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Christmas shopping and cancer treatment expenses are among the spending plans for a group of coworkers who won $50,000 after their supervisor gifted them scratch-off lottery tickets for Christmas.
It could well be the plot line from a heartwarming Hallmark Christmas movie; but remarkably, this yuletide tale from Bowling Green, Kentucky is a true story.
Sheila Colter, a Med Center Health Environmental Services supervisor, discovered the gifts she had planned to give employees would not arrive in time for their Christmas party.
“Our work Christmas party was earlier than usual, and my planned gifts were stuck in transit," explains Colter, speaking to WBKO news.
Rather than showing up to the party with an empty Santa sack, Colter darted to her nearest store to pick up scratch-off lottery tickets for each team member and $30 tickets for the team to share, one of which won $50.
Plied with the heady optimism that only holiday party buffet food and the dulcet tones of Carey and Bublé can bring, the team decided that festive fortune favors the brave, and reinvested the winnings in more lottery tickets over the coming days.
“We kept playing as a group… …and we kept winning,” continues Colter, who picked up the tickets on her way to work.
Having purchased a Millionaire Club Scratch-off ticket that won a further $100 on 8 December, the group purchased two more tickets, one of which won a staggering $50,000, the second-place prize.
The after-tax total clocks in at around $35,750. The team plans to divide the winnings equally among all 21 members, with each worker expected to receive $1,750.
“It means a lot. This is going to help a lot of people," Colter adds.
Colter’s choice to not attend the party empty-handed, alongside the team’s decision to keep on playing and share all winnings equally, is a testament to the power of a thriving culture, healthy team dynamics, and holiday generosity at work.
Continuing to exemplify generosity, Colter plans to spend her winnings on Christmas shopping.
Another of the team, Winnie Beckman, will put her share of the jackpot will be put towards covering the medical expenses for her mother, who has stage-four cancer. “This will help a lot,” says Beckman, “And I will never forget this."
The art of corporate gift-giving
Getting the balance right between Christmas and holiday gifts, bonuses, and parties is a tricky task, particularly as budgets vary.
Some organizations can deliver eye-watering rewards. Citadel CEO, Ken Griffiths, for example, paid for over 10,000 employees to Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida to celebrate Citadel Securities' 20th anniversary and Citadel's 30th anniversary.
But in many others, budgets are tighter, and options are more limited. HR and those responsible for arranging gifting and rewards must be more creative.
HR Grapevine has previously heard from global resource consultancy Resource Solutions that some employees are trading in Christmas parties for options including festive hampers, vouchers, or cash.
Corporate gifting always requires careful thought and attention, to make sure the gift will be appreciated by each team member.
Katy Baxter, Corporate Affairs Director, Baxters of Scotland says: “Each country has its own gifting etiquette, and if we want to make our gestures even more personalized, we can tailor them to the receiver’s traditions… …this will guarantee you that your gift is received warmly and with appreciation.”
For example, while Americans commonly unwrap gifts in private, Canadians are more open to expressing their reaction in front of the giver.
Whatever the occasion or budget, stories such as Colton’s lottery tickets prove the power of truly personal gifts that reflect a manager’s wish to reward the hard work of their people.
