Nurse stands up for herself after being 'forced' to give boss 70 dollar 'gift' for the holidays

Holiday gift-giving is often a heartfelt tradition that strengthens bonds among family, friends, and colleagues. But one dental nurse—who goes by u/aryndoesnotlikeit on Reddit—felt far from cheerful when her coworkers decided to surprise their boss with a $1,000 gift. She expressed frustration at being "forced" to chip in for what she called an excessive workplace holiday custom.

In the post, the nurse explained that she started a part-time role at the office nearly one year ago. At the time of her induction, the healthcare worker agreed to report one day a week to her manager at the office. One fine day, out of the blue, she received a message on her phone about the doctor’s gift. It was a group text from her superior suggesting that they had agreed upon an amount for the doctor’s gift to be $70 per person.

Additionally, the entire staff was asked to shell out the money on or before November 24. “There are about 15 employees altogether other than the doctor,” the nurse informed. She added that the total value of the gift would be around $1,000. Notably, most employees expect the same kind of treatment, if not more, from their employers. While many companies roll out bonuses for their workers during the holiday season, this particular workplace seems to be far on the other end.

“There was no discussion in the office about how much to contribute,” the nurse claimed. All employees were simply told to follow what had been said to them. She found it to be completely “insane,” even if she considered herself to be a full-time employee. “Seventy dollars is a significant amount of money. As a part-time employee, I am uncertain whether I am eligible for holiday bonuses,” the post read, justifying her stance.

Amid the ticking clock to fulfill the controversial request, the nurse said she would not be paying for her boss’s gift. “I’m not going to contribute, and if they approach me, I’m going to tell them that,” she wrote, asking the online community if the demand sounded “bizarre” to them. The healthcare worker concluded that she had witnessed such a thing for the first time in her career. “I have never experienced this before in my life,” the post concluded, inviting reactions from the readers.

Empathizing with the dental nurse, u/JW_ZERO said, “I am quite certain the doctor is fully capable of purchasing whatever they desire. It would be wiser to save your money.” To this, the healthcare professional responded, “That’s my thought too. This guy owns two practices and has several associates. I’d be shocked if he makes less than half a million dollars a year.” A dentist, u/Sofakng_scientific, remarked, “I don’t let my staff buy me gifts. I only accept homemade baked goods. I handle the gifting to them. Their gift is keeping my office running.” u/Agraywitch11 pointed out, “You should never give gifts upwards in the employment chain. It should always be down.”