Dear Snarky – My Boss is a Go Fund Me Tyrant

Dear Snarky,

I’m about to either quit my job or get fired over this issue. My boss is aggressive and relentless about fundraising for her kids’ activities. Last year, I bought almost $300 worth of cookies, candles, magazines and candy.

Now, she’s really turned up the heat and is asking her staff to donate $250 to a Go Fund Me page so her 16-year-old daughter can raise money for a Europe trip with her high school French club.

Hell, I’d like to go Europe, but I wouldn’t ask the people who work with me to pay for it.

I feel like I need to stand up for my co-workers and myself and just say no, but I’m afraid it could cost me my job. I know I can’t get fired for it, but I can see my boss starting to give me bad reviews etc.

What would you do if you were me?

Signed, Going Broke

Dear Going Broke,

Don’t take this on yourself. There is safety in numbers so you need to get as many co-workers as you can to commit to 1) Going to H.R. and letting them know that the fundraising pressure is causing a hostile work environment and 2) all of you need to say no to the Go Fund Me page.

If your boss questions you about why you haven’t made a donation honestly share that your family is tapped out on charitable giving for the year and quite possibly the next decade.

Because here’s the deal as long as you keep caving in to this pressure it’s not going to stop. As you’ve learned yesterday’s $5 box of cookies is today’s $250 Go Fund Me donation. What’s next helping pay for her kid’s college in couple of years?

Stay firm, stand strong and stop the staff extortion.

*If you have a question for Dear Snarky “21st Century Advice With an Attitude” write me at snarkyinthesuburbs@gmail.com or send me a private message on my Snarky in the Suburbs Facebook page.

6Comments

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1

H.L. on September 27, 2016 at 2:51 pm
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This is bad, very bad! The company’s HR needs to know asap. You are correct Snarky it is extortion.
2

Scott B on September 27, 2016 at 3:12 pm
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Yeah, must get HR involved. Or if there’s an ethics hotline go anonymous and make a complaint. I would definitely be looking for another job in parallel in case things go south. I wouldn’t want to work for a manager that has that little regard for employees that they would ask for go fund me support for a trip (on top of all the other ones). It’s not always easy to just “find another job” but it should definitely be something this person is actively doing at this point. Presumably the manager makes less than the employee in question, so having the “cojones” to pressure them to fund her kids’ activities is such a bad sign of her character.

We won’t do this for our kids — they get to hit up grandma/grandpa, maybe a neighbor (rarely), and us and we call it good.

I think it’s “OK” to put up a fundraiser in a common area with no pressure, but as a manager I would never ask my direct employees for the very reasons shown here. . .probably better for HR just to put down a no solicitation policy and be done with it.

I just re-read that. The go fund me wasn’t $250 total . .. she wants her employees to donate $250? Holy crap.
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  snarkyinthesuburbs on September 27, 2016 at 3:40 pm
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  Yes! $250 per employee!!! That needs to be shut down – total cray. It’s wrong on so many levels.
4

Meghan Hamilton on September 29, 2016 at 8:29 pm
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I hope she works for a company with an HR department. If this is a small “Mom and Pop” operation, she may be referring to “Mom.” Then her job is really on the line for non-compliance.

Even in that case, there is safety in numbers. If no one gives, she would be hard pressed to fire her entire staff.
5

proudshamrockblog on September 29, 2016 at 11:11 pm
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I used to work for a woman who was obscenely rich and had a great need for the total adoration and ass-kissing from her employees. I was outraged when I came on board and was given the “How to succeed in this company” speech. The employees were being aggressively pressured into pitching in for Barbara’s monthly appreciation gift on top of countless “Happy Vacation” and outlandish birthday and Christmas gifts. I actually saw the HR manager shrink in fear when I informed her that if Barbara wanted to give me a significant salary increase as well as adding two weeks to my current four/year vacation time AND give me a car/gas allowance, I would be happy to join the ass-kissing brigade. Otherwise, she should never expect me to indulge a diva boss who treats all with disrespect. Needless to say Barbara and I butted heads for five years because I shared my balls with everyone else, she stopped getting presents and I bought her out five years later. Good times…….
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  snarkyinthesuburbs on September 30, 2016 at 10:41 am
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  You go girl!