Companies should pick up the bill for staff celebrations

Straight-talking, common sense from the front line of management

Q

I’m always happy to chip in for somebody’s leaving do, but suddenly my company is doing collections for people’s birthdays and anniversaries – there’s something happening almost every week. Can I get out of this politely, or am I being a miserly grouch?

A

You are right to feel compromised, your company shouldn’t be asking you to contribute to birthdays or even retirements. They should pay and be pleased if you are keen to be there when your boss makes a speech and hands over the gift on behalf of the business.

If you want to join with your workmates to recognise a landmark and the friendship of a colleague that should be up to you, with no obligation. But chipping in to a compulsory presentation fund isn’t part of your job description.

I have faithfully followed in my family footsteps. In 1956, 60 years after he started working for his father, my grandfather Will Timpson, who built our retail business from 25 to 260 shops, gave a long service award to every colleague who had completed 25 or 45 years’ service.

There were so many recipients, he hosted two big lunches, one at the Midland Hotel in Manchester, the other in Kettering where we had a shoe factory that made 24,000 pairs of shoes and boots a week. Ever since it has been an annual occasion.

I have hosted our long-service lunches since 1975. Since 1987, when we sold our shoe shops, we have held the lunches at my home. Initially we all fitted round our dining room table but in 2023 we will be in a marquee on my lawn.

For me, entertaining colleagues who spend such a significant slice of their life with our business is a big deal. The aim is to give them and their partners a very special day – when you think about it, we wouldn’t have developed the business without them. It is a good opportunity to thank their partners who often play a critical, unpaid, part. We recognise other long-service landmarks every five years with a certificate, a letter from me and a cash award.

Retirement presentations are often bittersweet occasions. We want to say thank you and celebrate a long serving colleague’s success, but even the toughest and most stoic retiree can be close to tears when making a farewell speech. The company gift is simply a token of our respect, but the room full of well-wishing friends will stay in the memory long into retirement.

On their birthday every colleague gets an extra day’s paid holiday. Consequently, the boss never forgets their birthday and is encouraged to buy a present on behalf of the business. The company pays for the present. The more appropriate and personal the present the more it is appreciated. We expect every boss to know all the members of their team so well they will be aware whether they should be giving football or theatre tickets, a meal out or a trip on a steam train.

Knowing details of a team member’s hobbies and pastimes is such an important part of being a great boss that we have devised a game, which we play on leadership courses, to check how well everyone knows their people.

Before the course we secretly select a member from each delegate’s team and discover the answers to several personal questions – what car do they drive, the name of their partner, where was their last holiday, which football team do they support, do they have any children?

Managers on our leadership course are asked to answer all the questions for the chosen member of their team – we expect a good boss to get over 75pc of the answers right.

Knowing your team really well brings benefits way beyond being able to pick ideal birthday presents. It helps you spot any major change in mood that could be a signal something has changed in the rest of that colleague’s life. If you have a superstar on your team who suddenly goes off the boil, it is highly likely that something has changed outside work. It could be a bereavement, marriage breakdown, a family illness, debt problem, drug or alcohol addiction, or a mental health problem. That’s when you need to become a mentor rather than a boss.

We don’t allow our bosses to tell anyone what to do, they manage by helping each team member to become the best they can possibly be. They do it through providing training and support, but also by clearing any obstacle that gets in the way. The biggest obstacle is anxiety caused by a personal problem. That’s why a good boss detects a change of mood, starts the conversation, then listens. It is very often a case that a problem shared is a problem halved.