Office Collections Are Costing You $200 a Year — How to Say No Without Becoming the Office Villain

Small $10 and $20 office collections can add up to $200 a year. Setting a workplace-giving budget lets employees celebrate coworkers without sacrificing their own financial goals. (Pexels).

A coworker’s birthday card lands on your desk with a request for $10, then someone is retiring, having a baby, getting married, or leaving for another job. None of those office collections seems expensive by itself, but repeated requests can quietly become a line item in your personal budget. Spend $15 on eight collections and $20 on four bigger occasions, and you have handed over $200 in one year. The uncomfortable part is not necessarily the money—it is figuring out how to say no without looking cheap or unfriendly.

Small Office Collections Can Become A Real Expense