BlogBreak

By Jazzyone

July 31, 2007 8:17 AM | Link to this

Nope never feel the pressure, that is where I make my money not where I chose to spend it all. I don’t feel bad in the least and allot of the time I don’t participate in the lunches, baby showers etc becasue I dont care to. I never was a follower I go by my own beliefs and my own financial budget.

I have been labelled at times anti social etc, but when it comes to my work ethic and my performance I am at the top of the list. other than that i could care less what people label me or think. I participate in Team events and lunches and thats about it.

By workingmom

July 31, 2007 8:20 AM | Link to this

I don’t buy from any co-worker’s kids’ school fundraisers (unless it’s something I relly want, like girl scout cookies!) For that reason, I also refuse to bring in the collection pot for my own kids. I believe that if you want your co-workers to buy from your kids than you should be prepared to do the same for them. Personally, I would rather spend that money on my own children’s projects rather than spread it around at the office.

For showers, etc., sometimes it is easier to put a token amount in the pot. If the person being honored is someone I am close to, I will skip the collective gift and give them something on my own.

By George

July 31, 2007 8:31 AM | Link to this

What I hate is being hit up every time I go to Publix. I give at home, I do not need them asking me if I want to give to their cause of the moment.

By Nickel & Dimed

July 31, 2007 8:33 AM | Link to this

For me, It is a non-stop issue at the office. Constant b’day, welcome lunches, showers, kids fundraisers, etc. As a person who has no children, it gets REALLY annoying. Recently, we gave a girl in the office a very nice baby gift and each person in the dept. gave $$$ to do so. Have still not even received a freakin thank you note. SO RUDE! I have learned how to politely pass the school catalogs along and wiggle out of some of the lunches w/o incident but man my feet are starting to hurt from all the tap dancing!

By Robbie

July 31, 2007 8:54 AM | Link to this

Forget the tap dancing and making excuses for not contributing. No excuse is needed. Just say no. If they don’t like it…tough, they’ll get over it. By the way, solicitation in most offices is not allowed per their employee handbook. The thing that gets me upset is that many of these people go around the office on company time. That’s just wrong. They’re getting paid to go around and sell little Suzy’s cookies. There’s a problem with that.

By Becky

July 31, 2007 8:55 AM | Link to this

No, I don’t feel any pressure to give..After 20 years with the same company, I’ve only given once that the money wasn’t used by the person for what we collected it for..She felt the sting of it too..Then the next time that she cried needing help, there wasn’t anyone willing to give..As a rule for new babies, we (about 8 women) usually buy a clothes basket & fill it will the small stuff that most people don’t give at showers..Plus a lot of the people that I work with are given hand me downs. Works for them, works for us..

By lovelyliz

July 31, 2007 8:59 AM | Link to this

It’s especially bad for those of us in the office without children. I can understand the you buy from our children and we’ll buy from yours club, but the rest of us would just assume to be bothered week after week. I have a friend who put a NO SOLICITATION sign on her desk.

Note to office people asking for $$$: No means No. it doesn’t mean keep asking us and you’ll eventually wear down our resolve.

By Lackey

July 31, 2007 9:04 AM | Link to this

Our company throws parties for the upper management people when they get a promotion! And they ask for donations from the underlings. How’s that for gall?

By Harold

July 31, 2007 9:06 AM | Link to this

Harold’s coworkers don’t like him enough to treat him to a birthday lunch, so you needn’t worry yourself about it.

Even if they did, Harold would never choose Pappadeaux. When the Illegals in the kitchen are the “chefs” instead of the dishwashers, Harold avoids.

By lovelyliz

July 31, 2007 9:07 AM | Link to this

My sister’s employer allows parents to place order forms on the tables in their break room, but there are to be no direct solicitations.

By John

July 31, 2007 9:15 AM | Link to this

Most solicitations in our office are usually some type of voluntary donation stand in the breakroom…no one is too bad about going around and directly asking for money…but don’t get me started on Girl Scout cookies…if you don’t order at least four boxes of those foul biscuits you are considered a scrooge. here.

By Brian

July 31, 2007 9:28 AM | Link to this

A few rules should be followed when soliciting funds at work:

Please, feel free to add to the list.

By Fed Up

July 31, 2007 9:53 AM | Link to this

First of all, I think there should be a rule put in place by employers, NO SOLICITATION of co-workers to support your brat’s fundraiser. These schools and organizations are using these kids, because they know all that will happen is the parent will take the order form to work and sit it out on the breakroom table, or pass it around the office. Personally I think it’s tacky on the parent’s part. Let your brats hock their own wares… or does that mean mommy and daddy have to actually take the brats out and develop interpersonal skills by selling this overpriced CRAP?

And I get tired of collections. Every time you turn around, there is a collection for every freaking birthday, holiday, baby shower, and everything else. And yes, when you don’t contribute you are quietly judged as being anti-social. Unfortunately this is a fact of life in today’s workplace.

By MDrysdale

July 31, 2007 10:16 AM | Link to this

Soliciting for your kid’s fund raisers deprives the child of of the most important aspects of fund raisers. That is, selling yourself, your organization and your cause. It’s no wonder there are so many spoiled children as well as young adults everywhere that feel so entitled to everything. They are used to Mommy and Daddy doing it for them.

By GaConservative

July 31, 2007 10:19 AM | Link to this

I hate this.

I do not participate and it hasn’t had any effect on my carreer nor has it made getting along with others any harder.

Just politely decline each offer and move on people.

By Dave

July 31, 2007 10:26 AM | Link to this

I thought this was going to be about how offices supply fewer and fewer supplies and comforts to employees. I have been a 6 month IT contractor for 3 years now and I have seen a disturbing trend. Maybe I am spoiled…

When I had my first IT job in the late 90’s we had free drinks, frequent catering for meetings, friday Parties etc..

After the dot com crash things got worse. Away with the free drinks, parties and other nice things. Now we have to buy our own peripherals, coffee only in the break room, no cups ( we have to bring our own) no plastic forks, plates, filtered water or even office supplies. We can theoretically order office supplies, but the process is so painful, it is better to buy them yourself and claim it on taxes. Not to mention how difficult it is to get a decent priced health insurance ( I opted not to have insurance).

So this is the nickel and diming I thought about. People don’t even bother to mention the stuff above, we don’t celebrate any event ever!

By Sagegirl

July 31, 2007 10:50 AM | Link to this

Once I received an invitation to a co-worker’s baby shower that I had never even met. It was to be held during work hours convenient for all. Tacky!

On the invitation it asked that attendees spend a minimum of $20 on gifts, something else I thought was tacky. I asked around and only a few people knew her. And those people of course went anyway, complaining about the money they didn’t really have to spend, yet going out of guilt. Needless to say I did not attend. I stayed in my space and did my work, like I was hired to do.

By Miket

July 31, 2007 10:51 AM | Link to this

While coworker requests are bad enough, I used to work for a company that worshipped the United Way. Every week there were a couple different fundraising events - cookouts, raffles, casual day coupons… and it’s strongly implied that your job security and avancement opportunities are tied to how much you contribute!

By DEE

July 31, 2007 10:59 AM | Link to this

…This subject comes up very often around my workplace… and, I must agree with “Jazzyone” and others —- the “collectors” for the various events don’t seem to get the message —— even after several unanswered emails for their cause of the week. The usual “collectors” recently attempted to institute a “sunshine fund” to cover funeral flowers, baby showers, monthly birthday treats on the first Friday of the month, but it didn’t go over very well….. despite heroic attempts by some managers and coworkers to arrange it, the workplace is not “one big happy family” - so they really should stop trying to force that. ** Like Jazzyone, if I know the person in the workplace who’s being acknowledged for whatever reason, and if I choose to participate, I will do so and in a big way, I give something personally. I have never cared for the big “group grope” or the “group gift” because it cheapens the whole thing…. For example, last summer a close coworker was expecting a first baby and I gave her a few nice clothes for the infant, personally, here at the workplace, and spent about $50 on the gift by the time a nice gift bag and card was included. It was very embarrassing when the rest of the staff - 15+ people, and two managers who earn very high salaries to giver her a lousy $100 gift certificate at the office baby shower gathering! Let’s see, anyone can do the math: $100 divided by 16 people ….all of whom are professional staff earning respectable salaries - $80 - $100 thousand per year = just a few dollars - maybe $6 ? was collected from each person. Ini my opinion that gesture cheapened the whole thing and left the pregnant woman with a very bad taste in her mouth, because it said to her in so many words “we don’t really care very much about you or your first child’s arrival”.. and “This is all we can come up with”… and in my opinion that was absolutely deplorable.. the scenario was downright embarrrassing. Now, this year there’s another coworker who is expecting her second child… and I hope that no one asks me to participate in any manner whatsoever for that woman; why? Because she’s an unfriendly, spoiled brat in her thirties who still has mommy and daddy taking care of just about everything for her family, and besides, nothing that I can give will ever be good enough for that child. When the first baby came 3 years ago I gave a nice gift and the coworker seemed to like it, but two months later when the woman showed up with the newborn at the boss’ home for a Holiday lunch, I asked to hold her son for a minute, and she told me “no”. ??? Hey, if I am not “good enough” to touch her baby, I’m not ggood enough to give any of my money for the next baby expected in the fall. Besides, why do yuppies long to have babies …then hire nannies or arrange for someone else to actually raise them?

Bottom line: If one wants to send a sympathy card, flowers, or a baby gift, they will do so… without a collector in the office trying to coherce them.

By Tre's_Mom

July 31, 2007 11:03 AM | Link to this

So funny that this article just came out…I took have received the pressure to participate in the endless round of lunches, showers, fundraisers, etc. The killer was that yesterday the Director of HR sent a request for $$$ donations for a catered retirement party and gift because the CEO is leaving… BUT the money is due today Who sends a request the day before donations are due and then gets upset when another suggestion is offered? The killer is that only one department is required to fund the catered lunch for the entire office of over 200 folks….are you kidding me?

By Mike K.

July 31, 2007 11:04 AM | Link to this

Miket the United Way has a good thing going that’s for sure. I worked at a bank, and it was a competition for each branch to see if they could get 100% “participation.” My manager said to us, “You will donate-I will get 100%.” Found out later that managers for branches with 100% donations got a prize from the company! Talk about a scam.

By Stacey

July 31, 2007 11:37 AM | Link to this

I am the mother of two children who always seem to be having one fundraiser, or another, going on at all times. I have never solicited my co-workers to buy anything. I never will, either. We either ask friends and family members, or husband and I will just make a donation for what fundraiser they’re having.

As far as office giving, I prefer to give a gift, of my choosing, seperately from the group. I don’t like feeling pressured to contribute for baby shower gifts, wedding gifts, go-away gifts, etc, etc. I think it is quite tacky. Nobody knows my personal finances like I do — how can they assume that what I can “afford” to give?

By getAclue

July 31, 2007 12:19 PM | Link to this

When I was a kid, my dad would not take my fundraising catalogs etc to the office. At the time, I didn’t understand (all my friends parents did it!), but now I understand all too well. I am another single, no children office worker surrounded by people with children. At least in my office they put the order forms in the breakroom and you can buy something if you want, but there is no pressure to buy. And we also used to do the United Way drive every year, and it was well known, but never spoken, that if you wanted to catch the eye of management and advance, you contributed to the drive. I don’t have a problem with United Way, but I have a problem with the coersion.

By John

July 31, 2007 12:52 PM | Link to this

Recently had a co-worker that was missing for about a week or so. She didn’t even work at our company anymore, but anyways all the friends of the ex co-worker went around crying and wanted money to buy t-shirts for the missing woman holding vigils etc. Well the missing woman turned up in S. GA. She took off on her own to get away. Oh and she was such and upstanding “Christian” and would never do something like that. Talk about embarrassing for everyone!

By ATLworker

July 31, 2007 1:12 PM | Link to this

I’m so sick of being hounded for money every time I turn around. What kills me is when the managers, who make a helluva lot more money than the line workers, have the nerve to pressure people to give to the managers for whatever birthday or anniversary that comes up. And then one bozo goes around asking everyone to give her money so her daughter can enter a beauty contest. And she tries to make people think it’s for charity. Some people have no class.

By Different Stacey

July 31, 2007 1:57 PM | Link to this

I participate in about half of the solicitations in my office but not all of them. I don’t participate in the school fundraisers because I have a child of my own to buy from. Last year I brought in his catalog only because a coworker (who knows I have a child in elementary school) wanted to see if his catalog offered a particular wrapping paper. She looked at the catalog at my desk and didn’t find the paper so I took it back home the same day. My company allows the employees leave catalogs on the table in the breakroom and there can sometimes (literally) be 20 of the same catalog on the table!

My company used to “sponsor” two fundraiser each year, both through a local foster parent organization. At Christmas they would get “wish lists” for about 10 kids and each department would “adopt” one or two kids (depending on the size of the dept). They employees in the dept would choose a gift from the wish list and buy just that gift (usually >$20) and participation was voluntary. The other was to buy school supplies and clothes for foster kids. The employees usually contributed school supplies and inexpensive clothing items and the company would buy things like shoes.

This year, it seems like we have some kinds of company charity project each month and it has started to take it’s toll. So few people participated in this year’s school supply drive that we got a memo last week saying they had extended the deadline another week “for our convenience”! Tomorrow is the deadline for the extension and it doesn’t appear that there is anything in the bin that wasn’t there last week.

By GenXDen

July 31, 2007 2:01 PM | Link to this

Y’know…..when I was a kid, we had to go door-to-door to sell whatever it was we were selling to raise money for whatever fundraiser we were involved with. My parents certainly didn’t do it for me. I guess they just thought that teaching about work ethics and self-sufficiency were much more important than doing the job for me - and/or my siblings for that matter (there are 6 of us). Keep in mind, we did VERY well with our fund raising.

I, as an adult, have absolutely no problem saying “no”. It’s quite simple, really. More people should try it when it comes to those who muddle the work environment with personal agendas that really have no place interferring with our daily workflow.

To those who think that it’s OK to do this in the office…go away, fuggettaboutit, I really don’t care whether or not your kid makes their “sales goal”, no thanks - I can buy cheap junk at Dollar General if I should so desire. Is that clear? I hope so because that’s what a lot of people are thinking when they see you stalking them with catalogue in hand.

Birthdays….hmmmmmm, let’s talk about Birthdays. Being an avid baker, there was a time when I was baking Birthday cakes for everyone in our office. Keep in mind, I was being asked to do this and I gladly did so because it is a MAJOR hobby of mine. Then it happened. My Birthday came and went and no-one not so much as belched in my general direction. I didn’t expect a cake or card or any “material” thing like that…but to not even get a “OH…by the way, Happy Birthday” was somewhat rude. I don’t bake for ingrates…enough said.

Some of you might think this is quite jaded…I would tend to agree. Some of you might think (and really mean) “I would NEVER treat people that way” - well…I wish you worked here because it would be NICE to work with people like that - honestly. But it is what it is, right?

By Davona

August 31, 2007 8:19 AM | Link to this

Working in the schools is certainly a path to bank account drainage. We are expected to support the fundraisers, of which we never benefit. We are expected to participate in Hospitality groups and still give for showers, gifts and party supplies. Add in Secret Pals and Secret Santa - Bah Hum-bug! Call me scrooge. However, when I stood my ground and said thanks, but no thanks - I was called worse than a Scrooge. The name calling included profanity and intimidation tactics.