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

It's quite traditional in the Civil Service for senior managers to club together and pay for the wine at the Christmas meal and everyone pays for the food. Middle managers sometimes bring in a box of chocolates or a tin of biscuits. Nobody clubs together to buy the boss a present, though. And to be honest, I think they'd be mortified if that happened.
 
 
becky said:
Same here. We get a few hampers in my name to this section - I tell the girls to pick out what they want.

I know my boss get 6 bottles of very expensive wine from one of the clients. She brings them all home with her.
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We tend to get gifts addressed to an individual that outside clients deal with - but because that person is not necessarily the person who does the grunt work we collect everything and raffle it off among ourselves (including the boss) on the day we break up for xmas.

There have been occasions where a particular individual was caught taking stuff home rather than contributing to the general collection though - guess some people have more of a sense of entitlement than others!
 
If this is a public body, there is probably some kind of Code of Ethics or Business Behavour policy or similar. Get this from HR, and tell them why you've asked for.

Light touch paper, and retire.
 
I employ 11 people on a fulltime basis. There are others on a casual basis. We dont have a Christmas party although during the year we have a couple of outings down the country with the men and their families which I sponsor 100%. You see two of or members are recovering drug addicts (one a recovering alcoholic also). I see no point in putting them into more temptation especially around Christmas. Christmas is our busiest period and we work flat out right up to and including Chrtistmas Eve. We restart on the Tuesday after Christmas and will work flat out into the new year.

We pay a 'Christmas Box' to all the staff including the casual people on an earned basis. This is given out in late November.

I dont expect anybody to come to me and present me with a bottle of rare Courvoisier or slap my back in gratitude for me paying them for their toil. The business is sound and through staff loyalty and common sense I intend keeping it so. Running a small business is a two way street, something many in this forum appear to forget.

And Christmas Parties . . . forget them . . . they are only for making enemies.
 
I remember years ago in my first job we were asked to contribute £10 to buy the boss a present This was 1995 and I earned £8500pa and I didn't have £10 buy my mother a present.
Plus I absolutely hated the man. He was horrible. I said I would pay £5 under protest and the 2 other girls who shared my office said they would support me and pay a fiver. When it came to it they handed up the tenner and my fiver was rejected as they wanted to give him a voucher and it would look bad if it wasn't for an even amount of money.
I didn't care. Saved myself a tenner. He had a massive heart attack on Stephen's day that year and I left before he came back to work so I never saw him again.
Anyway. Buying the boss a gift is lick arsey and unnecessary.
 
Gabsdot: your post made me laugh and cry. There is no thought given to people's private circumstances (childcare costs, debts, mortgage/rent, parents in care homes...). Who knows what colleagues are dealing with.

The latest from here (I'm the OP) is that we're going to lunch on Thursday and I've no idea whether a present has been bought for the boss or not. I have not contributed and have no intention of doing so, unless the money goes to a charity.

Leper is right: Christmas parties are good for making enemies. I've only been here six months but I feel I've stepped over the line simply because I didn't fall into line with everyone else.

And another thing and then I'll shut up - there is no question of circulating an envelope so staff can give (or not) at their discretion. We have to trundle up to the secretary's office and hand over our cash for her. I wanted to make an issue over this as well but decided I had already said enough!! This whole business is one big pain in the rear end.
 
shootingstar said:
Well i reckon the secretary's sleeping with the boss!
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That or she sounds like one of those mother hen types which every office seems to have. They go around doing whip arounds every week for someones baby, wedding, birthday, christening and funeral etc.

I got to the stage where I got fed up with work nights out and x mas parties etc and stopped going to all of them. Mostly all rubbish talk at them anyway.
 
i have never given my boss a present (nor will I!) We have 2 staff nights out at Christmas , 1 is organised for the whole building where meal is paid for with 2 drinks and the 2nd is a departmental meal out where meal and wine is paid for and the boss would buy a few drinks as well.

Our organisation also will receive some gifts and these are numbered and raffled so everyone in the department gets something i.e whiskey or brandy or wine box etc...

There is always collections here for people leaving,babies etc... but is always an anonymous envelope so can give/or not at yor discretion.
 
I was absent at a recent team meeting when it was decided that we should all do kris kindle and give the presents out at a team lunch - the cost of presents suggested is €15! I don't even buy friends a present I think it's ridiculous buying that for work colleagues. I'd rather give it to SVP. Plus the lunch will be with our boss who won't pay a cent towards it, he's very tight. Anyway what bothers me about this lunch is that at the summer lunch it was all split the bill and some people had 3 courses and coffee while others had the cheapest main course and others had just a toasted sandwich and I think it should be pay for your own. Some people haven't the money for this kind of thing. I'm not tight and out with friends etc I'm happy to split bills but a work lunch we are forced to go on is a bit much (and it was mentioned before that not going is not being a team player so we basically have to go)
 

I think all these expensive 'traditions' that built up over the celtic tiger era need to be reviewed. A couple of people where I work booked a dinner dance in a hotel event for the annual 'do' and loads of people are just not going. It's way too expensive and is the kind of event that you'd also need to buy something new to wear for and get a taxi home from because it's out of town. A gang of us have decided to just go to the pub for a couple of drinks somewhere central that evening where we can get the bus home.

I also think doing big collections for someone who's just transferring from one part of the organisation to the other should be stamped on the head. And collections for new babies and big birthdays should be confined to the recipient's particular mates in the office, not emailed around to all and sundry.
 
Our work do was cancelled due to lack of interest! Not only were we expected to pay for the meal (€40.00 per head), drinks and taxi, the bosses decided to make it themed fancy dress - because apparently paying for new clothes that make you look and feel stupid to sit in a hotel dining room was going to make it more fun,fun, FUN!!!

Personally I never go on work parties, would much rather be out with my OH or stay at home and curl up on the sofa. As a non-drinker there's a limited amount of amusement I can get from watching people getting plastered. I also got fed up of being expected to hang around to give people lifts home.If I am asked if I am going out I simply say No, it's not my thing.

As for giving the boss a present, that has only ever happened to me once and yes I did feel pressure to contribute due to the fact there were only 4 of us working under the boss..and in fairness she did buy us all a bottle of wine...which I gave away!
 
The latest from me, the OP. Our lunch is tomorrow in some swanky restaurant. My colleague (about same age as boss, late 50s) just got back having bought "the present" - a coffee table book on Porsche cars, of which my boss has at least one (car, not book). My colleague then very pointedly said "just so we don't turn up empty-handed". I can't tell you how tempted I am to call in sick tomorrow.
 


Go to the lunch and when the boss opens the present and exclaims over it show great interest and make out like you chose it - the others wont be able to say you didnt donate for fear of looking mean spirited
 
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