Accepting gifts and bonuses from work & social functions

[Jainarayan]

Or rather, not accepting them. It's that freakin' time of year again.

I seem to have a bad attitude about accepting gifts and bonuses from the company... I don't want them. I don't care if it's cash (yeah, in Never-Gonna-Happen-Land ), t-shirts, sweatshirts, ballcaps, turkeys, pies, or anything like that. I just don't want them, and I never go get them when they distribute them. For T-Day we get a supermarket gift card. I don't refuse it, but I give it to an animal shelter so they can buy some food for the animals.

I don't know if it's because I don't like any kind of hand-outs; I don't even try the free samples they offer in supermarkets pushing some product. I see people flocking for any kind of free stuff... not me, don't want it.

A couple of times a year the company hosts luncheons in the cafeteria or outdoors, catered by the cafeteria concession, so the cafeteria is closed. But I don't go. When I know there is an event I make sure I bring my own lunch. I don't participate in our IT dept. functions either. One year my boss called me at least two or three times from the place they were at asking if I was going, that everyone was asking for me. I said "what part of 'no' is lost on you? the 'n' or the 'o'?" He finally gave up.

So how much of an anti-social, ungrateful doosh am I?

 

[Quintessence]

Eh, I find things like that awkward too, but it depends. I find myself particularly critical of companies who do this kind of thing yet treat their lower tier of employees without much regard. Basically, the people who are most in need of extra assets like a supermarket gift card - because the company pays them pittance or lays them off during off-seasons - generally aren't included in these things. I'm sorry, but if you're doing all these special favors for your upper tier employees, how about you pay the lower tier a real, living wage with benefits so they can have a foothold in the middle class?

 

[Jainarayan]

Fortunately my company pays the warehouse and office employees pretty well (we're a distribution center), and the benefits are top-notch. In fact, the company bends over backwards for the warehouse employees. It's true you don't see that very often. I'm not complaining, but for what I actually do, I'm grossly overpaid. For my knowledge I'm paid about right. I basically sit around waiting for the system to burp or puke.

I'm grateful for the paycheck and the benefits. For the good the company does I almost feel guilty in feeling the way I do. I have a like/dislike feeling about my co-workers. I can take them in about 5-10 minute increments. That's probably why I don't participate in company or dept. events. But I can't put my finger on why I don't want to accept the freebies. And by the gods, I certainly won't wear anything that has the company logo.

Maybe I am just an anti-social, ungrateful doosh.

 

[Wherenextcolumbus]

I will accept freebies and wear the company logo, but we have a cool logo