If your coworker was experiencing a financial hardship, and the company put out a donation box for them, would you feel obligated to give them your cash?
It was six months ago that this 30-year-old woman started a new job working at a small family-owned business. One month ago, her coworker’s unexpected vet bills threw them into a financial emergency.
The owners of her company then set out a donation box at work in order to help out her coworker, which was nice, but then it got weird.
“When they asked if I could contribute, I told them honestly that I was struggling financially and didn’t have anything spare to give (which is true),” she explained.
“They seemed to accept it, but ever since then, I’ve been getting weird looks whenever I bring anything for lunch that isn’t just a sandwich or use the vending machines.”
A week ago, she ended up selling some of her Living Dead Dolls through Facebook Marketplace, which brought her a nice sum of money.
She placed half of the cash into her personal emergency fund and then used the remaining amount to have some fun. She decided to treat herself and her closest friends to a movie and some drinks.
She posted photos and a review of said movie on Instagram, and she truly didn’t know that any of her coworkers had discovered her social media profile, as she’s rarely on there.
“When I came into work the next day, I was chastised for ‘spending money I could have donated.’ I panicked and lied, saying my friend bought the ticket and drinks for me as a late birthday present (my birthday was the week before),” she said.
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“Now I feel like I’m being watched. I’m worried that every time I post on social media, bring in something new, or even bring something I already own but they haven’t seen before, I’ll get judged.”
“I can’t just quit, but I’ve already started looking for another job. So…[am I the jerk] for choosing to take care of myself financially and emotionally instead of donating?”
I mean, if she and her coworker are struggling to make ends meet, her boss needs to take a good, hard look at what they’re getting paid, as clearly it’s not enough.
Not like she can actually say that now, though, but she can on her way out, so I think trying to find a different job is a great move, and in the meantime, she should try not to let this bother her so much.
If anyone says something to her directly, she can simply state that she doesn’t have enough money to donate to her coworker, and that’s it.
Nobody should ever be pressured into giving anyone money, especially a coworker, and I’m sad for her to have ended up in such an unfortunate predicament.
What do you think?
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By Bre Avery Zacharski
Hi, I'm Bre, Chip Chick's CEO! I have a degree in Textile/Surface Design from The Fashion Institute of Technology, and... More about Bre Avery Zacharski
