Boredworkers.com

A week ago, I was in the office pantry minding my own business and reading notices on the bulletin board when a colleague (K) walked in. He too browsed the bulletin board, stopping to observe a list of people in the company whose birthdays were in February. We proceeded to have the following conversation:

K: So when’s your birthday?
Me: Next weekend.
K: Really? Then you should go check with Finance to see if you have a gift.
Me: Gift? What gift?
K: You don’t know? The company gives you USD100.00 during your birthday.
Me: (Looking at him suspiciously) Sure or not?
K: Of course! Go see Y and ask her if you have or not. Don’t waste man. Its a new pair of Nikes!
Me: Oh okay. I’ll do it later.

From the conversation, I really couldn’t tell whether he was being serious or just pulling my leg. What he had just told me seemed too good to be true. Deep down inside, I was jumping up and down hoping that it was true. USD100.00 is no small amount and as my colleague had so aptly put it, it IS a new pair of Nikes in the books. Nonetheless, I didn’t think much about it over the week as I got caught up with work.

On Monday, my colleague broached the subject again in our cubicle asking me whether I have made contact with Y. I told him not yet and he stressed to me again the fact that it was a new pair of Nikes (he does have a fancy for the brand, doesn’t he?). The conversation flowed to other things and was again forgotten.

Wednesday rolled along and I get an email from an unexpected source that read as follows:

Feb Birthday Gift
All birthday gals & guys,

Happy belated birthday to most of you. Due to the delay sending of birthday cards from Bellevue office, the birthday card & gift are just ready to collect from my office. Feel free to drop by anytime to collect it!

Cheers…
Y

This was followed almost immediately by the an email correspondence with another person from Finance, Z:

Z: May I know your full name as per your IC/bank account??
Me: [gives details]
Z: So, in future cheque to be issued under this name??
Me: Yes. Why do you ask? Is there a cheque out there somewhere with my name on it?
Z: Nope, just for my update only. So in future while you submit your claims, then I know the correct name to be issued.
Me: I see. Thanks. [correspondence goes on to other topics]

My heart had skipped a beat when receiving the email from Y and taking it in context with my earlier conversation. However, the correspondence with Z, while raising the probability, actually disproved the facts. So I wasn’t really sure what to expect when I walked into Y’s office yesterday. The following conversation ensued:

Me: Hi Y. I’m… [introduction]. I received an email from you about some birthday gift?
Y: Hi! Yes. Come in and have a seat.
Me: So what’s this about?
Y: Our head in US, John, started this Birthday Campaign where we give employees a gift during their birthdays. Just hold on a moment… [looks for MY gift]. There you go. So are you surprised?
Me: (Not really… but acting surprised) Oh for sure!
Y: [laughs] Good. So as long as you’re with the company, you’ll get this gift every year. (Sounds as though they are bribing me to stay. Can’t say that I’m complaining)
Me: That’s nice. But it won’t be a surprise anymore though ;)
Y: [laughs again] True.
(Conversation goes to other topics)

So yeah. To make sure I wasn’t day dreaming all this, I went back to my place and checked out the contents of the gift package. There was a birthday card that read.

- Birthday Card Recovered post: Image lost -

In case the image is too small, the card reads:
Best Wishes on your Birthday and troughout the coming year.

Enjoy your gift!
John

But more importantly, enclosed was a cheque for, as promised, RM380.00 (USD100.00 after conversion).

- Birthday Gift Pack Recovered post: Image lost -

Cool early birthday present, eh? More companies should adopt this birthday campaign. What do you think?