Employee spends $500 of his own money to throw coworker's going-away party, cancels the event because no one paid him back in time

Author image for Ben Weiss
Ben Weiss • Writer and Editor
Apr 12, 2026 2:30 PM EDT

Did this employee overreact when he cancelled his coworker's going-away party, or was he more than justified to do so?

No one likes to feel taken for granted in the workplace, especially if you are someone who goes out of your way to be nice to people. This employee fronted $500 of his own money for a beloved coworker's upcoming "surprise" going-away party. His team had communicated weeks in advance about going all out for this person, since they were genuinely going to miss him and were enthusiastic about his next chapter.

However, despite the fact that everyone on the team mutually agreed to pay $35 each for the party, none of them responded to the employee's requests for that money. At first, it seemed like the kind of thing where they kept forgetting or were always in the middle of other, more important matters. But then the employee reminded everyone a second time. Then, a third time, and so on and so forth. Clearly, when push came to shove, no one was actually willing to pay that $35, which meant that the author was going to have to potentially front the entire $500 fee himself.

It was this level of ingratitude and lack of respect that caused the employee to let out his petty side.

Advertisement
  • A coworker opens a gift during a going-away party thrown at the office.
    via Ryan Waring

    A coworker opens a gift during a going-away party thrown at the office.

    Image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

  • [Am I wrong] for canceling the catering order for my coworker's going-away party after nobody reimbursed me for three weeks?

    so our department was throwing a going away thing for someone who has been here for like six years. really well liked, the whole floor wanted to do something
    via Fuzzy-Medicine8516
  • nice. someone suggested we pool together and get catering from this place she loves instead of just doing a sad grocery store spread.
    via Fuzzy-Medicine8516

  • One question worth asking is why the team was unable to get the company to foot the bill for at least half of these costs. That way, people could each contribute approximately $18, and their departing coworker wouldn't have to deal with a lame CVS veggie platter on his last day at work.

    Instead, not only did the company refuse to engage, but the entire team just left everything up to the author, who clearly had earned an unfortunate reputation for being more giving than he needed to be. In that sense, it was about time that he sent a signal to the team to get them to walk back these communal expectations. None of this was fair to the employee financially or in terms of the responsibility and planning. The employee was definitely not getting paid enough for this nonsense.

  • An employee gives a toast in front of coworkers during an office party.
    via Unsplash+ (Getty Images)

    An employee gives a toast in front of coworkers during an office party.

    Image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

  • I said I could put it on my card since I had a work card with a high limit and everyone could just send me their share. around thirty five dollars each. fourteen
    via Fuzzy-Medicine8516
  • people said they were in. I placed the order, paid the deposit, locked in the date. that was three weeks ago.
    via Fuzzy-Medicine8516
  • I sent a breakdown in the group chat the same day. everyone saw it. a few people said nice one and moved on. nobody sent anything.
    via Fuzzy-Medicine8516
  • week two I brought it up again. got a lot of yeah sorry III do it tonight. one person asked me to resend my venmo which I did. still nothing.
    via Fuzzy-Medicine8516
  • week three I messaged people individually. most of them responded. a couple left me on read. one guy told me he thought someone else was handling
    via Fuzzy-Medicine8516
  • Coworkers celebrate during an office party as confetti falls.
    via Unsplash+ (Getty Images)

    Coworkers celebrate during an office party as confetti falls.

    Image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

  • reimbursements which. no. I said that in the original message. I am handling it. please send me thirty five dollars.
    via Fuzzy-Medicine8516
  • the party was four days out at this point and I had collected maybe a hundred dollars out of almost five hundred.
    via Fuzzy-Medicine8516
  • I sent one message to the whole group. said I need everyone paid up by end of day tomorrow or I have to cancel the order because I cant front this myself.
    via Fuzzy-Medicine8516
  • three more people paid. the rest either didnt respond or said they were good for it.
    via Fuzzy-Medicine8516
  • I canceled the order. lost the deposit which was sixty dollars, I just ate that myself.
    via Fuzzy-Medicine8516
  • then I told the organizer what happened so she could make other arrangements and she was upset, not at me, but the whole situation. the party ended up being store bought stuff which was fine but definitely not what everyone said they wanted.
    via Fuzzy-Medicine8516
  • Pale_Arm_5341 "they were going to pay eventually" ok so why didnt they pay when you asked three times
    via Fuzzy-Medicine8516
  • lucyfussbudget1 What garbage. Those are people without integrity. They are not good people. Even the ones who finally forked over when you Threatened to cancel it. They deserve grocery store garbage. You deserve prime rib tho.
    via Fuzzy-Medicine8516
  • Logical-Shame58... Some company maybe that's why that co worker is finally leaving after all that time NTJ
    via Fuzzy-Medicine8516

Want More? Follow Us and Add Us as a Preferred Source on Google.

Tags

workplace-stories employee coworkers Party company funny work stories money
Scroll Down For The Next Article