Having to buy cakes on your own b'day C/D?

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So, tis my b'day tomorrow and I will be working (sob). Tis my colleagues b'day today and she was bullied into bringing in cakes for everyone, which I assume means I have to do the same. Now I have worked in a place where this strange custom (surely your b'day=you get cake?) was practised before but it seemed to stem from grateful colleagues bringing in confectionery after receiving a card or somesuch. Forcing the poor woman to go out and buy cakes for everyone on her b'day and not even giving her a card or anyfink is like totally dud, no?

― Plinky (Plinky), Wednesday, 16 October 2002 09:01 (twenty-three years ago)

I would like a naked woman to pop out of my cake....birthday or otherwise.....and to invite me to lick the icing off..is that wrong?

― gazza, Wednesday, 16 October 2002 09:06 (twenty-three years ago)

Not wrong. Just unlikely.

I don't make cakes. I have bought a box of chocolates to bring into work tomorrow. Most ppl don't know other ppl's birthdays so there's no compulsion here. Ppl are expected to bring back sweets if they've gone on holiday, tho.

― MarkH (MarkH), Wednesday, 16 October 2002 09:07 (twenty-three years ago)

Plinky, the same thing tends to happen here (London), only with beer. But only in the City - here the person experiencing the birthday gets the drinks in, whereas at home it's the other way round. I've always thought it nicer to have stuff bought for me on my birthday, but there again I'm a cheapskate.

― lol p xx, Wednesday, 16 October 2002 09:08 (twenty-three years ago)

Beer I have no problem with! Maybe I'll just bring in a crate of lager.....

― Plinky (Plinky), Wednesday, 16 October 2002 09:10 (twenty-three years ago)

aye, it's dud. that happens here. i only know it's someone's birthday because they come in clutching a cake. it confuses the hell out of me. it must be a universal thing, because on my birthday my mum gives me a cake for work. i don't get it, yo.

― g-kit (g-kit), Wednesday, 16 October 2002 09:15 (twenty-three years ago)

No one got me a cake on my birthday this year. I was very cross. I threw a BIG MASSIVE FUCKOFF PARTY, hired out the Water Rats for a venue, had, like three bands, and most of my fucking friends forgot to even say happy birthday to me, LET ALONE a cake. Ungrateful bastards. I should have them all flogged.

― kate, Wednesday, 16 October 2002 09:22 (twenty-three years ago)

lets see, my birthday is friday and so far, not one mention of a party, cake and not one card.

― Chris V. (Chris V), Wednesday, 16 October 2002 11:36 (twenty-three years ago)

Quite possibly the duddest tradition office culture has ever come up with. There's something about the paper napkins and 'ooh - yum yum I shouldn't' female enthusiasm routine that never fails to depress.

― N. (nickdastoor), Wednesday, 16 October 2002 11:39 (twenty-three years ago)

the worst office tradition is when a mother on maternity leave brings her baby in and everyone gets all silly like they've never seen young humans before.

― michael wells (michael w.), Wednesday, 16 October 2002 11:48 (twenty-three years ago)

No, I like that.

― N. (nickdastoor), Wednesday, 16 October 2002 11:50 (twenty-three years ago)

That's what happens here, you buy cakes for yr office AND if yr rich you buy lunchtime drinkies but if people LIKE YOU then they buy you a birthday drink hooray hooray. Hiccough. Barely anyone turned out to the pubbe at lunch for my birthday, the STINKERS. Sod em say I. I was also accidentally included in a circulation list email reminding people to sign the bloody card - OOPS. Never mind eh? I got quite a bit of GIN as I recall.

― Sarah (starry), Wednesday, 16 October 2002 12:01 (twenty-three years ago)

Noooooo! I hate that baby thing. I always get strange looks coz I don't go anywhere near - weans hate me, I am totally non-maternal.

― Plinky (Plinky), Wednesday, 16 October 2002 12:04 (twenty-three years ago)

the cake thing is just one more reason to never go into work on your birthday. i always take the day off, have a big lie-in, go for a fancy lunch, lounge around reading, then tart myself up before having a fancy dinner or going for a few pints. not to mention opening presents. i love birthdays. the office is no place to spend them.

― angela (angela), Wednesday, 16 October 2002 12:09 (twenty-three years ago)

first time i've ever heard of someone having to bring stuff in themselves - is this a UK thing?

― H (Heruy), Wednesday, 16 October 2002 12:10 (twenty-three years ago)

In Germany, people brought cakes in to work on their birthdays; if they were moving or leaving for another project, they often brought cases of beer and pretzels. I suppose there are advantages to bringing in the birthday cake: the guilt trip, nobody can forget/ignore your birthday, etc.

― Ernest P., Wednesday, 16 October 2002 12:25 (twenty-three years ago)

In the office where I do most of my work, if I'm in on my birthday there's a card and occasionally cake, followed by drinks bought. The editor gets card, cake, the next day as hangover holiday, a pretty nice gift and makes the publisher go to the bar for everyone.

I've never worked in an office where birthday celebrants have to pay to party. There's just something so RUDE about that.

― suzy (suzy), Wednesday, 16 October 2002 13:02 (twenty-three years ago)

How do people find out it is your birthday?

― Graham (graham), Wednesday, 16 October 2002 13:06 (twenty-three years ago)

In my case I was unaware of the aforementioned strange custom and made the mistake of telling folk at last Friday's night oot.

― Plinky (Plinky), Wednesday, 16 October 2002 13:10 (twenty-three years ago)

Graham, in 'nice' offices, there's usually a sentimental person charged with the task of organising birthday stuff, who likes to make sure people get remembered.

― suzy (suzy), Wednesday, 16 October 2002 13:22 (twenty-three years ago)

I always take leave on my birthday to avoid this sort of embarassment. But now I work in the library with only one other person and we sorta have cakes everyday now.

― jel -- (jel), Wednesday, 16 October 2002 13:28 (twenty-three years ago)

In my office the bringing in cakes thing is taken VERY seriously. Someone who used to work here was born on 26th December and never brought cakes in cos everybody was off for Christmas - there were a few complaints that he shouldn't be allowed to sample anyone else's cakes as a result.

There are quite a few people on diets and I always find it amusing to behold them weighing up the possible calorie intake from a glazed doughnut compared to a cream scone, usually whilst muttering the line "I've been good recently".

Some people can be a bit cheap when getting the cakes in. One of those disgusting Entenmann's cakes cut up into inch-cubes just doesn't cut it. Being a generous soul, I get M&S cakes, although one year I got confused and got S&M cakes instead - they all had whipped cream...

― Alfie (Alfie), Wednesday, 16 October 2002 14:05 (twenty-three years ago)

At my work if it gets mentioned usually there's just polite wishes of good cheer and the like, and that seems to do the trick. :-) I usually invite some coworkers out for lunch on mine.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Wednesday, 16 October 2002 14:07 (twenty-three years ago)

It's a dud tradition where I work too, and you bring in sweeties or something after you've been somewhere on holiday, and we get the secret santa thing at Xmas. All dud, I think, meaningless obligations that seem to bring no joy to anyone.

― Martin Skidmore (Martin Skidmore), Wednesday, 16 October 2002 17:25 (twenty-three years ago)

i like the bringing back sweets after you've been on holidays tradition. mmm, foreign sweets.

― angela (angela), Thursday, 17 October 2002 09:46 (twenty-three years ago)

That's the stupidest thing I ever heard of.

At one of my jobs I had a bunch of friends at work, so they brought me in this really nice cake and presents, etc. for my birthday but everywhere else I've worked birthdays go pretty much unacknowledged, except maybe for someone wishing you a Happy Birthday. Which is fine with me, that sounds a damn sight better than having to buy your own cake only for all the greedy pigs that you don't like anyway to gobble it all up.

― Nicole (Nicole), Thursday, 17 October 2002 11:19 (twenty-three years ago)

There's too much pressure on you when its your birthday. You have to be cheerful - all day!!! Give me Christmas any day.

― Mckenzie (Mckenzie), Thursday, 17 October 2002 12:30 (twenty-three years ago)

Mandatory socializing at work = mild dud; I hate having to sacrifice my lunch break to spend even more time with co-workers.
The company pays for the event = more or less mitigated (especially if they've shelled out for something nice).
Your co-workers expect you to contribute funds or bring in a cake = major dud.

― j.lu (j.lu), Thursday, 17 October 2002 12:47 (twenty-three years ago)

Yes, there is no absolutely mandatory socialising in my workplace, but you would be running risks to duck out of all of it. I try to pick and choose the best events and avoid most others. It seems to be acceptable, and has been pretty satisfactory for me.

― Martin Skidmore (Martin Skidmore), Friday, 18 October 2002 17:27 (twenty-three years ago)

one year passes...

I always give a dinner out to my family. My b'day is full of enjoyment with my wife.

― jinadasa ovitige, Tuesday, 27 April 2004 09:16 (twenty-two years ago)

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