"A donation has been made on your behalf..."

I wouldnt like it, what a cheap move

Tax advantages for the company but what for you?
You didnt even get to pick the cause you preferred!

Thanks all, nice to know I am not alone in thinking this way.

The company has done very well this year - they are a container port terminal, and business has been higher than normal this year with the exception of February and March which was a result of China shutting down. In fact with all the transport of imported PPE there were exceptional requests to rush containers and much extra effort by staff and dock workers to comply with requests.

The individual amount wasn't high, a $50 (about 35pounds) but taken all together with all western Canada locations and hundreds of employees, there was a sizable donation to food banks.

I just think with all of the stress of this year (we were considered front line), working out how to work safely, working extra hours it would have been the year to be grateful to the individual employees. And yes, the company will get a sizable tax write-off, since donating to charity is in a different deduction slot than employee bonuses or gifts. I'm sure we will see managers photos in the news letters as well.

Like I previously mentioned, I am all for donating to worthy causes, but if given a choice I would have chosen the Salvation Army since they do so much good here in town.

Rant over... have a lovely day all!

We all enjoy getting a Christmas gift and it’s not too much to expect from an employer. This is a bit like the people who say they’re not sending Christmas cards and giving to charity instead. You’re left wondering if they really do that or are just cheapskates that can’t be honest and say we’re not giving/sending. Canadiagran you are right to be miffed.

Nottingham tram drivers are getting a Turkey bun this Christmas instead of a £25 bonus according th The Independent. (Vegetarians can have a baked potato)

Gill Donating to a charity gives kudos to the donor, but not to the recipient who is the one actually making the donation

I think that too, when people announce that they are donating to charity instead of sending me a Christmas card.
I already donate to several charities on a regular basis, plus I support someone if they’re doing some feat like a bungee jump or a 10km run.
But I love hearing from friends and family at Christmas.
I’d much rather they took the time to send me a personal message than make a donation to charity on my behalf. Of course they can always donate to charity as well.

There is an interesting thread on this subject on Mumsnet. Donating to a charity gives kudos to the donor, but not to the recipient who is the one actually making the donation as it is their gift/voucher. A better way would be to ask staff to nominate a charity of choice, not that I don't consider foodbank a good choice, but some may choose, as I would a dementia charity due to high incidence within the family for example.

I'd be very annoyed too.

It is your choice as to whether you donate your bonus of a grocery voucher to a food bank or not.
You have contributed to the success of the company and deserve recognition of that; donating your bonus to charity is wrong and I wonder if the directors went without their own fat bonuses.

If the company is so successful then they could afford to do both.

No I don't think I agree with that policy either - it's up to the staff to donate if they feel they can afford it but otherwise I'm sure some would have needed the groceries either for themselves or a relative.

I worked for a US company who always sent out a gift to colleagues in the different country entities around the world - more often than not it was something like a crystal cut vase, dish or one year a glass cake stand. It must have cost a fortune - they were very nice but not particularly good choices as most of the staff were men! One year the new HR assistant got it wrong and all of us in the UK had to pay customs duty when it arrived - needless to say there were some very 'polite' e-mails requesting refunds with their next lot off expenses

I don’t agree with what the company did at all. The very least they should have done would be a consensus on the charity concerned. To take away the expected voucher is very Scrooge like and as another poster mentioned some people may have been depending upon it themselves. It’s easy to forget that some people who are working may be struggling at the moment.

Not good staff relations policy. They aren't encouraging "togetherness" by being so generous on behalf of other people. (and I agree too that you are not moaning "poor me" )

I think you have every reason to be cross CanadianGran, I would be too. If they'd asked their staff first if they'd wanted to donate their gift certificates to a charity, all well and good, but to do it without even consulting them was high handed and rude.
I like the last paragraph in B9exhange's post and would be tempted to use that at the first available opportunity.

It’s not good, and if anybody raises objections they’ll be labelled ‘uncharitable’.

I too think that it is bad of the company. I don't want people to 'donate on my behalf' unless I have specifically asked them to.

As for not moaning, I think we are all entitled to feel upset or annoyed. Your post didn't some over as 'poor me' but rather as indignant - as I would have been!

That's like saying I am so grateful for your help this year, so I have decided to give a box of chocolates to someone in the next street, and you should thank me for it! Poor you, and that £50 will have meant an great deal to some members of staff. In this year of all years, your company needs to make you feel valued. This doesn't cut it at all.

My reaction would be the next time they ask for overtime, to say 'I am giving a few hours help to my neighbour instead, on your behalf'!

I don't agree with the decision the company made. You should have got the traditional bonus. At the very least, everyone should get a choice where a donation on their behalf would go. I wonder if the company is saving some money making this change? Maybe with potential Covid losses they aren't feeling able to do the usual gift?

Spot on Daisymae I agree.

Canadiangran moan away! That’s outrageous.
A company is entitled to say that a bonus won’t be paid because of trading conditions or particular circumstances, but to divert it to a worthy cause and then claim credit for it is hypocritical.

Perhaps you and your fellow employees could take some ‘sick leave’, preferably en masse, to the value of the money you would have received as your bonus.
When companies make donations to charity, it is actually the customers(higher prices), the employees(lower salaries), or the shareholders(lower dividends) who are
actually paying.

The gift was yours to do with as you wish in recognition of a years work. The company could have matched the sum if they wished. They were wrong on all counts. Expect that there's a tax benefit for them.

Major food companies have thrived during the pandemic compared to many other businesses who have sadly gone to the wall. They should have rewarded their staff for keeping the business going throughout the year under difficult circumstances.

Did they provide information on the size of the food bank donation? I hope it was substantial and not just a token amount so they could crow they had done it.

It might be interesting to find out how much they donated on your behalf.
Is it the usual amount multiplied by the numbers of staff? Or a small donation?

Maybe the Company is going through a bad patch, but it’s a pity they weren’t up front about this earlier in the Month.

Some of your colleagues might have been relying on that voucher, as it was for a grocery store.

Very cheeky of your employer to take that action!

They've got such a cheek to give away the expected bonus.

Highlighting a very obvious injustice, however small is not moaning.

This type of behaviour. highlights an employer who likes virtue signalling its care for its employers, but when a better more photogenic cause comes up, helping the hungry through Food Banks immediately transfers its Christmas bonus from one cause to another.

If they really cared about either their employees or the foodless, they would have done both. At least you now know how little your employer now cares about their staff.

No, it wasn't fair! The gifts should have gone to the staff for them to decide where to donate.

Yet another situation where the echalons can brag " how great am I?" and of course, put it on the tax return.

CanadianGran I know exactly what you mean. My husband's employer gives all the staff a £50 gift card at Christmas and (it comes straight to me ) I so look forward to it and it seems as if it is a lot of money! One year his gift card was stolen off his desk (it comes with a Christmas card and he hadn't put it away immediately) and we were upset and disappointed.