Your Bosses Birthday

[disneyfanatic60]

I'm just curious..........do you celebrate your bosses birthday where you work? Do you buy a cake? A card? A gift? Nothing at all?

I work at a very small company (11 people). Up until this year, our boss would buy a small birthday cake to acknowledge a birthday and a card with a free car wash certificate (he rec'd. these in a trade for advertising in our publication). This year he told me (I'm the Office Mgr.) that he was "cutting back" and only doing a card and car wash.

His birthday is Sunday. Today at work we were discussing what we should do this year. Last year we all sort of forgot it was his Birthday (a bunch of us, myself included were on vacation or off which is no excuse). Anyways, his wife called the next morning and reemed us out for disappointing him and not remembering his b-day. We cannot decide on a gift or just a card this year. He has just about everything he needs. We've done all the various gift certificate routes, etc.

I'm clueless for this year....and what brings me to this question. What do you generally do for your bosses birthday?

 

[Pugdog007]

Sounds like the "cutting back" is in retaliation for you forgetting his birthday, not that I blame him if he's spending his own money on everyone else's birthday and no one even remembered his!

I think the whole thing is silly personally, birthday parties for grown adults at work. Reminds me of Office Space, as that's how our office generally is! An email is sent around to meet at so-in-so for so-in-so's birthday. Ok it's someone's birthday every day enough already!

But to answer your question, I think you need to do a gift and a cake this year, to try and make up for last year's snafu! Maybe you'll see the cakes put back in the budget!

 

[Christine]

We just do a cake for the boss on his birthday. He buys each of us a cake for our birthdays. We generally get him one really nice cake on his birthday. No card, no gift.

 

[tiggerlover]

We have 10 paid staff members that work together on a daily basis and since I am the resident baker of the group for everyone's birthday I bake them a special treat. I try to bake the favorites for each individual and some years have even had special requests. Other than that and an office card that we all sign (office pays for it) that is it.

On the flip side for our birthday the company buys us a beautiful flower arrangement and we get a card.

 

[CEDmom]

I have no idea when my boss's birthday is. She's a very nice person but I don't see her all that often. I think the last time was about 6 weeks ago.

The wife was way out of line. For goodness sakes he's your boss not your best friend.

 

[swea_pea1]

I manage a small group (about 15 of us). My group insists on doing the birthday thing for everybody. I give money and I will sign the card, but I'm never the initiator because, quite frankly, I have too much to worry about. I don't remember my boss' birthday, but they do.

They give me a cake, a card, and a small gift. This year they gave me Superbowl decorations for my office since my birthday's in January and I'm a huge Steeler fan.

Don't get me wrong - it's kind of them to remember. But honestly, it wouldn't matter if they didn't. I actually took off for my birthday this year hoping they wouldn't make a big deal but they did it anyway the day before. I can't even fathom DH calling to ream them out if they forgot.

The only time I came close to getting my feelings hurt was one Christmas when I managed 30 people. I bought them all desk calendars at $10 a piece. It wasn't a big gift but set me back $300 and I didn't even get a card that year. I still buy gifts at the holidays and still spend about $300 (I upped the gift amount but have less people) and now chalk it up to it being a thank you gift for a long year of hard work. Some give me gifts back and some don't. Either way, I continue because - as the old adage goes - it's better to give than to receive.

Maybe you could make it up to him by giving him a birthday gift and doing something for Bosses Day. I'm pretty sure that's later this month.

 

[TallyLassie]

We do birthdays once a month in my small office. Sometimes there is just one birthday, sometimes several, sometimes none. The person whose birthday was the month before brings something and a card. The supervisors are included just like everyone else.

We don't usually do cakes (our supervisor doesn't eat cake, thinks they are "too sweet", always on a diet) so we usually do the muffin, breakfast thing. Although, when it is my turn this year, I may bring a cake, because
I LOVE cake.

 

[janey99]

We do the European thing in my office - each person brings something for their OWN birthday - usually bagels or donuts for breakfast, or a plate a cookies for an afternoon snack.

This is nice because it takes the pressure off of everyone to coordiante someone elses birthday, and pay for it!

 

[NMAmy]

We only have 6 people in our immediate office so we make a big deal out of birthdays. We'll order lunch for everyone or have a small potluck, contribute to a gift, a card, and a cake.

We have about 100 faculty in our department--each of them gets a card signed by everyone for their birthdays. We also have potlucks several times a year for the whole department--Halloween and Christmas, mainly.

 

[RUDisney]

I WAS the boss who bought a special treat for everyone's birthday. That WAS until last June. I brought in eclairs for my Network Administrator's birthday. There were enough for everyone in our immediate department. Only he and I ate one. That was it. If everyone is going to choose not to participate in other people's birthdays, then I don't need to go out of my way to do something for their birthday. Now, mind you, I would bring in what that individual liked best. Hence, eclairs for one birthday, white castle burgers for another, corn dogs for another, pizza rolls for another.

While I appreciate their dedication and hard work, I won't be going out of my way for their birthdays. In addition to this, after having taken everyone out before Christmas last year, I have learned that they think it's funny to embarass themselves in public. They also felt the need to order the most expensive things on the menu for lunch. Not that I was counting, it's just that when they are on their own dime, they don't order porterhouse for lunch, why should one do that when someone else is paying? I'll be ordering lunch in this year to show my appreciation. They won't have a say in what or from where, but it will be nice, nonetheless.

For my boss, we only celebrate milestone birthdays. He got me a cake last week for my 40th. We'll get him one when he turns 45.

 

[minnieandme]

My dept is only 13 of us so we just have a birthday club. Once a month we'll give $2 to the coordinator and she'll buy a cake for whomever birthday is in that month. If it's more than one person's birthday, both or all names will be on the same cake.

 

[SC Minnie]

There are only 4 of use in my dept. We don't usually celebrate birthdays. That being said this past year we did celebrate our bosses birthday since he was turning 40. We hing balloons on his door after hours so they would be there when he came in the next morning. We bought a small cake and a small 'gift'. He is always looking for his Denied stamp when we ask for something so we bought one. We went to Office Depot bought a stamp that stamps 'Approved' and replaced the top with a 'Denied'. He thought it was hilarious.