Post by mysteriouswife on Oct 7, 2022 16:26:55 GMT -5
We are having a large end of year party in Dec. it’s a Friday night and we are allowed to bring a guest. We will have a live band and open bar. Afterwards we will go bar hopping. They provide Uber/Lyft gift cards the week prior. In addition to the party we get an end of year bonus. We also get to pick a swag item up to $75 from a selected list.
In the past we have received ON running shoes, company shirts, jackets, Bluetooth speaker, and other misc company logo items.
My manger gave us tins of local cookies and a $50 Visa gift card last year.
Post by pierogigirl on Oct 7, 2022 16:40:28 GMT -5
For 11-13 people, I like the idea of asking for a specific list and buying off it or a choice between 5 items (especially if one choice is a gift card I'd use).
I would do a meal or a party on company time (so, maybe lunch?) with lots of door prizes and "spin the wheel" games for cash, gift cards, lottery tickets. Or experiences (in the form of a certificate or gift card). The best work parties (and meetings, lol) I've been to have that. No random physical items, and people get excited to win. You can even rig it so that everybody gets something. And they can trade, etc. Then let the people go home.
I worked for a dentist, we went to lunch and then he gave us each a certain amount of money to spend and we went to the mall and spent the money on whatever we wanted. The rule was we had to spend it on ourselves, not our families and we had to give him the receipts and anything we didn’t spend.
Holy shit, seriously?!? Your male boss took all his female employees to the mall and then made you spend the money with rules about how you spent it and then you had to tell him exactly what you bought with receipts and give him the change? And you don’t see why this is hugely problematic? 😳😳😳
ETA: and the fact that you specifically said this is only a good idea for women! 🤯🤯🤯
This is a very common "gift" in the dental world given to staff by male and female dentist bosses.
It gets better. Bosses then get mad when the employees have the nerve to ask if they will be paid their regular wages for this mandatory-"but-it's a gift!" outing. And if an employee doesn't want to go for whatever reason, the bosses get more mad if the employee asks if he/she can stay behind at the office and just earn their regular hours instead. Like they can't fathom why someone wouldn't want this great "gift."
I hate it for the reasons you said and more. If I go to the mall with $200, I'm buying stuff for my kids, the end. I have no interest in looking for something for myself. I nearly cried when I went to to Nordstrom recently searching for a dress and nothing fit me. But I never point out what a crappy gift this is because the vast majority think that their staff love it.
Oh god, this is the worst part of everyone being back in the office again.
Yes it is! I found out today the mastermind of gifts is leaving, and her last day is next Friday. I’m thinking that maybe I step in with helping out here. I’m in higher ed, so the bar is and will stay low, but my gosh, I think we can do better with a shit budget and some moxie!! 😂
Some of you don't work for a nonprofit and it shows I work in a hospital so can't close up our work place early, I cannot give someone a day off with pay, and a bunch of other rules that I have to follow for legal reasons. Last year, we did a gift exchange but weren't allowed to have a party because of covid.
I'm doing Patagonia fleeces this year. The funds were donated to cover it. I'm also going to do a spin the wheel for a prize that will be small things in the $5-15 range. Coffee gift card, Target GC, ski socks, etc.
I have about 35 people that I would have to buy for and that adds up quickly when its coming from your own pocket. And is even tougher when there are restrictions on what you can do.
Our first year as a small start up office within a larger company, our bosses told us to send them a link to something on Amazon that we wanted. I think the dollar limit was $150 or something. My boss loves to shop so she got a kick out of ordering everything and being the gift giver. We walked from our office to the hotel bar for cocktail hour, then to the restaurant next door for dinner and gifts, then back to the hotel bar to drink even more. It was super fun.
Post by Doggy Mommy on Oct 7, 2022 20:20:04 GMT -5
Love the idea of offering a choice of gifts around the same price, but I'd think about the specific people who work there and make sure there's something on the list that would likely appeal to them. Like something techy (airpods, bose speaker), something outdoorsy (Patagonia), something cozy (pottery barn blanket), something edible (Harry and David fruit of the month for 6 months or something like that), something for people who like going out (gift card to local restaurant), people who like to shop (gc to Nordstrom), sporty people (love the custom Nike idea) etc.
Last year our 3 bosses got everyone a cute insulated tumbler (think like a stemless wineglass type) from Amazon. The company gives $5/employee for the holidays, so they have to pay out of their own pocket for most of it. I haven't gotten a gift from a boss in 10 years other than that, so I felt it was thoughtful. Plus, I loved the turquoise color. Other gifts over the years included a $5 Blockbuster GC (dating myself), fuzzy socks, really huge fruit gift basket, that's all I can think of.
I can't say I've ever had a "wow" company holiday party. Again, large company. Pre-2018 we'd do a pot luck, and the managers would provide a ham, turkey, sodas, and a cake. Employees would provide sides and additional desserts.
Similar size company and demographic. Last year we went to Top Golf. Spouses were invited. My boss put together a white elephant exchange where he bought all the gifts. There was wine, liquor, Penzy spice sets, and similar stuff. People could open a wrapped gift or steal. It went over well!
I worked for a dentist, we went to lunch and then he gave us each a certain amount of money to spend and we went to the mall and spent the money on whatever we wanted. The rule was we had to spend it on ourselves, not our families and we had to give him the receipts and anything we didn’t spend.
Holy shit, seriously?!? Your male boss took all his female employees to the mall and then made you spend the money with rules about how you spent it and then you had to tell him exactly what you bought with receipts and give him the change? And you don’t see why this is hugely problematic? 😳😳😳
ETA: and the fact that you specifically said this is only a good idea for women! 🤯🤯🤯
There’s an episode of The Office that is similar to this 😂 🤯
Money or gift cards. I consult with a firm that’s all females and in the past we’ve been given Amazon or Ulta gift cards and the bosses thought for Ulta was that we’d definitely spend it on ourselves and not our DH’s or kids.
Other places have done white elephant where the company bought all the gifts in like a $5-25 range just for an amusement activity and then raffled off some bigger prizes like a flat screen tv or an iPad.
I’d personally love some air pod pros. If you did a hotel gift card, I’d make it a chain like Marriott so people have options of when and where to use it.
Maybe you should’ve read, because they already give cash! She’s looking for additional ideas.
LOL my point is just give more cash! Seriously if you have to crowdsource on a random message board to come up with ideas, there’s no way everyone (or possibly anyone) is going to want whenever you give. Most of this company give away stuff just ends up in a landfill. I wish we could stop with the random gift giving as if it’s more thoughtful than just giving people money that they could use to buy stuff they actually want.
Ask me how I feel about good bags. 😂
Yes. To be honest I’d rather just get cash and nothing else.
Recently at my per diem job I guess someone donated gift bags. I’m not there very often so I was like great I can avoid getting one. Nope, the last time I worked the director personally came down to the procedure room and left a bag for me with my name on it to take home. Ugh. I do appreciate the sentiment but it’s such a waste! It’ll sit at my house for a year cause I feel bad putting it in the trash. Then, after the year I’ll try to figure out how to repurpose, donate or give away the things.
I hate the giving just to give kind of thing that often happens.
LOL my point is just give more cash! Seriously if you have to crowdsource on a random message board to come up with ideas, there’s no way everyone (or possibly anyone) is going to want whenever you give. Most of this company give away stuff just ends up in a landfill. I wish we could stop with the random gift giving as if it’s more thoughtful than just giving people money that they could use to buy stuff they actually want.
Ask me how I feel about good bags. 😂
Yes. To be honest I’d rather just get cash and nothing else.
Recently at my per diem job I guess someone donated gift bags. I’m not there very often so I was like great I can avoid getting one. Nope, the last time I worked the director personally came down to the procedure room and left a bag for me with my name on it to take home. Ugh. I do appreciate the sentiment but it’s such a waste! It’ll sit at my house for a year cause I feel bad putting it in the trash. Then, after the year I’ll try to figure out how to repurpose, donate or give away the things.
I hate the giving just to give kind of thing that often happens.
If anyone has the secret to getting someone ( in my case, my mother in law and sister in law) to stop doing this, I would love to know. Asking them to stop, telling them to stop, my husband asking them to stop, letting them see the candles and lotions and random item I would never use remain unused in my home years later has not worked.
I post the items on my town's Buy Nothing group now. I can't seem to get them to understand that I am not offended if they don't get me a gift. I don't want or need or use the "gifts" they give me anyway. So now I don't even say thank you. I just say, "This gift was unnecessary." And then I donate it. Maybe one day it will stop, but I don't have much hope that it will.
Post by sometimesrunner on Oct 7, 2022 23:45:13 GMT -5
We did air pods one year because I knew everyone would use them but likely wouldn’t buy them for themselves. Other than that I’ve skipped gifts and just do bonuses. I just don’t trust myself to pick something that everyone will like. If you’re ok doing gifts of different amounts, you could do a white elephant type exchange where you provide all the gifts and the staff picks numbers to see who goes first. You could do some larger prizes like a yeti cooler, tv, and iPad, a smoker, and also lots of gift cards.
As for the company party, I would cater a nice lunch for your staff. Not having to spend the evening with coworkers, no matter how much you like them, is kind of a gift, as well!
We do a holiday lunch. And then get a donation to a charity from a list in our honour. Less waste, more helping others. (we are a counselling team, so it makes sense)
Last year we got cool S’well bowls. It is exactly the kind of thing I would love and use. Except they went with the smallest version. I guess it holds yogurt really well?
I’ve never used it. No one in my office has used it either. For a few bucks more per person, it could have been a cool gift.
Yes. To be honest I’d rather just get cash and nothing else.
Recently at my per diem job I guess someone donated gift bags. I’m not there very often so I was like great I can avoid getting one. Nope, the last time I worked the director personally came down to the procedure room and left a bag for me with my name on it to take home. Ugh. I do appreciate the sentiment but it’s such a waste! It’ll sit at my house for a year cause I feel bad putting it in the trash. Then, after the year I’ll try to figure out how to repurpose, donate or give away the things.
I hate the giving just to give kind of thing that often happens.
If anyone has the secret to getting someone ( in my case, my mother in law and sister in law) to stop doing this, I would love to know. Asking them to stop, telling them to stop, my husband asking them to stop, letting them see the candles and lotions and random item I would never use remain unused in my home years later has not worked.
I post the items on my town's Buy Nothing group now. I can't seem to get them to understand that I am not offended if they don't get me a gift. I don't want or need or use the "gifts" they give me anyway. So now I don't even say thank you. I just say, "This gift was unnecessary." And then I donate it. Maybe one day it will stop, but I don't have much hope that it will.
No trick. I just say thank you and post right away on buy nothing. It’s some people’s love language to give gifts it seems.
My work team makes fun of me for not wanting anything, even company swag, but I don’t want to re-clutter my home. They are still bringing up last Christmas when I turned down a yeti 🤷🏻♀️
konapoppy I do understand that gifts can be a love language, and think its true in this case, but at what point do my wishes trump their love language? I actually think its rude that they don't respect what I am saying/asking.