Worker Shares The 'Offensive' Gift Her Employer Gave Staff Instead Of A Pay Raise
MAYA LAB | Shutterstock One worker recently shared her experience of receiving a gift from her employer, but it wasn't the one thing she and her co-workers wanted: a pay raise.
Posting to the subreddit "r/antiwork," she wasn't shy about calling the gift extremely "offensive," and it's understandable why. In this economy, people only want to see promotions and raises being awarded to them at work. Sharing a photo of the exact gift she was given by her employer, other Redditors shared her frustration.
Worker shares 'offensive' gift her employer gave staff instead of a pay raise.
In her Reddit post, she shared the small bag of popcorn that she was given by her employer. On the bag, the message read, "You make our customer service POP! Happy National Contact Centre Day."
Reddit
"Can't afford to give us a pay rise, but they can afford to do this," she wrote in her Reddit post. "Somehow, I find this more offensive than the year they sent everyone in the company a biodegradable pencil with flower seeds in."
In the comments section, people were equally enraged at the audacity of her employer to give everyone at the company a bag of popcorn rather than actually acknowledging their hard work with raises or bonuses. Many Redditors pointed out that a bag of popcorn doesn't cut it at all when employees are working hard to keep the company afloat.
It's almost like a slap in the face to those who have been putting in the extra hours or even going above and beyond their actual roles. It raised valuable questions about what priorities companies actually have when it comes to showing how much they value their employees.
Nearly half of U.S. employees aren't making a living wage.
There are countless companies that give their employees half-hearted gifts they didn't ask for to show appreciation, when in reality, employees want to see appreciation in the form of money. The fact is, most employees aren't making enough at work to begin with.
Only 56% of full-time workers in the U.S. are making a living wage, while 44% are not earning enough to cover their family’s basic needs, according to a recent analysis. However, the employees who outright ask for a pay raise are actually getting them.
Krakenimages.com | Shutterstock
In a survey from LendingTree, a majority of full-time workers, 66%, got a raise in the last year, whether they asked for one or not. But making a specific request could actually boost your chances. Eighty-two percent of full-time workers who asked for a raise in the last year got one, and they were more likely to secure a boost of $5,000 or more than those who didn't ask.
Despite the data showing that asking for a raise can be the best measure to ensure that you get one, workers don't really like to ask. The main concern is mostly fear: fear of rejection, fear of their job security after asking, or fear that their request might ruin the relationship they have with management. However, closed mouths don't get fed.
If management is making a big fuss about giving you a raise, then that's your answer right there. The job probably isn't for you anymore. It's much better to actually ask than have to be subjected to receiving a gift you don't want at all, like a bag of popcorn. Because companies that actually value their employees will want to give them what they're asking for, especially if it keeps their best workers from leaving.
Nia Tipton is a staff writer with a bachelor’s degree in creative writing and journalism who covers news and lifestyle topics that focus on psychology, relationships, and the human experience.
