There are a lot of ways employers can reward their workers for outstanding performance, such as financial incentives, extra time off, or a personal parking spot near the office building. These gestures not only show appreciation but can also boost morale and create a more engaged and productive team.
However, sometimes management wants all the benefits without actually investing in them. So, Reddit user Vomirrhea asked everyone on the platform to share the worst bonuses they have ever received. Turns out, Scrooges can get really creative when they wish to save a penny.
#1
I worked in sales for a major wood products manufacturer. I sold record breaking volume to the tune of 51million for my territory. 2nd place sold 12million. I received $100 bonus. The guy in second place received a Rolex. The CEO made a joke about it at the sales conference. “Sometimes it’s best to come in 2nd place”.
I walked out. Typed my 2 week notice. And started my own company as a direct competitor of my former employer. I’m still in business. They are not.
I walked out. Typed my 2 week notice. And started my own company as a direct competitor of my former employer. I’m still in business. They are not.
56points
"The impact of bonuses on employee motivation and job satisfaction can vary, depending on how they're structured and perceived," Keith Spencer, Career Expert at FlexJobs, told Bored Panda.
For example, "performance-based bonuses can be effective for short-term motivation, but their impact can be temporary, particularly if other key elements are missing, like having autonomy, feeling valued, and being able to engage in meaningful work," Spencer explained.
#2
Ice cream sandwiches.
We didn't get raises because "it was a tough year" and "your department didn't increase revenue" (we were R&D).
Our competitors brought an ice cream truck and parked it next door and were giving out free ice cream and applications and you could talk to their HR. They were specifically targeting our R&D team. Most of my coworkers went because it was a fancy ice cream truck they had seen but never bought from because it was expensive.
My director freaked out and told his EA to go get ice cream and told people not to go.
She came back with Value brand ice cream sandwiches. And only like 6 boxes. (There were 120 engineers in our department) I only remember the managers going over and getting them.
About two thirds of my team left within the next six months.
Edit: as my most up voted comment I'm gonna add - don't stay in that job. I did it for exactly as long as it took to vest and dipped. Best decision I ever made. They don't need you, go forth and be happy (or at least get paid what you deserve!).
We didn't get raises because "it was a tough year" and "your department didn't increase revenue" (we were R&D).
Our competitors brought an ice cream truck and parked it next door and were giving out free ice cream and applications and you could talk to their HR. They were specifically targeting our R&D team. Most of my coworkers went because it was a fancy ice cream truck they had seen but never bought from because it was expensive.
My director freaked out and told his EA to go get ice cream and told people not to go.
She came back with Value brand ice cream sandwiches. And only like 6 boxes. (There were 120 engineers in our department) I only remember the managers going over and getting them.
About two thirds of my team left within the next six months.
Edit: as my most up voted comment I'm gonna add - don't stay in that job. I did it for exactly as long as it took to vest and dipped. Best decision I ever made. They don't need you, go forth and be happy (or at least get paid what you deserve!).
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39points
#3
I worked at a big auction house for people with lots of money, doing manual labor. For Christmas we got a coupon for a cup of coffee.. from the coffee shop in the building. We had free coffee. I still have the coupon, it’s a nice reminder of what I walked away from.
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37points
"In terms of job satisfaction, bonuses are usually less important than other, more consistent factors like competitive base pay, opportunities for advancement, and a healthy work culture," Spencer said.
"So, while bonuses are nice, they work best when combined with other attributes that foster long-term satisfaction and intrinsic motivation."
#4
A Christmas card with signatures of the management team. It was Walmart ... why the hell do they think the associates would want a picture of the management team? We didn't even want to see the managers when we were working.
36points
#5
Not me, but a co-worker. Every Christmas, a corp I used to work for had a Christmas raffle. There were 2-3 decent prizes, the rest was 5-10 dollar garbage. Everyone got a ticket, and we gathered in the big conference room and it started.
I was sitting with my co-worker, and finally his ticket number was called (by the HR head, who tried with obvious fake sincerity to pump up each item like it was gold)
He walks up...and gets a f****n keychain fob that if you whistled, it would beep so you could find your car keys.
He takes it, walks back to my table and says, "I'm a grown man, I've never lost my car keys in my life", tosses the thing on the table, and walks out the door.
He came in the next week, cleared out his area, and walked the f**k out and was never seen again.
It was the final straw for him, lol.
I was sitting with my co-worker, and finally his ticket number was called (by the HR head, who tried with obvious fake sincerity to pump up each item like it was gold)
He walks up...and gets a f****n keychain fob that if you whistled, it would beep so you could find your car keys.
He takes it, walks back to my table and says, "I'm a grown man, I've never lost my car keys in my life", tosses the thing on the table, and walks out the door.
He came in the next week, cleared out his area, and walked the f**k out and was never seen again.
It was the final straw for him, lol.
32points
So, what makes a bonus bad? According to the career expert, the most common red flags are setting unrealistic targets, encouraging unhealthy competition, and requiring significantly more work.
A good bonus is the opposite of these things: it feels fair, achievable, and genuinely rewarding.
"It should be tied to clear criteria for attainability, timely in its delivery, consistent for all employees, and aligned with team and organizational goals," Spencer explained.
#6
I released a product that I thought of, worked with multiple engineers to develop, sourced internationally, sold $87M in the first quarter at 68% profit margins and I was quite literally asked “what’s next?”
Not a single thank you, no bonus, nothing. I single handedly saved the company from a margin crisis that would’ve tanked our stock costing shareholders and the executives countless millions of dollars. All I got was a “what’s next?”
Waited 4 months for my 5 year contract with them to expire and told them all in the nicest way possible to go f**k themselves. They scrambled to try and keep my and I explained that I wasn’t appreciated in a way I thought was worthy of the money I had made for the organization and that I was going to find a company that would compensate me according to my value. I did. In the process I went after them every chance I got and made a metric f**k ton of money in the process.
Greed will f**k you over. Corporations still haven’t figured it out.
Not a single thank you, no bonus, nothing. I single handedly saved the company from a margin crisis that would’ve tanked our stock costing shareholders and the executives countless millions of dollars. All I got was a “what’s next?”
Waited 4 months for my 5 year contract with them to expire and told them all in the nicest way possible to go f**k themselves. They scrambled to try and keep my and I explained that I wasn’t appreciated in a way I thought was worthy of the money I had made for the organization and that I was going to find a company that would compensate me according to my value. I did. In the process I went after them every chance I got and made a metric f**k ton of money in the process.
Greed will f**k you over. Corporations still haven’t figured it out.
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31points
#7
We had 11 workers quit on the spot because they wanted to have a meeting with the COO about their wages and schedules but he shut them down. Office was scrambling to replace them, it was chaos. Later that week they ordered pizza for everyone “to show their appreciation for their workers”. Pizza doesn’t pay my bills.
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29points
#8
Not me, but years ago, I worked in a call center and can win awards from doing most calls in an hour. This one girl wore long skirts only. She won a ticket to wear jeans but with her culture she doesn't do that. She wore a jeans long skirt and tried turning it and was told it doesn't work on skirts.
Whe tried explaining to them that she couldn't wear jeans and that the award given to her was meaningless since she couldn't use it. They basically told her that was a her problem. So she rebelled by having longer phone conversations.
Whe tried explaining to them that she couldn't wear jeans and that the award given to her was meaningless since she couldn't use it. They basically told her that was a her problem. So she rebelled by having longer phone conversations.
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29points
If a company doesn't have a budget to reward its workers, there are other routes it can take.
"Non-monetary bonuses like additional time off, increased flexibility, public recognition, or exclusive perks can be effective," Spencer said. "But they should reflect the needs and preferences of your employees."
#9
At my old job before this one, I was promoted. They couldn't give me a raise because "the economy, you know how it is", but they sure as hell could saddle me with twice as much work. I was there 3 1/2 years and never received a raise despite exemplary work. So when my coworkers were getting poached by a company we worked with, I threw my hat in the ring and was hired off my initial phone interview. When I handed them my notice, I made sure to say that my decision was based off "the economy, you know how it is".
Anyway, this coming September I'll have been with this job 15 years. Get annual raises, quarterly bonuses, a yearly bonus, and company stock. Know your worth and go somewhere where they value your worth.
Anyway, this coming September I'll have been with this job 15 years. Get annual raises, quarterly bonuses, a yearly bonus, and company stock. Know your worth and go somewhere where they value your worth.
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28points
#10
The biggest piece of cake...
Worked at a company for 9yrs and through some of its toughest times. I often worked unpaid overtime and went above and beyond. These were some of the highlights the boss pointed out while giving a recognition speech about me. He ended it with "most families save the biggest piece of chicken for the bread-winner, so keeping with that tradition, I'm offering you the biggest and first slice of cake".
After being recognized in such a manner, I waited for about a month for an actual monetary bonus. Upon receiving nothing, I put in my notice citing the speech and lack of actual reward for my efforts.
**Edit:** A lot of you are inquiring. Yes I had a one-on-one shortly after "cake time" with the boss asking about a monetary bonus and was reminded that the cake was my bonus. I followed up 2 weeks later to the same response before being told to drop it. When I gave my resignation he said it was shocked and in disbelief. Shortly after, I was offered 3 additional hours on my next paycheck to stay.
Worked at a company for 9yrs and through some of its toughest times. I often worked unpaid overtime and went above and beyond. These were some of the highlights the boss pointed out while giving a recognition speech about me. He ended it with "most families save the biggest piece of chicken for the bread-winner, so keeping with that tradition, I'm offering you the biggest and first slice of cake".
After being recognized in such a manner, I waited for about a month for an actual monetary bonus. Upon receiving nothing, I put in my notice citing the speech and lack of actual reward for my efforts.
**Edit:** A lot of you are inquiring. Yes I had a one-on-one shortly after "cake time" with the boss asking about a monetary bonus and was reminded that the cake was my bonus. I followed up 2 weeks later to the same response before being told to drop it. When I gave my resignation he said it was shocked and in disbelief. Shortly after, I was offered 3 additional hours on my next paycheck to stay.
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27points
#11
Work for a super small construction company. 15 people total small.
Won a $1.5m contract singlehandedly. Largest single contract in the company's 35 year history.
Didn't get s**t. Bosses both went on 3 vacations that year to various luxury locations around the globe.
Didn't get s**t.
Won a $1.5m contract singlehandedly. Largest single contract in the company's 35 year history.
Didn't get s**t. Bosses both went on 3 vacations that year to various luxury locations around the globe.
Didn't get s**t.
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26points
#12
A poker chip with "APPRECIATION" written on it
Literally a token of appreciation. 🙄.
Literally a token of appreciation. 🙄.
25points
#13
A $50 Amazon gift certificate. How could I feel bad about what was basically cash? I was part of a four person team that booked a $26 million software contract for my company, I wrote half of the proposal as software tech lead, and I cleaned up all of the text in the rest of the proposal. The other three were one level above me in the hierarchy, and one of them bought a Lexus with his bonus.
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24points
#14
A chocolate box with 5 small chocolates. To thank us for the release of a product that doubled the company's revenue.
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23points
#15
A certificate congratulating me on my 20 yr work anniversary.
Literally a piece of paper.
My wife has a better story though. The hospital she works at gave them a 50$ gift card for a chain jewelry store. They then taxed her on it as income and deducted it from her paycheck. She doesn't buy or wear jewelry.
The gift cost HER money.
And the hospital reported record profits that year due to all the layoffs.
Literally a piece of paper.
My wife has a better story though. The hospital she works at gave them a 50$ gift card for a chain jewelry store. They then taxed her on it as income and deducted it from her paycheck. She doesn't buy or wear jewelry.
The gift cost HER money.
And the hospital reported record profits that year due to all the layoffs.
23points
#16
Management had f****d up and their “solution” was to mandate 90+ hour weeks from everyone for several months. We were told that management will “make it right”. They announce that the president and CEO is coming to personally thank us and give us a “generous” bonus.
The day comes and sure enough, the guy rolls up in his $300k Mercedes, flaps his gobhole for a bit then has his assistant hand out envelopes with our bonus. The generous bonus? A $25 gift card to wal mart.
The day comes and sure enough, the guy rolls up in his $300k Mercedes, flaps his gobhole for a bit then has his assistant hand out envelopes with our bonus. The generous bonus? A $25 gift card to wal mart.
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23points
#17
Target, my annual review got me a.. 8 cent raise! Oh and if they increase the minimum wage you don’t keep the ‘bonus’ haha.
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22points
#18
$100 Amazon gift card - it was taxable, so I paid like $45 for it, and it got lost in the mail! They claimed they couldn’t replace it.
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22points
#19
I had to evacuate my house because of a wildfire and lived in a hotel for a month while the smoke damage was dealt with.
My boss wanted to send me a gift “because of what you’re going through.” A candle. The gift was a candle.
My boss wanted to send me a gift “because of what you’re going through.” A candle. The gift was a candle.
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22points
#20
Fired everyone in the department but me. Told me I was getting 10% bonus immediately and then another bonus on top of that. Got an email, .25 cent raise applied. I was cleaning out my office 30 minutes later and handed in the biggest professional “f**k you” resignation letter I’ve ever written. Was told I would never be paid what I expected, blah blah blah. I now work literally 10 hours a week and make double what I did there. They still call asking how to handle things and I laugh every time. I always tell them maybe ask legal or look at the policy. I’m not working there anymore, quit calling lmao.
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21points