SINGAPORE: An employee was taken aback after his boss organised a colleague’s farewell dinner party without telling attendees beforehand that they would have to pay for their own meals and chip in for the departing colleague’s food.
In a Reddit post, the employee, who was relatively junior and earned a lower salary, said the cost was no small matter. The dinner worked out to about “three times” what he would normally spend on a meal.
“I understand that it’s a nice gesture to organise something for someone who is leaving, and I’m not against contributing. However, I sometimes wonder whether it’s a little inconsiderate to expect everyone to share the cost equally, especially when people may have different budgets, etc.”
He was also unhappy about having to share the cost of alcohol despite not drinking any himself.
“[The alcohol] amounted to quite a bit. Those that drank were colleagues of higher ranks as well,” he wrote. “Genuinely curious whether I’m overthinking this or whether others feel the same way. Is this stingy behaviour coming from a boss?”
‘This happens a lot more in MNCs than in SMEs’
In the discussion thread, many Singaporeans agreed that it was rather cheeky for a boss to organise a farewell dinner and then expect everyone else to foot the bill.
One wrote, “If you’re a boss, or consider yourself one, you should pay. Bosses that don’t are just cheapskate losers. I know a lot from SMEs, but MNCs also got a lot of clowns.”
Another commented, “Ridiculous, never once I was asked to pay for the farewell dinner of a colleague. I have worked in 7 companies so far, across SME and MNCs.”
Several others, however, saw nothing wrong with the arrangement, saying that splitting the bill was standard practice at some of the companies they had worked for.
One said, “Yes, it is normal for attendees to pay for their own meal and split the cost of the departing person's meal. However, if you feel that you don't want to attend, you are free to not go.”
Another shared, “This happens a lot more in MNCs than in SMEs. Usually it’s organised on department levels, and nobody wants to burn bridges, so all who attend simply split the bill. Never a fan of this clown show. My approach is to excuse myself, and if I were close to the colleague, I would buy him/her a meal separately.”/TISG