Employee hits 10-year anniversary at engineering job, boss rewards him with either a pizza kit or angel figurines worth $60: 'You actually get gifts?!'

Author image for JR Atkinson
JR Atkinson • Writer and Editor
Jul 20, 2025 10:00 AM EDT

Everyone likes to feel appreciated, and it doesn't take much. Nobody wants to feel like they're silently toiling away for an unspecified goal, forever. That's what the whole Sisyphus myth is about. Nobody wants to be the guy pushing the boulder up the hill just for it to roll back down and for him to have to start all over again. That's most people's idea of a bad time. 

But this is what it can feel like if you're not appreciated, especially at work. If you put a lot of effort into something, it's natural that you want to get something in return. Yes, you get the money. That's crucial. But you want that money to reflect the amount of work you put in, and you also want a little bit more than that. You want to know that you're seen. That you're valued. That you're not invisible. 

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  • 01

    10-years of service award, am I overreacting?

    Basically 10-years of service, given a list of "rewards" to choose from that are all junk and the most expensive thing is worth 60$. these are the same items that 5- years of service gets to choose from. Just feels really insulting and petty.
    via u/Qed1890
  • 02
    Cheezburger Image 10531390208
    via Owen Vangioni

    The image does not depict the actual subjects of the story. Subjects are models.

  • This is especially true if you've been working somewhere for a long time, say, 10 years. 10 years is a monumentally significant portion of one's life. It's probably longer than you've spent doing anything else. That's why this worker, when he hit his 10-year mark, expected a little more than what was offered to him. Read on for the details and see if he was overreacting. 

  • 03
    Example of some of the items: mailed pizza kit to make to pizzas, dog and angel wooden figurines, cassette boombox, inflatable pool seat, flashlight and a bunch of other really cheap amazon sh. Edit: Large engineering firm
    via u/Qed1890
  • 04

    Commenters had gripes of their own to air.

    This Assignment_8... 6d ago That's kind of sh, but on the other hand the company isn't exactly obliged to honor X years of service at all.
    via u/This_Assignment_8067
  • 05
    xXValtenXx • 6d ago Crown corporations arent even allowed to give you anything worth more than like 20 bucks. So.. ya i think sometimes people gotta zoom out.
    via u/xXValtenXx
  • 06
    Ecstatic_Ad_2114 6d ago • Are you just finding out your company doesn't gifs a f about you? it took you 10 years?
    via u/Ecstatic_Ad_2114
  • 07
    NinjaGrizzly Bear • 6d ago · It took my ex worker 40yrs and needed free lunch and a home theater system to even consider retiring. But they had a pension, vested, and guaranteed life insurance... amongst other perks. Probably worth $2.5MM when he tries to retire. I think he got heart disease from the stress, though.
    via u/NinjaGrizzlyBear
  • 08
    Cheezburger Image 10531390464
    via Jozsef Hocza

    The image does not depict the actual subjects of the story. Subjects are models.

  • 09
    Qed1890 OP. 6d ago No I know, i just figured this cant be the industry norm. just nice to know that im 6$ a year valuable. HI at 5-years i was 12$ a year valuable. guess that's depreciation.
    via u/Qed1890
  • 10
    Tardislass 6d ago • You actually get gifts?! Hate to tell you but most companies nowadays don't give people anything more than a pin.
    via u/Tardislass
  • 11
    SugarInvestigator • 6d ago Service rewards? I'm lucky I get paid every month
    via u/SugarInvestigator
  • 12
    Hellbent_bluebelt • 6d ago You know what I got for 10 years? Here's a pic.
    via u/Hellbent_bluebelt
  • 13
    Cocacola_Desierto 6d ago . what were you expecting? what are you overreacting to?
    via u/Cocacola_Desierto
  • 14
    cjroxs • 6d ago Beats a coffee cup from a hotel gift shop at a conference. Seriously that's what I got last September. Spend it and give it s the white elephant gift at the next holiday party.
    via u/cjroxs
  • 15
    Yeetin_Boomer_Act... 6d ago CHOOSE THE PIZZA PARTY
    via u/Yeetin_Boomer_Actual
  • 16
    permanentsarcasm... · 6d ago Worked for a company for 19 years. Never received anything but a plaque at 10 years.
    via u/permanentsarcasm100
  • 17
    Content-Elk-2037 6d ago • I've been at my job 22 years, the only time I got more than a mention in a company monthly meeting was for my 20 year. I got a big basket of personalized items and a gift card for a massage. They also recorded a video from old bosses and coworkers I've worked with for a long time & played that at the company Christmas party. That was nice.
    via u/Content-Elk-2037
  • 18
    brokebutuseful · 6d ago I always chuckle when I see "reward" gifts that have the company logo. Sure, I'll advertise for you as a reward for my service!
    via u/brokebutuseful
  • 19
    Opening_Belt9757 • 6d ago I have been at my job for over 30 years and people still don't know my name.
    via u/Opening_Belt9757
  • 20
    Alone_Panda2494 · 6d ago • If the firm you work for is really large and has a lot of employees and they're providing a $60 gift for each one every five years then that's a h I of a lot of money to spend on anniversary gifts. Many companies have stopped doing gifts at all since Co id. In this economy, I'd probably be grateful for a $25 gift card.
    via u/Alone_Panda2494
  • 21
    . Original_Flounder_18 6d ago At least you have choices. I got a glass trophy at 10 years at an old job. I think I tossed it
    via u/Original_Flounder_18
  • 22
    Hates-Picking-Names 6d ago . For my 5 year i got $25 to use at the company store that's just a bunch of branded junk. No thanks, keep it.
    via u/Hates-Picking-Names
  • 23
    Brilliant_Story_8709 · 6d ago Lol a cassette boom box.... would have been an awesome reward if it was still the 80s.... don't worry, when you hit 20 years they may have one of those new fangled disc-mans I keep hearing about.
    via u/Brilliant_Story_8709
  • 24
    Nice_Since_95 • 6d ago . Don't feel too bad I work for a subsidiary of a Fortune 500 company. At 5 & 10 year it was similar to OP's situation. At 15 years I found the most expensive thing they had to offer. A $200 watch. 31,200 hours (not including overtime) is worth a maximum of $200.
    via u/Nice_Since_95
  • 25
    Capable_Push4119 • 6d ago All my company does is recognize you (& everyone else who has reached a landmark anniversary) at the holiday party & give you a box of movie theater candy from the dollar store.
    via u/Capable_Push4119
  • 26
    chaz_Mac_z · 6d ago . Yep, engineering company, retired 2014 with 42 years of service. Every 5 year anniversary had some kind of award. The first 3 were tacky, pins with different color "gems" (we called it glass. from parking lot fender
    via u/chaz_Mac_z
  • 27
    benders), and the year. But, crystal candle holders, wall clocks, things like that with company logo, which I have. But possible gifts for later anniversaries included the gold watch, hardwood rocking chair from the Hitchcock furniture company,
    via u/chaz_Mac_z
  • 28
    jewelry. Of course, by the time I reached those milestones, those rewards were history. For my 40th, it was the catalog of stuff you probably already had, if you wanted it. But, I got a Zojirushi bread maker, worth $250 at the time, list price. I'm sure now the crop is much crappier, from top to bottom.
    via u/chaz_Mac_z
  • 29
    cargobroombroom • 6d ago I got a nice pair of binoculars. My dad got an electric carving knife. Different companies different industries. I could have chosen a fishing rod or a lapel pin or other stuff I didn't care about. It's all junk. No one cares. Pick something and move on.
    via u/cargobroombroom
  • 30
    RedYetti83 · 6d ago My company gives 400 hours of PRO. But then again, all companies do that for full- time employees here.
    via u/RedYetti83
  • 31
    bobbyboogie69 · 6d ago At my workplace we start service awards at 5 years and they are celebrated at 5 year intervals. We get some sort of symbolic gift like a plaque, but there is also a monetary gift starting at $500 and increasing by $500 at each interval. It's not huge, and you pay tax on it, but it's better than some sort of cheap trinket.
    via u/bobbyboogie69

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boss antiwork anniversary gifts workplace-stories toxic-workplace job bosses work coworkers working reddit story toxic-boss workplace reddit thread bad bosses Reddit toxic-work-environment
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