It’s probably one of the thorniest office issues – money. Whether it’s a birthday, a leaving do, or sponsorship for a charity event, what is acceptable to ask for, and what is, frankly, crossing the line? Here are our top tips:
The golden rule is never to make people uncomfortable, or put them in a position where they feel they have to cough up. This simply leads to resentment and is counter-productive - however worthy the cause in question.
Where office birthdays are concerned, my advice would be: keep it simple. A card is enough for people to know you wish them a happy birthday. Particularly in a big office, birthdays are frequent occurrences, and can end up being a big drain on the purse, especially for more junior employees. If as a manager you’re keen to mark the occasion of birthdays, why not offer everyone their birthday as an extra day’s holiday? I promise you it will mean more to most people than any gift you could buy as a result of a whip-round.
Leaving occasions are arguably slightly different, especially if someone has worked for the organisation for a while. It’s important to them and to the office to mark their contribution and their departure. But there’s no need to go overboard: it really is the thought that counts. My tip here would be to suggest a range (say £1 to £5) for any contributions, and not to press anyone who for whatever reason doesn’t wish to contribute.
Finally – and possibly most difficult of all to handle - the dreaded sponsored marathon/walk/bike ride/Everest climb. How on earth do you say no without looking like Scrooge?
A simple response is to say that you already support another charity and would prefer to concentrate your support on them. If you are the person seeking sponsorship, make it clear that you are not expecting sponsorship, and make sure that you personally thank everyone who does put their hand in their pocket. And don’t even think about asking for sponsorship more than once a year: I know several regular marathon runners who have really miffed their colleagues by constantly asking for funding. Little and seldom is the key!
The golden rule is never to make people uncomfortable, or put them in a position where they feel they have to cough up. This simply leads to resentment and is counter-productive - however worthy the cause in question.
Where office birthdays are concerned, my advice would be: keep it simple. A card is enough for people to know you wish them a happy birthday. Particularly in a big office, birthdays are frequent occurrences, and can end up being a big drain on the purse, especially for more junior employees. If as a manager you’re keen to mark the occasion of birthdays, why not offer everyone their birthday as an extra day’s holiday? I promise you it will mean more to most people than any gift you could buy as a result of a whip-round.
Leaving occasions are arguably slightly different, especially if someone has worked for the organisation for a while. It’s important to them and to the office to mark their contribution and their departure. But there’s no need to go overboard: it really is the thought that counts. My tip here would be to suggest a range (say £1 to £5) for any contributions, and not to press anyone who for whatever reason doesn’t wish to contribute.
Finally – and possibly most difficult of all to handle - the dreaded sponsored marathon/walk/bike ride/Everest climb. How on earth do you say no without looking like Scrooge?
A simple response is to say that you already support another charity and would prefer to concentrate your support on them. If you are the person seeking sponsorship, make it clear that you are not expecting sponsorship, and make sure that you personally thank everyone who does put their hand in their pocket. And don’t even think about asking for sponsorship more than once a year: I know several regular marathon runners who have really miffed their colleagues by constantly asking for funding. Little and seldom is the key!
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