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So I hope I've established the idea that expectation creates its own gravity, but at this company Christmas lunch, it crushed the room flat. Every December, the construction crew showed up not just for food or the bonus but for the rhythm of the ritual itself. The vice president usually played host, giving that end-of-year speech about teamwork and gratitude that everyone politely clapped through, then passing out gifts and envelopes that turned fatigue into something resembling pride. This year, nothing. Just the sound of silverware and confusion. The ceremony collapsed, and with it the illusion that good work would always be met with goodwill.
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No Christmas bonus
Image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.
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People built an emotional routine around this event, and when reality refused to play its part, it felt personal. The missing bonus was not just a financial absence, it was an existential one. It said, without words, that recognition only counts until someone decides it does not. The workers kept looking for the cues they had come to expect: the speech, the thank you, the human touch, and got a corporate freeze instead.
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Image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.
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So these workers just faced the understanding that pretty much all of us face at some point, and that is that effort does not equal appreciation. The new rule that expectation is just something to manage, not respect. Reality may be colder, but at least now it is honest.
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