Local Biz Paying it Forward.......

[dle]

https://www.castanet.net/edition/news-s ... htm#214702

Helping those less fortunate and in a bind is a good thing. Taking away from your employees to do it maybe not so much.

I'm not just hauling out the big spoon to stir something up here. Something about the wording of this article just really bugged me. I don't know whether the employees went to the boss and requested this be done with their Christmas bonuses - if so then all is well and Merry Christmas to all those generous people.

If not, then I think it's kind of Grinchy for the boss to just decide to not give his employees a little something and donate it elsewhere instead. If the boss wants to make a donation great - but as something extra, on top of what he might normally give his employees - and obviously he does usually give his employees something by the sounds of the article.

Even the smallest token of an employer's appreciation at Christmas is most often very welcomed, and sometimes really needed, in the employee's own family. However, maybe all these employees are well-enough off that they wouldn't miss it or even care if they got it - I certainly don't know their situations. It's just the way the story is worded that made it sound like the employer just did it INSTEAD of thanking his employees, without asking them how they would feel about it.

I'm sure most people who get a little something extra at Christmas donate on their own from that gift, what they can, to the Salvation Army, or any other charity of their choice because that's the way most people are wired. It feels good to help and it's a good thing to do.

I hope this story is misleading by just not telling the whole story! Parts of it like this Brosseau said he'd like to challenge other businesses in the province to follow their lead. do make it sound like he just opted to cut out his employees and send his $$ elsewhere. It sounds like he's challenging other bosses to do the same - it doesn't sound like he's challenging other employees to offer to forego their Christmas gift.

[cubafreak]

exactly what I was thinking

[JennParker]

I understood it to mean instead of giving gifts to clients, they donated instead.

[LANDM]

I understood it to mean gifts to employees, not bonuses.

They said "individuals we work with".....working "with" is the collaboro-speak version of working "for". Individiuals gives the final clue, rather than "businesses" we work with.

I don’t believe it is as sinister as some think.

[Bsuds]

I understood it to mean instead of giving gifts to clients, they donated instead.

"Instead of giving gifts to the individuals we work with, this year we are donating the value of those gifts to the food banks in the areas where we work."

To me that would be their employees. They could at least donate in the employees name so they would get a tax break.

[normaM]

I took it to mean that instead of co workers exchanging gifts they donated the money instead. Suck if they gave away the Xmas bonuses.

[whitecandle]

Innova8da works with individuals and companies. Since corporate gifts are frowned upon these days I take it to mean they donated to the food banks.

Other organizations they support
http://innov8ds.ca/who-we-are/community-support/

[Jhunter199]

I think we're overthinking this entire article. I would be willing to bet that innova8 discussed with employees about this situation and decided to do something admiral this holiday season. I don't see a well lead business doing the latter and ultimately ruining their corporate culture that they've been building year after year. Or they did both and donated 6,000 to the food bank in the name of the employees creating a great socially responsible outlook for themselves, and the staff received Christmas bonuses as well.

[TreeGuy]

The part I have a hard time with is companies making donations and then show boating with it. There is a local landscape company that was just in the news doing the same. Making a donation and then turning it into a big PR move sours it for me. I question their motives.

I’m not a real religious guy at all but I do like this bit of scripture;

Be careful not to practice your righteousness in front of others to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven.

“So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 4 so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.”

I like the stories of anonymous donors there is a humility to it.

[lightspeed]

I took it to mean that instead of co workers exchanging gifts they donated the money instead. Suck if they gave away the Xmas bonuses.

If employees don't like it, they can always take their services elsewhere and find another employer.

[Jflem1983]

I took it to mean that instead of co workers exchanging gifts they donated the money instead. Suck if they gave away the Xmas bonuses.

If employees don't like it, they can always take their services elsewhere and find another employer.

Be something if they all did lol

[dle]

It is interesting how many of us read and re-read the article and the number of different scenarios we have come up with! I think that must go to show that how a story is authored is definitely important as it can leave things a little fuzzy but we all made good and plausible attempts to interpret it!

I have re-read it a couple of times coming at it from different angles, and the sentence "Instead of giving gifts to the individuals we work with" that I and some other posters took to mean their employees, could certainly be others as in clients, or other business associates, not their employees, as another poster suggested.

"Gifts" can be the go-to word for "bonuses" in the form of cash, or actual wrapped "gifts" of anything other than cash. In our office we get a cash bonus at Christmas that is always referred to as our "gift". The word "bonus" is only used during the other times of the year when it is performance related.

[WalterWhite]

My first impression was it was simply another Castanet "ad" for a business dressed up to look like a news item.

[the truth]

yes indeed

[RVThereYet]

My first impression was it was simply another Castanet "ad" for a business dressed up to look like a news item.

I agree with you 100%. Much of what C-Net puts out there falls into that category.