Reddit | Mrs-PB

20 Terrible Employee Holiday Gifts Companies Actually Thought Were Okay

Holiday bonuses used to be more common. A company, grateful for their employees' hard work, would offer them a bunch of bonus cash at the end of the year to reward them.

The practice is less common now, and has been replaced with...shall we say, lesser rewards. Let's look at some of the worst.

"It’s so tragic it’s almost funny. Surely this isn’t legal?"

Reddit | TheLordPresents

This is way, way worse than receiving no gift at all. There's no bonus here because it's all coming out of the paycheck. It just means that this employee is now more limited in where they can spend their money.

"My brother got a 'Sauage' as a holiday bonus."

Reddit | jbourne0129

I'm not one to look a, uh, gift sausage in the mouth (that's a thing people say, right?). That said, I'm not even sure this is a sausage at all. Surely this workplace could afford something better than sauage.

"My job's Thanksgiving gift to us. 7 years and this is how they appreciate us, with kid snacks."

Reddit | lil_Dumplins

These snacks would be awesome in the context of a workplace kitchen. As a bonus, though? It's a pretty lame gesture.

"My sister got this from work this week. It’s honestly just offensive 🙄"

Reddit | squashlolz

There's nothing better than receiving a novelty key that holds no value and can't open any doors. It's a sure sign that your employer doesn't really care about you.

"My girlfriend's boss handed this to her in her office saying, "These are being handed out from the company." I'm not sure if this is a Christmas gift. What do you all think?"

Reddit | Forex4x

It's safe to say that this workplace didn't break the bank with their holiday bonuses this year.

"Thank you bonus for all employees from the owner."

Reddit | AuCeallaigh

A nice bonus is one that encourages you to take it easy after working hard all year. The opposite would be a five cent bracelet that tells you that you need to keep working harder and harder.

"Our holiday 'bonus.' Yes that’s a $15 off coupon for a Butterball turkey."

This workplace could have simply gifted their employees actual turkeys, but that would have been too generous. Instead, they're offering their employees a slight discount on their Christmas turkey.

"Our Christmas bonus in one of the company's most profitable years. What is that, like $5 total?"

Reddit | Inuyasharlz

I like how the centerpiece of this bonus is a small bag of Goldfish crackers. Presumably this broke the bank, since the rest of the gift bag is basically just apples.

"My holiday 'bonus.'"

Reddit | dab20

These are the kinds of bonuses that are the most insulting: a little care package that seems nice on the surface, until you realize that the whole thing probably cost a couple of bucks and comes in lieu of an actual bonus.

"My Christmas gift from my boss. Fortune 500 company. No Christmas bonus, Post-it notes, 2 pieces of chocolate, pen, jeans one day."

Reddit | apocalypse31

This looks like it was cobbled together from somebody's junk drawer. It's nice that they're letting their employees wear jeans for one day in the future.

"Recalling when Air Canada gave my partner a plastic Christmas ornament instead of a Christmas bonus."

Reddit | embracingparadox

Hey, do you work hard for a multi-billion dollar airline? Yes? Well, make sure to enjoy your Christmas bonus. It looks like it cost maybe a cent to produce, though the cost of the thread might drive things up.

"Here's my Christmas bonus for being a #FrontLineHero."

Reddit | grobend

Is that just, like, a bun? A simple, unadorned kaiser roll with no card or well wishes? I mean, it isn't even a proper sandwich. You can buy a dozen of these from the grocery store for a couple of bucks.

"12 years at a company working 9-8. Here's the Christmas bonus."

Reddit | lavish_kp

Twelve years working at a company for three free burgers, huh? That means that, for every four years of hard work, employees can expect to receive one delicious entree from Whataburger.

"Imagine getting this as a gift bag from your boss…"

Reddit | Formal-Concern

These are semi-bougie products, sure, but the overall value of this gift bag is negligible. It's little gestures like these that make employees give up on any sense of loyalty to the company they work for.

"I work for a multi-billion dollar public university. They are asking for contributions to pay the support staff Christmas bonus (I don’t even get a bonus)."

Reddit | Trite-Pessimist

It seems like a large university shouldn't need to crowdfund Christmas bonuses, and yet here we are.

The sentence: "What's required from you, if you wish to participate (this is voluntary)..." is such a weird way to phrase things.

"The warehouse I work at had us all come in on Thanksgiving and this is how they showed us their gratitude."

Reddit | Dukedyduke

I like crunchy Cheetos as much as the next guy, but c'mon, this isn't even a big bag. Imagine coming in on the Thanksgiving holiday just to be given this.

"Got my holiday bonus!!!! …………"

Reddit | Mrs-PB

Apples are a great way to fill out a gift assortment for someone you don't care about. They're cheap, they're heavy, and they send a clear message about how much you value the person you're gifting them to.

"Thanks for the rubber band and single Starburst but can we just have a reasonable workload instead?"

Reddit | Its_Only_Cindy

Here's another gift assortment that was apparently cobbled together from whatever the boss found in their pocket at the end of the day. I'm sure that rubber band will come in handy.

"My dad, who has worked for his employer for 22 years, sharing his 'thank you' for the holidays. They pay him less than $18/hr. Doing this is more insulting than doing nothing at all."

Reddit | rxb73

Getting an orange for the holidays was a big deal in the 19th century. In the 21st century? Not so much.

"My mother’s completely unironic 'Christmas bonus' this year..."

Reddit | MegaBeefBowl

It's good that this employer didn't break the bank. If they'd given people more than one toothpick or a nickel instead of a penny, they'd risk their employees getting overly complacent. It's important to keep them motivated.

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