Employee shares of the company gifted ‘pen, biscuits, candies’ instead of rating: ‘Yai bhi kyu diya’ | Today’s news
As rising prices continue to strain household budgets and many employees wait for their annual appraisals, a viral Reddit post has sparked a new debate about workplace rewards and employee appreciation.
An employee took to the Reddit forum r/mildlyinfuriating to share what they claimed was their company’s version of a “final raise.” Instead of a raise or bonus, the employees reportedly received a small goodie bag containing a water bottle, a pen, cookies, one piece of candy and what appeared to be a measuring tape or small toy.
“Instead of a raise, the company gave out ‘goody bags.’ Yes, that’s all there was,” the employee wrote in the post’s title.
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The company was not identified in the post, but the image quickly gained attention online. The post received more than 7,500 upvotes and hundreds of comments from users criticizing the gesture and sharing similar workplace experiences.
The internet reacts with frustration
Many users said the company’s gift was more insulting than rewarding.
“It would be less offensive to give nothing at all,” wrote one commenter.
Another user advised the employee to leave the organization, writing: “He doesn’t deserve your two weeks’ notice when you find something better.”
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A third commenter mocked the bag’s contents, saying: “Did they give you half of the kindergartener’s snacks and some office supplies? Was the water a gift too? Hard to believe half of it wasn’t from the break room.” Another quipped, “Yai bhi kyu diya?”
A screenshot from a viral post.
Users share similar stories in the workplace
The viral thread also prompted others to recount experiences of companies offering token rewards instead of meaningful bonuses.
One Reddit user recalled an incident involving their mother, who worked in human resources at a previous company.
“True story: My mom lost this at her old job after something like this. She was working in HR and saw that all the managers got $300,000 bonuses. The bonus they got for employees? Everyone got a chocolate chip cookie. 1 cookie. They came with a box and everyone could take 1,” the commenter wrote.
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That debate has since reignited conversations online about employee morale, workplace culture and the growing disconnect many employees feel between company profits and employee recognition.
Meanwhile, another Reddit user earlier this month expressed frustration over a rating that reduced his take-home pay. The employee said the increase proved ineffective as he saw his salary drop the following month after being moved to a higher tax bracket.
“A month later (yesterday) I was credited, it turns out I was moved to another tax slab and I don’t know the exact math, but I ended up getting 1.5000 less than before. Is there anything else I can do about it but cry to myself?” he wrote on Reddit.
(Disclaimer: This report is based on user-generated content shared on social media. LiveMint has not independently verified and does not endorse these claims.)
