What’s the most exciting part of the holiday season for you? Indulging in grandma’s delicious pumpkin pie, showering your loved ones with gifts they’ll cherish for a lifetime, curling up on the couch to watch your favorite Christmas movies and sip hot chocolate, or perhaps receiving a holiday bonus from your employer?
According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, only about 12% of American employees receive either a year-end or holiday bonus from their bosses, so if you do get one, count your blessings! Unless, of course, your bonus is an expired coupon for a sandwich or a blanket with the corporate logo on it…
Reddit users have been sharing some of the most insulting holiday bonuses they have ever received, and their employers definitely sound like they should have been on the naughty list. From frozen turkeys that had to sit in the office all day thawing to movie tickets for closed theatres, we’ve gathered some of the worst bonuses (if we can even call them that) down below. Be sure to upvote the responses that make you glad you didn’t receive a bonus at all, and then let us know in the comments if your employers have ever given you a bonus that had you saying, "Bah humbug!" Then, if you’re interested in checking out a Bored Panda article from last year discussing the same topic, you can find that right here!
#1
Ugly blanket with company logo.
A bit later the company sent an email asking for donations to help with hurricane Katrina aid.
The next day an amended email was sent saying they did not need anymore blankets….
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318points
#2
A book written by the company's "Digital Prophet" (yes his actual title) I immediately threw it out. My boss fished it out of my trash and put it on my desk, saying I accidentally tossed my gift. I maintained eye contact as I pushed it right back into the bin.
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260points
#3
I worked at Food City and they gave us gift cards to locals places. It wasnt bad until the manager said “yeah these companies donated them to us at the start of the pandemic to help feed our employees” you know 9 MONTHS EARLIER.
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194points
#4
A blanket with the company logo on it. Gave it to the homeless man that hung out in front of the shop.
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177points
#5
Me and my coworkers were once forced to play a “Christmas game” where we could win gift cards (all bought by the owner of the company).
However she rigged the game to where only she and her sister would win the gift cards. Everyone else got an email from the owner thanking us for our hard work.
I no longer work there.
169points
#6
A framed picture of the CEO. The frame was made so you could not take the photo out and re-use it.
I put mine in the toilet, pissed on it. Left it there. Less than an hour later, the other 5 toilets has matching picture frames. This went on for several weeks.
I put mine in the toilet, pissed on it. Left it there. Less than an hour later, the other 5 toilets has matching picture frames. This went on for several weeks.
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169points
#7
Two movie theater tickets (like a redeemable gift card thing)… while movie theaters were closed due to COVID. It was a special thanks for being an essential worker.
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163points
#8
I got a card with a note thanking me for donating my bonus back to the company. I didn't even get an option, no discussions, and it happened every year. The company was worth hundreds of millions of dollars and we were not struggling at all.
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159points
#9
A voucher for a free turkey, except it wasn't valid at any of the grocery chains in our region...the same region where the company was headquartered.
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138points
#10
Told I was getting a 10k bonus
Received a $25 grocery store gift card
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137points
#11
Had a boss hand me a certificate that said, get one night FREE, when you rent out my Airbnb for 5 days
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132points
#12
2004, America Online. Call center, working tech support. Thanksgiving rolls around and there's buzz about a $500 bonus coming our way. Checks arrive and they're all huge, everyone sees a $500 bonus on their check and goes home to enjoy Thanksgiving dinner.
Monday rolls around and 900 employees have an e-mail from HR stating that the bonus was a "mistake" and "the amount will be deducted from your next check". This was a biweekly gig, meaning that money came out of the Christmas check. My next paycheck was 71 dollars. Happy holidays!
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130points
#13
Last year my wife got a roll of toilet paper. With a note taped to it that said we're on a roll.
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125points
#14
Once for Thanksgiving, in my housekeeping job, they hid little paper slips with turkey pictures on them in our rooms we had to find (or get written up because we weren't cleaning good enough otherwise if we couldn't find them apparently) and if we all found all our slips we'd get a bonus.
The bonus was a pen.
I didn't stay long after that
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124points
#15
Worked for a grocery store last year. Company had record profits due to the pandemic buying. Their gift for the essential employees a $10 gift card. While the owner is out buying minor league baseball teams and building a concert venue.
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122points
#17
record breaking profits and stock at an all time high no bonus
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118points
#18
Received company-wide email that everyone was getting a $25 Tim Horton’s gift card. End of day I didn’t get mine do I asked the ceo and she said that email didn’t apply to IT so I wasn’t getting a bonus
I asked why was I sent the email then because that is mean. She just shrugged and walked away. Only one in company not to get the ‘bonus’
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112points
#19
Walmart cut my pay 5% and said I was lucky I did not have to pay the overage back, but I had an opportunity to earn back if I stayed and tried to move up in the company
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111points
#20
The company hired a Whitesnake cover band to play in our lunch room at work
Forgot to add important context: the drummer was the owner’s grandson
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110points