Over the course of the year I've probably received five or six “invitations” from colleagues to take part in birthday gifts for other colleagues.
Financially it wouldn't really make much difference to me, but there are two points that bother me:
1) I have no relationship with these people at all. These people don't even work directly with me.
2) Not everyone receives a gift, but everyone is “invited” to take part.
Recently, not only the person who was organizing sent an email to the whole department asking who was willing to contribute, as the person also sent one final email listing everyone who had already joined asking if someone else was interested.
Shouldn't companies intervene in this kind of initiative? Isn't it a form of abuse?
Although you are invited, it always sounds like an imposition and intimidation, which ends up indirectly interfering in the dynamics between employees. I mean, in the end of the day, can't it be portrayed as some type of conflict of interest?
What do you think?