Giving the boss a bottle of cognac - he earns c.15k/month

H

HMC

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No, I didn't make a typing mistake when typing his salary!

My boss's secretary has asked colleagues (about 7 of us) to donate towards the boss's xmas present. Last year (I only joined this June) they gave him a "good bottle of cognac".

I have never in all my working life bought a Christmas present for any boss and don't want to start now.

I have sent an email to all colleagues suggesting we instead donate the collection to a charity. Not that I'm a goody two-shoes but I'm damned if I'm going to be seen to be sucking up to the boss ! He is taking us out for lunch next week, but proper order !

Has this happened to you? How did you handle it?
 
Sounds a bit daft. A token jokey present at the lunch would be okay but an expensive present at a time when people are suffering financially seems inappropriate. I think your suggestion is better. Maybe donate it to a charity the boss has a particular interest in as a compromise.
 
I just wouldn't donate. It's up to the others what they do.
It wouldn't really bother me.
 
Is it not a good idea to show a small token of gratitude that you are still in employment?

I would safely say that any small business that is surviving in these times is due in no small part to the extreme efforts and sacrifices of it's owners (and of course the staff)

The boss is showing his gratitude by bringing the staff out to lunch. I think a token reciprocation is in order.

The
 
Why on earth would anyone buy their boss a gift? Or their colleagues for that matter. I don't even buy my best friends a gift!
 
Sunny, I love you !
Just because you agreed with me.
The whole thing is insane.
Callybags: To clarify - I work in the public sector in a super-safe job (trust me). If I had a self-employed boss struggling to stay in business, believe me I would support such a person and make a gesture.
 
Buy him a revolver as well as the cognac and point him in the direction of the nearest library, you'll never have to worry about buying him presents again :)
 
I presume he's paying for the lunch out of his 15 grand a month and not from public money?
 
HMC said:
Callybags: To clarify - I work in the public sector in a super-safe job (trust me). If I had a self-employed boss struggling to stay in business, believe me I would support such a person and make a gesture.
Click to expand...

Ah... that changes everything.

Get him nowt.
 
HMC said:
No, I didn't make a typing mistake when typing his salary!

My boss's secretary has asked colleagues (about 7 of us) to donate towards the boss's xmas present. Last year (I only joined this June) they gave him a "good bottle of cognac".

I have never in all my working life bought a Christmas present for any boss and don't want to start now.

I have sent an email to all colleagues suggesting we instead donate the collection to a charity. Not that I'm a goody two-shoes but I'm damned if I'm going to be seen to be sucking up to the boss ! He is taking us out for lunch next week, but proper order !

Has this happened to you? How did you handle it?
Click to expand...
What a strange tradition. Sounds like a lord of the manor arrangement , that you should be grateful and doff your cap at all times. Very odd.
 
To be honest, there's always these over zealous people in organisations who are constantly collecting for this, that and the other. It's a bit annoying now that so many of us are working to very tight budgets. They should cop themselves on and confine collections to significant events.
 
Does your boss actually expect this or is this an annual initiative from some lick-a..e's?
 
Well, as my sister so rightly said, like the poor and the feckless, brown-nosers will always be with us.

None of my colleagues has responded to my email about making a donation to charity instead. I suppose it's easier to be a sheep.

Anyway, I've made up my mind: I won't be contributing but I will be having lunch at his expense, that's tradition after all !!
 
That sounds very strange indeed.
I’ve only ever heard of the boss/employer buying token presents for their employees.
 
Mad idea.
I too have never heard of buying a Christmas present for a boss and I definitely not contribute.
 
He should really tell his staff not to go to the expense. That he doesn't would suggest that he expects it. Whether he wantto bring them out to lunch is his own business.
 
I'd suggest that you ask the boss to donate the money he would have spent on the lunch to charity as well. No cognac, no lunch.
 
Is he taking you all out or will he submit the bill with his expences. I think it's a bit much. Is the secretary one of these who thinks sun shines out of him?

We had a new boss in another section who brought all his staff to lunch for christmas when he first started. He dropped the bill into the GM's office on his way back. He got an almighty shock when he was told he would have to foot the bill himself. He bought no more lunches after that.

Our boss buys us nothing (9 staff). When we use to have a christmas night out (none anymore - long story) she use to pay for the wine. I don't drink wine and anyone who did only had one glass - so it was 2 bottles of wine max.
 
becky said:
Our boss buys us nothing (9 staff).
Click to expand...

Either does ours. We dont buy him anything either.

Our old boss used to take us to dinner once a year and lunch occasionally. He footed the bill himself for dinner but put lunch on expenses (it was usually to celebrate a successful end of project).
But he was a generous guy, he retired nearly 10 years ago and he still pops in each xmas with a bottle of wine per person in the dept - even staff he never knew.
 
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