Birthday blues
I work in a helpdesk/call centre and have for quite some time. I've just got into work and received an email from our manager which I would like to share. It's made my blood boil a bit (mind you it is about 1/4 to 6 in the morning, so it doesn't take a lot!)
When someone on our team has a birthday, it is traditional to get them a cake, to make their day a bit special. I know I've always appreciated this, and it is a nice personal touch, a thank you if you will for the work that is put in on a daily basis.
Well, this is what has been sent around:
"Team,
We are going to celebrate birthdays on a monthly basis. Cake for morning tea on the last Friday of each month to acknowledge the birthdays during that month. Also to say thank you to you all for your efforts and hard work."
HOW impersonal is that, just group birthdays! Not only do you not get anything on your "actual" birthday, you get lumped in with whoever else has their birthday that month! Grrr, that makes me angry. How special, NOT. I like how she tacked on the end, oh also to say thank you.. yeah right, thank you, my a$$!! If it was a cost issue (as the team leader usually goes down the shop and picks up a cake from the bakery), we could take turns making cakes at home, usually much yummier and cheaper anyway.
Not a good start to the day....
posted by Amanda @ 5:48 am
4 Pre Haloscan
4 Comments:
They haven't yet disclosed how they are going to do it, but knowing this place, they'll probably still get just the one tiny cake from the bakery.
Bit of background for everyone... There are three teams here, under different team leaders, all under the one manager, the one who sent the email. Previously it was up to the team leader to get stuff for birthdays if they wanted to, now the manager wants to combine it across all teams. It will mean that someone will probably just come around handing out cake, rather than the team stopping to wish an individual a Happy Birthday.
Continuing slide from Help Desk to Call Centre...making us feel like battery hens, being given a small treat!
For myself, I'd prefer no cakes, but if there must be birthday acknowledgements, the best practice I've encountered in any place I've worked was the first company I worked for after university, where the policy was: your birthday, you bring the cake.
Yeah, my hubby's workplace has a your birthday, you bring cake thing too. I don't know, it still seems a bit harsh to bake for your own birthday, but hey at least you get a cake that way. I talked to my team leader about it, and she's decided to go against the grain and keep doing individual cakes... yay!
Do you really think that's bad? We used to celebrate everyone's birthday on the day. And then the bigger fish bought us and we switched to monthly birthday fests. Those were still ok because the company supplied all the beer we could hold. And then the beer went away. Now we have quarterly birthday fests which I haven't seen in about 6months. Go figure.
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