Your Opinion Please

[peaches2160]

With the current economic state, our company has cut pay, frozen increases for next year, introduced many cost saving measures ie: travel restrictions, etc., introduced mandatory furlough for all employees, and layoffs.    Yet, our HR Department continues to support charities and solicit employee donations for everything.  I don't mind a table at the entrance to the building with an HR Rep soliciting money, but when they go around to offices and solicit face to face, I feel that is going a bit too far.  What is your opinion? 

[Cathy S]

I would not be happy to be canvassed in my work place like this regardless of the economic climate.  I give to charities I choose to support - I do not respond to being doorstepped, badgered in the high street or supermarket check-out packers who have snatched my groceries and thrown them in a bag any old way before thrusting their bucket under my nose.

I have no problem with a company continuing to encourage charitable giving, even during an economic downturn BUT it should be discretionary and not targetted begging.

Cathy

[gee4]

I have to agree with you on this.  Have you asked what is the reasoning behind it given they have made cutbacks etc?

[peaches2160]

Thankyou for your opeinions.  I have not inquired, I just simply decline and go about my business.  Don't want to be pereceived as negative, especially during this time.  I know if I am feeling this way, others must be feeling this way too.  My concern is the impact it is going to have on an already shakey morale within our employee population, in the wake of the furlough announcement and then subsequent layoff of 5% of our workforce and pending merger. 

Thanks again.

[laurafmcdermott]

I'm really surprised your HR department is giving the hard sell on this.  As an HR rep, one of my upmost concerns is that staff never feel pressured where money is concerned.  Any charitable requests were done on a passive basis....like notes in a paycheck, signs on a bulletin board, something in the newsletter or on the company's intranet.  I would never condone face-to-face solicitation of any kind, including charitable giving.  That's really overstepping bounds in my opinion.

[Atlanta Z3]

We just went through a major fund raising event in our office to bring in food donations for a local food bank.  IMHO it got out of control as to "make it more interesting" departments competed against each other with the department who gave the most weight winning.  The winning department was served lunch by the losing department.  The amount of time emailing encouragement, skulking around the office to see what had been brought in (departments actually hid food)...

Then we have the employee donated foundation - we have payroll deduction, bake sales, basket raffles etc.  It's all just too much for me.  I want work and my charible donations to be separate.

I dread the next few months, with girl scout cookies, wrapping paper, candy and all the other things schools sell to make money.  Why can't the parents pay for their kids to be in these clubs, teams and not expect charity to get little Johnnie to Band Camp? 

[rose.winter1980]

It was drummed into me from being quite small, and even at school, that you always have to "do something for others" no matter how small that "something" is.  Most people have causes close to their heart that they prefer to support.  I also think, as a Christian, it is a part of good stewardship of money, particularly in these straitened times, to set aside an amount to give to those in greater need. If you only have 50 pence or 50 cents to give, then you give that money; if you don't have funds but have time, then you give that time to visit with that old person/help with that children's group.  And it is also a privilege and a blessing to help others.

I donate to five charities and actively do something for a couple.  I can usually stretch to sponsoring a colleague doing, say, a 5 km run for a breast cancer charity or to raise funds for sports equipment for a children's group, but that's about it.  The most we have done as a company is to wear crazy hats on April Fools Day - for a small fee - and paid a much larger fee to escape having to wear a silly hat.  That said, it is very difficult when one's employers come round effectively with a begging bowl, especially if they have cut wages. It seems almost to add insult to injury.  In such a case, I would simply say that I was very sorry but my charitable giving was fully committed and I am sure they would understand. 

There's no arguing with that response. 

[Katie G]

I'm in fundraising, and I'm appalled at the heavy-handedness being described.

You should be able to walk into your workplace without being ambushed.  You should also be able to say "no" without having to worry about penalites and/or humiliation.   As far as I'm concerned, neither of these approaches will actually encourage giving. 

"My charitable giving was fully committed." This is a perfect response

[rose.winter1980]

Another thing occurs to me about this matter.  I understand that in the States charitable giving is tax deductible for companies and individuals?  If that is the case, then is this "fund-raising", promoted by HR, recorded as company donations to the charitable cause (and therefore given advantageous treatment - to the company - for tax purposes) or simply as a "jolly nice thing by the employees of that splendidly generous Company X"?

That's the trouble with living with a lawyer - a woman begins to think like them. LOL.   

[peaches2160]

Thankyou all once again for your comments and opinions.  It seems we are in agreement and I feel I did the right thing by handling it the way I did.