Employee shares company gifted ‘pen, crackers, candy’ instead of appraisal: ‘Yai bhi kyu diya’

As rising prices continue to strain household budgets and many employees wait for annual appraisals, a viral Reddit post has triggered a fresh debate over workplace rewards and employee appreciation.

A worker took to Reddit’s r/mildlyinfuriating forum to share what they claimed was their company’s version of an “end-of-year raise.” Instead of a salary hike or bonus, employees reportedly received a small goodie bag containing a water bottle, a pen, crackers, a single piece of candy, and what appeared to be either a measuring tape or a small toy.

“Instead of a raise, the company gave out 'goodie bags.' Yes, this is all that came in it,” the employee wrote in the post’s title.

The company was not identified in the post, but the image quickly gained traction online. The post received more than 7,500 upvotes and hundreds of comments from users who criticised the gesture and shared similar workplace experiences.

“It would have been less offensive to give nothing at all,” one commenter wrote.

Another user advised the employee to leave the organisation, writing, “They don't deserve your two weeks notice when you find something better.”

A third commenter mocked the contents of the bag, saying, “They gave you half of a kindergartener's snacks and some office supplies? Was the water also a gift? Almost hard to believe half of this isn't from the break room.” Another quipped: "Yai bhi kyu diya?'

One Reddit user recalled an incident involving their mother, who worked in human resources at a previous company.

“True story: My mom lost it at her old job after something like this. She worked HR, and saw that the executives all got $300k bonuses. The bonus they got for the employees? Everyone got a chocolate chip cookie. 1 cookie. They came around with a box and everyone was allowed to take 1,” the commenter wrote.

The discussion has since reignited conversations online about employee morale, workplace culture, and the growing disconnect many workers feel between company profits and staff recognition.

Meanwhile, another Reddit user earlier this month voiced frustration over an appraisal that decreased his take-home pay. The employee said the increment proved ineffective because, the following month, he noticed a drop in his salary after being moved to a higher tax bracket.

“One month later (yesterday), my salary was credited, turns out, I’ve been moved to the next tax slab, and I don’t know the exact math, but I ended up getting 1.5k less than before. Is there anything I can do about it other than cry to myself?" he wrote on Reddit.

(Disclaimer: This report is based on user-generated content shared on social media. LiveMint has not independently verified the claims and does not endorse them.)