If you’re one of those lucky people who get a work holiday bonus or a fancy gift from your boss every year, count your blessings.
Because some people really get boozed when it comes to corporate holiday gifts.
A recent Reddit thread detailed how bad some companies are at giving employees Christmas gifts every year.
And we’re talking gifts bad enough to get you out of the job, like homemade pens, leftover company coffee mugs, and gift cards that were later deducted from people’s paychecks.
In the annals of the worst employers of all time, these people must rank near the top of the bad guy list.
Here are Reddit’s worst holiday giveaways from miserly employers.
Some people received gifts from their employers that they ended up having to pay for.
This experience was shocking among Redditors, and it came in all sorts of forms, like someone receiving an award for which they “had to pay taxes on the physical metal they gave me.”
Then there was one person whose company gave everyone a $50 bonus and then “garnished it from our bank account on Boxing Day.”
Somehow, Clark’s boss in “Christmas Vacation” seems downright generous by comparison, doesn’t it?
But perhaps the weirdest and most “oh come *on*” form was one person who said they got a discount on company party tickets.
Who has layers of pantyhose, if you think about it – who’s ever heard of charging employees to go to a company party in the first place? Seriously?
Worse still, the company he works for is a “multi-billion dollar Fortune 100 company”. I guess charging your employees $50 to go to a work party has its perks.
Someone calls Santa and makes sure that guy’s boss ends up on the naughty list.
Lots of people have been given totally useless gift cards – for a non-existent Starbucks and a real, literal murder scene.
A gift card that turns out to be an empty gift is bad enough – and there were a lot of people who received them.
But some people on Reddit have received gift cards that give new meaning to the words “no thanks.”
One person received a Starbucks gift card – for the low price of $5 – despite the fact that “the nearest Starbucks is 110 miles (176 km) away”. Car trip?
Another person received a gift card for Applebee’s, where “there was a last murder in my town and it closed in November.”
At that point, you might as well punch your employees in the face and shout “Merry Christmas” through a megaphone. Eliminate the middleman!
But there was one awful Christmas present for the employees that towered over them all.
There were so many Redditors who received truly awful gifts from their bosses that were downright cheap, even more than a stocked bonus if you can believe it.
A user received “a 3 times too big corporate t-shirt with a piece of Dove chocolate”.
Another received “leftover promotional coffee mugs”. They noted that their “personal favorite was the one that said ‘We appreciate your business! “”
Really, why bother digging up old corporate loot when you can just drop a garbage bag on everyone’s desk and stick a bow on it. Your employees will feel equally appreciated!
But there was one stingy boss called Redditors whose giveaway — and we mean that in the loosest sense possible — really took the cake.
Nothing says “thank you for your hard work” like a personalized homemade gift, does it? Except when it’s this one:
“My mom’s boss gave everyone a pen (a really shitty normal pen) with their names printed on normal white printer paper that was taped to the side of the pen.”
“It seems made up to me even as I type it, but it’s still in our junk drawer.”
Honestly, it’s such an unprecedented level of laziness and daring that you kind of have to respect it. Not everyone would have the courage. Credit where credit is due!
John Sundholm is a news and entertainment writer who covers pop culture, social justice, and human interest topics.
0 Comments