Entitled company makes employees bring own food to worker appreciation potluck, employee retaliates by taking unauthorized leave to cook: 'I was going to leave 3 hours early'

It is not exactly groundbreaking to state that there are many disappointments in the working world. Still, there are plenty of companies who manage to stun and annoy those who work for them by constantly setting the bar even lower than expected. While most people clock into their jobs expecting to have to deal with a certain level of BS, it can seem like upper management is always conspiring with a new way to make things more degrading. Such is the average employee experience.

One thing that many learn early on in their careers is that the purported benefits of most jobs are not all that they are cracked up to be. They are the equivalent of the end-of-year class pizza party at school, except instead of being funded by a teacher trying their best, they have been organized by a disdainful HR person. It doesn't exactly act as a morale booster.

Author image for Ally Perry Ally Perry
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  • This is something that one worker railed against when the toxic corporation she worked for put on a social event with a particularly insulting stipulation. The company claimed to be organizing an employee appreciation potluck, and it was expected that every employee would cook for it instead of providing food. 

    Annoyed that work would be taking up some of her precious hours away from it, this worker decided to use the stringent overtime policy to her benefit. In a satisfying case of malicious compliance, it led to her department eventually being provided with food.

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    Want me to cook for my own "appreciation" event? Gotta make sure I don't violate the overtime policy!

    Years ago, I worked in a satellite office of a large department (300+ people) in a giant corporation. Half of the staff had salary/benefits while my half was hourly contractors. The department was run by two vindictive women who were wholly responsible for the toxic environment. They loved talking about how much they were like sisters; I loved pointing out that when you have sisters like them, one of them ends up under Dorothy's house. Like most companies, they were constantly blowing smoke up e
    via tvcity6455
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    Of course, the other shoe inevitably dropped: the company was providing only soft drinks as alcol on company property is forbidden (except when it isn't). The only food at this "appreciation" potluck was what employees were expected to make ("nothing store-bought - share some love with us!"). They couldn't put it in writing, but it got around that failing to cook something would be "noted." It's tough when the company won't give you a budget, but it's tone deaf and insulting to demand people giv
    via tvcity6455
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    Two days before the potluck while on a call with my boss, I dropped the live grenade in her lap: Boss: oh, before we go, I wanted to ask why you declined my Outlook invite for tomorrow afternoon. What's up? Me: oh I need to leave early tomorrow to cook for the potluck since I assume you can't authorize overtime for it.
    via tvcity6455
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    Me: My recipe takes an hour or so to cook and the actual potluck is another 2 after business hours, so I was going to leave 3 hours early to keep myself at 40 hours this week. Boss: wait, you expect to get paid for cooking? Me: Half this staff is hourly contractors. Does this for-profit company expect 150 contractors to donate 3 or more hours of their personal time for their own appreciation meal? Boss: oh my God... nobody thought of how this looks? [she was asking herself more than me]
    via tvcity6455
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    In the end, they moved the potluck to lunchtime (during paid time for contractors) and bought our office pizzas - only our office. We were, however, instructed not to be eating the pizza when we Skyped in because everyone else would get upset. And yes, all the satellite offices were Skyping in like this was the Dunder Mifflin Infinity launch.
    via tvcity6455
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    People loved this act of revenge, and many had their own stories about rejecting the demands of entitled bosses.

    lizzyote I love when employee appreciation events require the employees spend their time and money just for the company to take credit for it. If you're paycheck to paycheck, f your electric bill.
    via lizzyote
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    ReactsWithWords Like when stores ask if you'd like to donate to some nonprofit. Why yes, I'd love your company to get a tax deduction for my money!
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    InformalCry147 Reminds of one boss who planned a work Christmas do at an expensive restaurant that we were expected to pay for ourselves. He was livid when only two of his higher paid office buddies showed up. When he confronted us the next Monday we told him we werent paid enough to eat there. You could tell by his expression that it had never occurred to him that the Warehouse workers he was paying minimum wage to couldn't splash out on dinner.
    via InformalCry147
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    SATerp Man, that's some nerve even to have an "Appreciation pot luck." These two things are not the same.
    via SATerp
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    tvcity6455 OP It did show how much the company appreciated us... not at all.
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    Fianna9 I'm a paramedic and we do staff appreciation lunches during EMS week. if you happen to be working the day your area of the city is hosting and if you have time between calls and if you can get permission to drive out of your coverage zone you might make it to get you lunch and be told how much every one appreciates you.
    via Fianna9
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    Wiseness1037 I remember a Christmas lunch where we all had to bring a dessert. Which would have been fine but what got me angry was the vice president who oversaw our group. She relentlessly bragged about her pool, her hot tub, fancy car...vacations.....yada yada yada. She ordered pizza for the Christmas lunch and we all had to chip in $10 bucks each to cover the cost of the pizza and soda. I don't even eat that much.
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    planet-seems-lost Years ago I worked for a company that allotted so much per employee for a holiday lunch. My boss decided he would have staff over to his house, in the evening. We were each assigned a particular dish to bring (including the recipe). He asked our secretary to serve the meal. She did not show up. Another colleague, who was supposed to bring rutabaga, did not attend either. I brought the required flan and the boss's wife took it in the kitchen and served her own. We were to turn i
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    information_abyss I enjoy cooking and sharing food with my coworkers. Wouldn't force that on anyone though. And I've gotten sick from two potlucks...
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    tvcity6455 OP That's great if you enjoy it! I barely cook for myself, much less anyone else haha
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    MyGoodDood22 I've done a mandated potluck appreciation thing. Except I got turned down to leave during the day to get ingredients and to cook. So I brought my open bag of cereal and a gallon of milk. No.spoon and no bowls bc I we were told they were bringing all the utensils and plateware. Kinda got chewed out but nothing serious. o well.
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    elite_meimei Oh that was so satisfying, nice work! Our office hosts a Winter Holiday potluck every year...you know, in the main office. Where 30 management and HR staff work. While the 220 transit workers are out driving routes from 4:30 am - 11:45 pm. I suppose to their credit they do all bring in food. And then they dig in at noon for lunch and eat everything while the people keeping the actual system running are out working. When you come through to clock out the building still smells like fo
    via elite_meimei
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    conditerite Postscript: They couldn't put it in writing, but it got around that failing to cook something having more than 2 slices of the pizza would be "noted."
    via conditerite
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    thedeliman1 I wanted them thoroughly, inescapably embarrassed. God this is a good description. Working for disrespectful bosses in dysfunctional companies, here it is. This is the sentence.
    via thedeliman1
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    Illuminatus-Prime If the "appreciation" event was off-site, I usually volunteered to stay behind and "mind the store". If it was on-site, I would somehow get an "emergency" call just beforehand and have to go off-site to handle it. But if there was free pizza and/or fresh donuts, I somehow managed to stick around.
    via Illuminatus-Prime
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