Company founder withholds paychecks from employees under the guise of a ‘patience-building initiative’ in a viral post circulating on social media

Author image for Lana DeGaetano
Lana DeGaetano • "Show me to me please."
Nov 29, 2025 10:00 AM EST

Labor laws protect the average employee because, well, we don't have much wiggle room to allow ourselves to be taken advantage of. Sure, the one-off late night in the office to meet a deadline isn't exactly our cup of tea, but it won't set the tone for the rest of our careers. If we allow ourselves to be walked all over time and time again, however, we are accepting the respect (or lack thereof) that we think we deserve. So, stand up, employees, and behold the law. There's a reason why there are so many labor laws in place to protect the small guys on the workforce food chain, similar to the way tenants are protected compared to landlords. The little guys don't have a lot of leverage, so the law makes up for that.

Withholding pay, for one, is illegal. Like, super illegal. Even if an employee is one of the worst employees in the world, you cannot deduct or withhold their paychecks. So, when the founder of this viral post circulating on the internet sends an email out to their team highlighting a "patience-building initiative" by way of holding onto their employees' paychecks, the internet goes wild. What would you do if your CEO sent you this email? Scroll to read Redditors' reactions.

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