Company forgets employee's 10 year anniversary, then apologizes by giving them a hoodie that's too small

• 01
  
  via Getty Images

  Smiling bosses refuse to award long-time employee. 

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

• This worker shared that they've been working at the same company for 10 years. What an accomplishment! That's a huge chunk of their life that they've dedicated to the biz. And yet… crickets from the company. 

  My company forgot my 10 year anniversary (but remembered my managers last year)....

  ....and then when they remembered, let me know that the loyalty bonus scheme had been stopped, but they'd still try and send me "something nice".

  Oh… yikes. 

• 02
  
  via Frank von Hulst

  Closet full of black and gray hoodies. 

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

• So, not off to a great start. 

  While it's interesting that they remembered that a manager worked there for 10 years, I wonder if the manager had been yapping about it before the actual anniversary of the date came up. Maybe that would've swayed the higher-ups into providing a loyalty bonus. That actually seems like a fantastic way to keep employees around… but these days, I think many companies would rather have a freshly-rotating cast of entry level workers that they can pay peanuts. Having workers rise through the ranks and demand higher pay and more vacation time doesn't make the company more money, so therefore, it must be a bad decision. Sigh. 

  Well, at least this person told the company about it. The company did provide them with “something nice,” if your definition of something nice is “worthless company merch.” 

  It turned out to be a company branded mug, and hoodie, but the hoodie was two sizes too small.

• 03
  
  via Getty Images

  Group of 3 employees work together.

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

• This is one of those situations where just doing nothing might've been the better way to go!

  I mean really, what were they thinking? Why would they… do that? 

  I don't actually mind getting company merch now and then. I actually got a coffee mug from this job that I use all the time for my morning espresso. But I like the mug because it's actually cute, and because it's useful, which are 2 things that merch should always be, lest it discover a trash can instead of an employee's home. I've never cared for merch that's like, a cheap squishy ball with a brand name, or a generic ball-point pen with a label slapped on it. A backpack could be good merch, or one of those coozies that you can put a drink in. If i was in charge of making modern-day company merch, I would make Stanley cups with branding on them! I also once got a branded blanket from a former job I worked at, which was brilliant because that office was frigid at all times. It felt like a playful but thoughtful gesture aimed toward solving an employee issue. 

  A hoodie could be good merch in theory, but again, only if it's cute! If it's not stylish, it's just going to end up in the back of a closet somewhere. 

  It's also kind of funny in a way that the company sent over a hoodie that was too small. Because they could've easily set an oversized hoodie, which, as we all know, are really cozy for just like sitting around the house and watching TV. A too-big hoodie may look silly, yet have its uses. A too small hoodie? Can't do much with that. I guess you could put it on your dog. But your dog doesn't work there. Dogs are usually unemployed. 

  So, this employee is rightly infuriated by this whole situation. They added on an addendum to address some criticisms from the peanut gallery: 

  Edit: I think I need to clarify because people seem to be misunderstanding the source of my mild infuriation. It's not that I don't know this is "just a job" or the company doesn't "care" about me. It's simply that I missed out on a bonus by one year.

  The fact the "replacement" reward was a hoodie I can't wear was just the hilarious cherry on top.

  Some folks did sympathize with them, though!

• 04
  
  via Getty Images

  Worker shares thoughts with fellow employees during a meeting.

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

• Easy_Lengthiness7179

  Dont worry, they will bring back the bonus in a year or two when the other manager reaches their anniversary.

   

  wasnapping

  Hit 25 years recently and I got a ppt slide in a monthly meeting with a gif of some off-brand dancing Charlie Brown character I've never seen before with a "great job!" Never forget it's just a job.

  Davedamon - OP

  I think you misunderstood (or maybe I wasn't clear)—it's the fact that between last year and now they dropped the 10 year loyalty bonus and the hoodie they sent in its stead was too small which was just salt on the wound.

  
  Honey99Well

  Sending branded clothing to employees is just r*de all around. 1. The employee works for you, they don't want to be your walking advertisement. 2. They either have to ask the employee what size they wear, or some one has to guess their size. Neither of those is appropriate in the workplace.

  Davedamon - OP

  While I personally don't have an objection based on point 1 (I don't mind branded clothing that much because I work in a sector where it's not as obnoxious), point 2 is bang on. My previous job, what they'd do is say "get something from the company merch portal" and you could pick what you wanted, what colour, and importantly what size. But you're right that both asking and guessing sizes are not workplace appropriate.

• 05
  
  via Nastuh Abootalebi

  Empty workspace displaying chairs in a large conference room. 

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

Tags