in the army, so most lads are pretty damn fit ~ I dread what I call sponsorship season. You know that time of year when people decide they're running for charities and it seems like everyone in the unit has a chosen charity, well that pisses me right the fook off!.

Worse then is the kunt who sponsors the fooker for a twenty or a fifty right on the line above your miserable €2-

Well slightly different to what the OP is talking about, but you're being fleeced none the less.

maudgonner

I worked in a place that was absolutely ridiculous for leaving/birthday/ Get Well Soon cards. When I left I got two cards, both signed by most of the staff. Turned out that they were so used to having cards go around that they didn't even notice that they had doubled up by mistake.

Normally there wouldn't be collections though, luckily enough (or sadly in my case - missed out on double presents :mad:)

Arcade_Tryer

Unless I was part of a very small, close knit group of colleagues (no more than three or four) I would absolutely not be coughing up a few euro for such personal events as birthdays or someone leaving.

Annasopra

Used to happen in a few places I worked - it was a bit ridiculous because in one team there was about 20 employees so every month there was a collection. The manager banned it and there was uproar.

In my other team it was banned in the staff handbook when I started. It started becoming a regular thing and there was about 30 in the team. The thing was though they didnt include everyone so it got heckles up and there were complaints.

Fluffy Cat 88

In my workplace there's collections for: leaving the job, significant birthdays, babies, serious illnesses, family deaths, weddings, (probably more - I can't recall right now )

It's a personal choice whether one signs the card and throws a few euro in the bag. A lot of us do. A few of the lads (from the east side of Europe) don't put in anything but that's their choice.

It's a nice thing to do and it's not very often so I don't mind contributing.

Teyla Emmagan

I contribute if I know/like the person, otherwise I just toss it over the desk.

We'd have 3 cards going around a day sometimes - it would wreck your head.

I am still gearing up to writing 'see you now, you MOFO' on someone's leaving card. Just for the hell of it.

Arcade_Tryer

Fluffy Cat 88 wrote: »

In my workplace there's collections for: leaving the job, significant birthdays, babies, serious illnesses, family deaths, weddings, (probably more - I can't recall right now )

It's a nice thing to do and it's not very often so I don't mind contributing.

Fairly contradictory!

It's a personal choice whether one signs the card and throws a few euro in the bag. A lot of us do. A few of the lads (from the east side of Europe) don't put in anything but that's their choice.

Great bunch of lads. They're dead right too.

Tangatagamadda Chaddabinga Bonga Bungo

Slightly off topic here but by far the most ridiculous thing some people try to collect money off you for is a 'charity skydive'. You're collecting for something that usually most people pay 100's of euro to do for out of their own pocket, and people see it as a 'once in a lifetime experience'.

Throw the word charity onto it though and you can get it all for free. It's so goddam cheeky in my opinion.

pauliebdub

In my old job it was relentless, birthdays for popular staff members who revealed their birth date, cards, gifts, balloons, cakes, sing happy birthday, then there's leaving cards, maternity cards, promotion cards, collection for someone who has had a baby, sponsored walks, runs, crawls, save the whales and save the children, congratulations cards and well done for completing the sponsored walk!!!

kfallon

Fluffy Cat 88 wrote: »

In my workplace there's collections for: leaving the job, significant birthdays, babies, serious illnesses, family deaths, weddings, (probably more - I can't recall right now )

Never seen that before, "Sorry to hear about your mother passing away but we had a whip round for you so here's €27.50"....sounds weird

Amanda.ie

Tangatagamadda Chaddabinga Bonga Bungo wrote: »

Slightly off topic here but by far the most ridiculous thing some people try to collect money off you for is a 'charity skydive'. You're collecting for something that usually most people pay 100's of euro to do for out of their own pocket, and people see it as a 'once in a lifetime experience'.

Throw the word charity onto it though and you can get it all for free. It's so goddam cheeky in my opinion.

That's not how it works, you have to raise money for the charity and not just for the jump.
I don't mind this as it's not something I would do ie parachute jump so fair play to anyone who does it.

PARlance

Tangatagamadda Chaddabinga Bonga Bungo wrote: »

Slightly off topic here but by far the most ridiculous thing some people try to collect money off you for is a 'charity skydive'. You're collecting for something that usually most people pay 100's of euro to do for out of their own pocket, and people see it as a 'once in a lifetime experience'.

Throw the word charity onto it though and you can get it all for free. It's so goddam cheeky in my opinion.

There's always the hope that the parachute fails.

Fluffy Cat 88

Arcade_Tryer wrote: »

Fairly contradictory!

There's only 21 of us, probably have about 2 cards a year at most!

Great bunch of lads. They're dead right too.

Too far east... but they are a nice bunch of lads in fairness.

Fluffy Cat 88

kfallon wrote: »

Never seen that before, "Sorry to hear about your mother passing away but we had a whip round for you so here's €27.50"....sounds weird

Hahahaha : D that's a weird idea alright. No, its to buy flowers and a sympathy card to be sent to the grieving workmate. I think it's a nice idea.

Arcade_Tryer

Amanda.ie wrote: »

That's not how it works, you have to raise money for the charity and not just for the jump.
I don't mind this as it's not something I would do ie parachute jump so fair play to anyone who does it.

I think that poster meant the idea of a skydive compared to something like running a marathon or climbing a mountain even is a bit cheeky. Skydiving is something a lot of people would gladly pay a lot of money to do, charity aside.

HS3

We have it in our place. There use to be a cake too but they knocked that in the head recently. I'll sign a card, but only contribute when it's a wedding or its someone I know leaving. It was getting to the stage I was handing over money every other day. They don't know when it's my birthday so I have no guilt lol

Mister Vain

A lot of people come and go in my job. Most of them wouldn't get anything when they leave if they've only been there a short while, but there was one girl who was only there a few months and there was a collection for her when she left. I think she was riding half the staff though.

Sir Osis of Liver.

Have in-law who does Charity Walks overseas every few years.
It's getting a bit annoying having to pay towards her foreign holidays when I haven't had one myself in a few years.

2RockMountain

The best way is to have a rule that the brown envelope is left at reception or some other designated spot for those who want to contribute - so no pressure from someone landing at your desk rattling a few coins.

Adriel Rhythmic Souvenir

Adriel Rhythmic Souvenir wrote: »

I'm in the army, so most lads are pretty damn fit ~ I dread what I call sponsorship season. You know that time of year when people decide they're running for charities and it seems like everyone in the unit has a chosen charity, well that pisses me right the fook off!.

Worse then is the kunt who sponsors the fooker for a twenty or a fifty right on the line above your miserable €2-

Well slightly different to what the OP is talking about, but you're being fleeced none the less.

This just reminded me I'm running for the WWP next week. Ooops.

Lollipops23

We don't tend to do a whip around in my place- but for leaving/weddings/engagements we'd have cards go around.
We do have a company tradition of treats (on the company) when there's bdays/engagements/passed exams. Not good for my waistline, but can live with it.

foxy farmer

Galwayguy35 wrote: »

Yeah it was done in the last job I was in,

I remember one fella said he was leaving and he took the money and a few days later came back when he changed his mind.

Should be added to the stingy 2 thread.

dev100

Mister Vain wrote:

A lot of people come and go in my job. Most of them wouldn't get anything when they leave if they've only been there a short while, but there was one girl who was only there a few months and there was a collection for her when she left. I think she was riding half the staff though.

Which half were you ?

Mister Vain

dev100 wrote: »

Which half were you ?

Well I didn't contribute anything so what do you think? :P

suicide_circus

I give money to charities of my choosing at times of my choosing, not because the chancer two cubicles over fancies unicycling along the great wall of china.

fryup

if someone is leaving and i liked them, then by all means i'll give a few quid and sign the card...but if someone was an @sshole to me then NO..i'm not going to be a hypocrite and pretend i like them and i don't care how much peer pressure is put on me

Pulsating Star

I have almost always chipped in for these in previous employment but now I look at it with a more jaundiced eye.
We have a good lad leaving next week, who through no fault of his own is trying to get by on short term contracts, definitely yes.
The next two shortly after ,full PS pensions, stole a living from the taxpayer ,
I would like to contribute a boot in the hole to each as they went through the door.

Capt'n Midnight

Tangatagamadda Chaddabinga Bonga Bungo wrote: »

Slightly off topic here but by far the most ridiculous thing some people try to collect money off you for is a 'charity skydive'. .

The statistics on this

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10476298

All parachute injuries from two local parachute centres over a 5-year period were analysed. Of 174 patients with injuries of varying severity, 94% were first-time charity-parachutists. The injury rate in charity-parachutists was 11% at an average cost of 3751 Pounds per casualty. Sixty-three percent of casualties who were charity-parachutists required hospital admission, representing a serious injury rate of 7%, at an average cost of 5781 Pounds per patient. The amount raised per person for charity was 30 Pounds. Each pound raised for charity cost the NHS 13.75 Pounds in return. Parachuting for charity costs more money than it raises, carries a high risk of serious personal injury and places a significant burden on health resources.

BettePorter

Years ago I started a new job and the girl I was replacing was training me in but obviously leaving. My first day and someone comes round collecting, tenner a head. I thought she'd have the cop on not to ask me given i'd barely met the girl. No! Of course I could have told her as much but that prob wouldn't have looked great either, so although I wasn't paid til 5 weeks and barely had money fir lunch til then I had to pull a tenner outta somewhere for a girl id never worked with! Rageballs I was!

Arsemageddon

It used to be a tradition in my line of work to have a collection for Bastard Tuesday. Everyone chipped in a few quid each and then a name was drawn from a hat and the winner got all the money. It's died out a bit in the last few years though.

The name comes from the fact that Tuesday is the sh1ttest day of the week.

Clampdown

BettePorter wrote: »

Years ago I started a new job and the girl I was replacing was training me in but obviously leaving. My first day and someone comes round collecting, tenner a head. I thought she'd have the cop on not to ask me given i'd barely met the girl. No! Of course I could have told her as much but that prob wouldn't have looked great either, so although I wasn't paid til 5 weeks and barely had money fir lunch til then I had to pull a tenner outta somewhere for a girl id never worked with! Rageballs I was!

Should have got up and said 'Actually, I think I'll quit, so can you go around and collect a tenner off everyone for me as well?'

SuperS54

Never understood the collection for someone who is leaving, if they're leaving it's generally to a better job!