A Little Office Party? That'll Cost You.

Roughly half (54%) of senior managers reported that workers are asked to contribute to birthdays, anniversaries and baby showers at least annually, according to an OfficeTeam survey.

Luckily, for the 16% of workers who said being asked to chip in is annoying, 45% of managers said they never ask for employee contributions. One in four employees are willing to chip in, because they think doing so is for a good cause, while 51% of workers replied that paying up is OK every so often.

“Most employees don’t mind chipping in to celebrate coworkers’ milestones, but the requests should be made in moderation,” says Robert Hosking, executive director of OfficeTeam. “While no one wants to look like a party pooper for not participating, being asked to contribute too often can become a burden and takes the fun out of events.”

Workers are also uncomfortable being put on the spot or asked to make mandatory contributions at a set amount, OfficeTeam suggested, particularly when they are not close to the person being recognized.

The survey, which was developed by OfficeTeam and conducted by an independent research firm, includes responses from more than 300 senior managers at U.S. companies with 20 or more employees and more than 400 working Americans ages 18 years and older.

Sara Kelly