Manager Scolded For Giving An Employee A $25 Gift Card For Their Birthday After Company Posts $10 Million In Profits
"If we gave every single person a $25 gift card for their birthday, it would cost the company a grand total of $3,250 per year."
Face Stock | Shutterstock A manager shared that he was reprimanded by his company's chief financial officer for the gift he planned to give one of the employees on his team for their birthday. Despite the company making millions in profits, the CFO was concerned about a $25 gift card that would likely boost morale.
The manager was scolded for giving an employee a $25 gift card for their birthday despite the company posting about $10 million in profits.
"I manage a team at a small business that cleared $10 million in profit last year. Yesterday, I mentioned to our CFO that I was planning to give a $25 gift card to one of my employees for their birthday," the man wrote in his Reddit post, adding that he was "floored" by the CFO's response.
"We've never done gift cards for birthdays. While the thought is nice, I don't want to set the precedent of everyone getting a gift card on their birthday because that is what will happen and be expected — and rightly so if one gets it," the CFO said.
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Unbeknownst to the CFO, the manager had been secretly giving gift cards to his staff members on their birthdays and work anniversaries for the last two years.
"I've been covering this from my departmental budget, and somehow the company has managed to survive this devastating financial blow," he continued. "We have 130 employees total. If we gave every single person a $25 gift card for their birthday, it would cost the company a grand total of $3,250 per year. That's 0.03% of our annual profit. The horror!"
He added that the company's CFO had just returned from a trip funded by the company.
"What makes this even more frustrating is that this same CFO just returned from a week-long trip to Texas, where he watched college sports events on the company's dime," the manager wrote. "But apparently, $25 to make an employee feel valued on their birthday is where we need to draw the line."
Considering how much effort and hard work employees put in, being recognized and valued on their birthdays should be a non-negotiable. There's not a single regulation preventing the company from giving out gift cards, the manager said, yet it's apparently a problem.
It seems that even a small business doing well financially is unwilling to spread the wealth to boost staff morale.
Under half of workers believe that their company actually cares about them.
A survey conducted by Aflac found that only 48% of employees believe their employers care about their well-being. Of the employees who say they believe their employers don’t care about their well-being, 60% are at least somewhat likely to look for a new job in the next 12 months.
Of course, this only adds to the number of employees who feel burnt out. The same survey found that 57% of employees are experiencing at least moderate levels of burnout. Considering the number of employees who feel overwhelmed or unsatisfied at work, you would think companies would do what they can to boost morale, and in turn, boost production, but that is rarely the case.
Refusing to even gift employees a $25 gift card once a year demonstrates that leadership cares far more about putting money in their own pockets than showing gratitude for the workers who have made that success possible in the first place.
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.
