Man Gets Suspended After He Sent His Work Group Chat A Meme About Not Getting A Raise After His Boss Said To 'Keep Up The Good Work'
Posting a meme in his work chat probably wasn't the best way to go about asking for a pay raise or bonus.
ShotPrime Studio / Shutterstock, Reddit For employees who use work chats such as Slack and Microsoft Teams, those channels are often used to discuss work-related topics and have miscellaneous conversations within reason.
However, one employee, who was tired of being overworked without receiving any monetary rewards, decided to use his work chat to express his frustration in what he thought would be taken as a joke.
He was suspended from work after posting a meme about being given a raise or bonus to his work chat.
In a post uploaded to the subreddit r/antiwork — an online forum where people can share work-related struggles — an employee, Nick who works as an Amazon delivery person, shared that his boss didn't take too kindly to a meme he had posted in his work chat about being overworked and not getting compensated for it.
Nick's meme was prompted after his boss wrote a congratulatory notice to the entire team on all of the hard work they had accomplished. "Good morning everyone!!! Congrats on another FANTASTIC PLUS this week! Keep up the great work guys!" his boss wrote in the work chat.
Photo: Reddit
"Please take a look at the scorecard and continue to ask questions on your key focus area," he continued. It seemed Nick was feeling a bit overworked and under-appreciated, while also wanting his boss to congratulate the team with something other than words, and more along the lines of a pay raise and/or bonus.
In response to his boss, Nick chose to send a four-panel meme that was seen by the entire team on the work chat. The first photo showed a drowning hand with text that read: "Drivers with increased route sizes wanting a raise or peak season bonus."
Photo: Reddit
The second image showed a second hand entering the phrase named "Homebase." The third image shows the Homebase hand slapping the drowning "employee" hand with the text: "Congrats on another fantastic plus week." And the final photo showed the "employee" hand being left alone to drown.
Nick's boss didn't take kindly to him sending a meme in the work chat.
As that wasn't the time or place to send that meme, Nick's boss wasn't too happy with it. Several hours after it was posted, Nick's boss responded with a strict promise that they would be meeting to speak about it soon.
"Nick, this is not the platform for this," his boss replied. "Since you feel this way, we will have a conversation with you when you come back this evening."
Photo: Reddit
Instead of showing remorse for being reprimanded, or even apologizing, Nick decided to send yet another meme to his boss in the work chat. This time, the image featured a screenshot of actor Fred Armisen with overlay text that read: "Using a meme to voice how you feel. Straight to jail."
Both of Nick's memes evidently landed him in suspension from his job under a "violation of rules, standards, practices, or unsatisfactory performance," according to his Reddit post which featured a photo of his suspension papers issued to him from his boss.
"After being addressed by Supervisor, Nickolas continued to mock him," the papers read. "As a result of Nick's insubordination, he will be administered a write-up and a two-day suspension effective immediately."
While it is acceptable for employees to inquire about pay raises, especially if they are feeling burnt out or overworked, there is a proper way to address those concerns while remaining respectful to your employer. In the form of a meme, is definitely not one of them.
Nia Tipton is a Brooklyn-based entertainment, news, and lifestyle writer whose work delves into modern-day issues and experiences.