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People Share 21 Examples Of Their Hard Work Being “Rewarded” With Nothing
Article created by: Gabija Palšytė
Hard work is the key to success, right? From a young age, we are taught that buckling down, staying loyal, and going above and beyond will eventually pay off and lead to something good. Employers want us to believe that taking on additional tasks, staying late, and helping out our co-workers will advance our careers. But unfortunately, this isn’t necessarily true.
Sometimes, people who work beyond the narrow boundaries of their job get "rewarded" with nothing in return. Like Ben, a Twitter user who shared how he closed a $7.5 million contract at work and "got a $20 gift card for Subway as thanks." The post quickly triggered an avalanche of responses and proved this is far from an isolated case.
Eventually, it made its way to the 'AntiWork' subreddit, where fellow members chimed in with examples of how bending over backward for a job just isn't worth it. We at Bored Panda have gathered some of the most infuriating stories from the comments section to share with you all. So continue scrolling, upvote the ones that ring true to you, and if you have any similar experiences to share, let us know all about them in the comments.
Then after you’re done reading through these replies, be sure to check out our earlier piece filled with cases of employees who went the extra mile just to be taken advantage of right here.
This post may include affiliate links.
#1
I remember at my old job my supervisor went around and gave us like 20 dollar gift cards to Walmart like the last day or two before our Christmas break. I remember thinking “wow 20 dollars to Walmart, is that all they can afford?” BUT THEN I found out actually, my supervisor himself went and bought all of them with his own money for all of us on his shift. Then I just felt bad for him honestly
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#2
My first job out of college I did data analysis that was crucial to my division winning a contract bid that generated $10 million annually (in 1995).
Managers involved in the bid got bonuses of $25k and up.
I got a 4 function calculator with a plaque on it that said "A World Of Thanks".
One colleague that got a 50k bonus asked for it to be split with her and her team of 4 and was told no. So she wrote them all $10k personal checks.
#3
Most supervisors, like myself, only make like 10% more that our staff. I buy my 3 staff a $100 gift card every new year as a thank you. I buy it with my own money and it’s because I truly appreciate them making my life easier.
#4
For 25 years of service at Ford they gave me a “ Have a drink on us” card worth $2 at our cafeteria.
#5
For working double shifts at a nursing home in the pandemic I got a coupon for $15 off a turkey at the grocery store. I’m a vegetarian.
#6
I closed a 7M contract in 2007 and got a slap on the back and a cheap bottle of bourbon. My boss got a Lexus and his boss bought a luxury swimming pool to match his luxury gated home.
#7
My dad worked risk management for American Express. Found an error that would’ve cost 5 mill or so. He got a glass paperweight.
#8
gf been at her job for 30 years ... had 2 years in a row of perfect attendance .... she got a plastic cup and canvas bag with company logos on them. I told her she should have gotten a raise
#9
During the last 6 months my company had record revenue & profits and got acquired, no promotions and all people got were 2-3% increases. Ive never seen so many people quit, must be over 20 people already in that same timeframe, including me just got a new job with double pay starting next week
#10
A former employer offered me a $500 gift card for a $3m contract. I resigned, and the company I was trying to bring on told them they would never to a contract with them unless I was the one running it.
#11
Years ago, I worked at a tech startup spun off from a major manufacturer. They had their hands in a few different fields like beverage dispensing, RFID, and amusement games. I was moved into their production department and helped them grow their profits from $1m a year to $1m a month consistently the entire time I was in that role. My reward for helping turn record profits was getting fired because an audit showed around $80 in shipping labels wasted. Gotta love it!
#12
I fixed an unsupported out of date application that no one else could figure out, and would have cost the company millions of dollars to replace. That got me a 3.7 out of 5 instead of a 3 on my review.
#13
My crew worked on the first of 4 nuclear reactors to be refurbished over the last 5 years. We’re halfway through the second and we’ve blown our previous work out of the water and broke world records on this type of refurb on this type of reactor by MONTHS, completing the work right and safe. Every stage of the job we’ve been told to pat ourselves on the back literally saving our contractor and our customer hundreds of millions. I haven’t even got a cup of coffee.
And they wonder why the guys with training and experience keep leaving to go back to the oil fields and refineries.
#14
I found $100,000 that hadn't been collected, and created the policy that resolved that system error. I didn't even get a thank you.
#15
A couple jobs ago, worked at a place where morale was low - supervisors were awful, pay low, productivity requirements ridiculous and ended up with many people taking work home to do unpaid. Powers that be decided an additional mandatory monthly meeting where one person would be given a balloon and a five dollar box of chocolates for "going above and beyond" would fix it. Ended up my entire department except two left within a few weeks of each other.
#16
Do a good job and they reward you with more work. I used to be a "company man" till I learned that lesson. These days I only go above and beyond so me and the rest of the boys don't have to put in more than 40 a week.
#17
My 30 yr bonus after making my company over $115M in sales was $100. That's it. $100. Oh, and I'm "maxed out" in compensation and will not get any raise that even begins to counter inflation, so every year I continue to work is a cut in pay. Good times.
#20
One time I found and solved a series of inaccuracies in company records that could have lead to a huge lawsuit. Like, I saved the company from a giant scandal.
They gave me a piece of paper that had a cartoon businessman on it who was saying "You're a hero!"
When I asked for a raise a month later they said my level of work wasn't noticably above other people with more seniority. So I stopped coming in early and staying late. Stopped coming in on days off for them.
edit: for those wondering, apparently this isn't a common thing. When a supervisor or manager asks you to come in to work on your day off, they're most likely asking you to cover a shift or because the workload is higher than expected. They still have to pay you and do still pay you. It's your choice as to whether or not you go in for them, but if you do they still pay you. Sorry, I thought this was common knowledge.
#21
I have helped bring in about $135 million in donations to my employer. My bonus is my job is unionized.
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