Company throws team lunch to celebrate record profits, give employees $12 sandwich voucher while CEO gets $4.2 million bonus

Author image for JR Atkinson
JR Atkinson • Writer and Editor
May 20, 2026 10:00 AM EDT

Sometimes wealth inequality presents itself in uncomfortable ways. 

The juxtaposition between the kinds of wealth that exist inside the same company can be jarring. You think that you're all in it together, but when it comes to compensation, it couldn't be farther from the truth. That's why some corporate gestures at togetherness can feel empty, because you know it's just a bandaid over something deeper. There's also usually nothing good about a "mandatory" party. Parties should be fun enough that you want to go to them, not feel like you're obligated to for some strange reason. Work parties included. Sure, you make an effort to show up and generate some goodwill between you and your coworkers, but there should be something in it for you. At the very least, it shouldn't offend you. But that's exactly what happened here, in this story from a worker who was pretty fed up with the way their workplace was treating them. Nobody wants to feel like they're being disrespected, especially in the workplace. You want to feel like your bosses have your back and that they're not praying on your downfall. A little goes a long way in this regard. It doesn't take much to feel appreciated. There are certain things that hurt, though. Sometimes, a work party can feel like a slap in the face. It did in this situation, and the worker in question had a lot to say about it. 

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  • A business party where coworkers hold champagne
    via Unsplash+ (Getty Images)

    Image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

  • Company threw a "mandatory fun" team lunch to celebrate record profits. We got a $12 sandwich voucher. The CEO got a $4.2 million bonus.

    I know because the bonus was in the quarterly report that they sent to all employees two days before the lunch. I don't think anyone proofread the timing on that. We're sitting in a conference room with deli sandwiches and a sheet cake that said "GREAT WORK TEAM" in blue frosting,
    via IronVortex_5
  • and everyone has read the same PDF, and nobody is saying anything about it out loud because what are you going to say The sandwich was fine. Turkey on sourdough. They also had a vegetarian option which was just the same sandwich without the
    via IronVortex_5
  • turkey, so essentially bread, lettuce, and mustard. Someone from accounting brought up that the report mentioned record Q1 numbers and our manager said "yes it was a great quarter, that's what we're celebrating" and smiled, and that was the whole conversation. The cake had exactly the right number of slices for everyone present which
    via IronVortex_5
  • means someone counted us and portioned accordingly, which for some reason made it feel worse. I've been at this company for 4 years. In that time we've had two rounds of "restructuring" that each resulted in layoffs, been told
    via IronVortex_5
  • raises weren't possible due to budget constraints in three of those four years, and been asked to "do more with less" so many times that phrase has lost all meaning. And then the quarter where it finally pays off, visibly, in a document with his name on it and a very large number next to it, they bought us sandwiches and a sheet cake and called it a celebration.
    via IronVortex_5
  • I ate the sandwich. The cake was actually pretty good. I'm still thinking about it three days later and I dont think its the frosting.
    via IronVortex_5
  • A group of young coworkers sit together at a lunch table
    via Unsplash+ (Getty Images)

    Image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

  • You don't want to stay in a place that makes you feel bad. If your workplace is one of those, then it can be pretty rough going. You don't feel good about your place there, how they treat you, or the possibility of moving up. They treat you as disposable and as someone who's just a cog in a machine instead of a person. That's exactly what this employee was feeling when they reached out to the internet for a little advice. The way they saw it, they were being disrespected. The way the company saw it, they were doing their best to celebrate. Keep reading to see what happened here.

  • Commenters agreed that this wasn't a great plan on the boss's part.

    Excidiar Why is no one having fun? I specifically requested it.
    via Excidiar
  • IronVortex 5 OP we were having fun, we just couldn't say so out loud in a conference room with a cake that had our names counted on it
    via IronVortex_5
  • rednecronomicon I work for a school system. They took away our bonuses and raises but have funding for a new $750k building for three administrative employees, have bought nearing $500k in equipment that's not needed, and have removed college credit
    via rednecronomicon
  • classes for fear of them teaching about CRT or LGBT people. All while admins get their raises and their bonuses. F that. This year I have read almost 50 books while on the clock and started painting models again. I'll make back my bonus and raise one way or another, they can decide how.
    via rednecronomicon
  • JJBtch I wouldn't have attended at all. Mandatory or not. My job just went around and handed out Wal-Mart gift cards of 75 $. "For the gas in this current economic crisis." Was their reasoning.
    via JJBtch
  • behind. Appreciate the gesture but Wal-Mart does not have a contract with murphy's any longer. Funny thing is, we do all murphy store and Wal-Mart security. So, this should've been known by the people at the top. It probably was but everyone who went to get gas at Wal-Mart was SOL
    via JJBtch
  • because murphy's do not take Wal-Mart gift cards any longer. I knew this, so I sold mine for 60 bucks. Least I got a half tank of gas out of it. I feel like they care so much. /s
    via JJBtch
  • curious382 Divide 4.2 million by how many people got cake. That's the least they should give you for absorbing other roles' work into your jobs after the lay offs. It IS infuriating. They take you all
    via curious382
  • for granted, don't pay enough for the work they forced upon you, and now are rewarding your excellent performance by giving themselves bonuses.
    via curious382
  • LogicalSpeaker8805 Remember having fun is strictly mandatory. Failure to comply will be met with a write up and sanctions. Report any collaborator to your direct supervisor in case of not aligning with the fun events schedule. Help us build a healthy and fun working space.
    via LogicalSpeaker8805
  • Grumptastic2000 Well if your company has 350,000 employees those sandwiches add up to the same as the CEO so it's an equal split
    via Grumptastic2000
  • dudleymunta I don't know why companies. don't understand that doing nothing in these circumstances is better than doing something so pathetically small it becomes an insult.
    via dudleymunta
  • ΠΟΙΟΙΟΙΙ You got a sandwich? my old job record profit billion from Superbowl then on Tuesday we got laid-off.
    via ΠΟΙΟΙΟΙΙ

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