Thank you lunches

Am I getting cynical or do work "Thank you lunches" get annoying? Today my boss and several colleauges are taking some of us out, and I personally would rather just get some roses, or a gift certificate to somewhere I could go with friends. I mean don't get me wrong, I appreciate their effort, but we can never really relax, and they take us to these pretentious places which sometimes I feel is more showing off than for our benefit.

Oh, I totally hear you! Our lunches/dinners are always held at pretentious fancy restaurants, when I would rather go to a pub and drink my face off. Most of my colleagues are so uptight (librarians who work with lawyers all day... can't get much worse!) that they wouldn't be able to let themselves go. Of course, I'm always the one drinking vodka instead of sipping wine, so I think they experience the evening vicariously through me. Yeah, I would rather have a box of fine chocolates or a boquet of roses as well.

I'd say you're astute, rather than cynical. I worked for a job that gave thank-you dinners, and the owner's wife was sooo PROUD of them!! We would have preferred some more respect and appreciation day by day instead. As for the alternative (i.e.,gift certificates & bonuses,etc), I worked for a small property management firm that was owned by Japanese nationals, and they gave us the respect & appreciation daily, plus financial bonuses for every holiday, to help pay for a special meal for our families. In addition to that, Mr. Kimura would bring us back presents from trips, usually farm fresh produce (yum!) for our kids, and small items from Japan. When I compare that to the thank-you dinners, I find myself agreeing with you 110%!! Susan

How right you are. We don't get Thank you anythings here, and when we do, its not very often, and certainly not fancy.
How about instead of spending all that money to show off, you take $0.25 of it and put it in my paycheck?? It could be the thank you that keeps on giving.
And its not that you're not thankful and grateful for the thought...but was there really a thought behind some of them?? You know what I mean??

I have to say, thank-you gifts are a double edged sword.

My friends office all gave them gift certificates. The guys all got $100 at a major electronics store, the girls $100 at a major Spa chain.

My poor friend looked longingly at the $100 at the electronics place, I don't think she's been to the Spa yet.