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People Are Sharing The Worst ‘Motivational Gifts’ They’ve Received After One Person Said They Got A 10-Minute Break
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People Are Sharing The Worst ‘Motivational Gifts’ They’ve Received After One Person Said They Got A 10-Minute Break

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Corporations are not your friends. Some of you Pandas way in the back might not have heard us, so let’s repeat it, shall we? Corporations are not your friends! True, some companies might be better than others when it comes to culture, wages, and career growth. Unfortunately, they’re often the exception. There are so many delusional managers who are completely out of touch with reality that it’s utterly ridiculous.

Case in point, redditor u/No-Satisfaction-749 went viral on the well-known r/antiwork subreddit after sharing a photo of the ‘prize’ she ‘won’ at her former workplace, a law firm. The OP revealed that she was rewarded with—[drumroll]—a 10-minute break. Yup, you read that right. No, we can’t stop facepalming either. Remember, this is a law firm we’re talking about.

The redditor’s post resonated with so many people, they started sharing their own awful experiences at work and opinions about just how cheap some companies can get with what they offer. If this won’t convince you we’re living in a clown world, we don’t know what will.

Bored Panda has reached out to u/No-Satisfaction-749 vis Reddit, and we’ll update the article as soon as we hear back from her.

There are plenty of good ways to motivate your employees. Giving them an extra 10-minute break isn’t one of them

A redditor went viral after sharing how she quit her job at a law firm not long after ‘winning’ this insulting ‘prize’

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Image source: No-Satisfaction-749

Redditor u/No-Satisfaction-749, the author of the post, shared how she quit soon after getting [cough] ‘rewarded’ [cough] with the 10-minute break. Getting a ‘prize’ like that is bizarre. It’s ridiculous. And anyone who thinks that this sort of stuff motivates anyone seriously needs to get their head out of the clouds and talk to someone who isn’t a mid or senior-level manager.

Oh, but that’s not the worst of it. You see, the 10-minute break had some extra rules and conditions that made it look more like an insult than anything else. Not only did you have to give a day’s notice before taking your break, you also couldn’t use it to extend your regular breaks. Moreover, the coupon expires in a month.

It almost sounds like a bad April Fools’ joke. Alas! That’s just how some corporate employees think that management works. Who needs good benefits, cost-of-living adjustments, flexible work hours, and supportive bosses who don’t demean you when you get silly little breaks?!

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Some internet users shared their similar experiences with awful workplace motivation

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David Radin, the director of business development at Dale Carnegie’s leadership training institute in the US, explained to BBC Worklife that not enough attention is given to the human side of leading employees. “You don’t become a leader because of your position. You become a leader because people want to follow you,” he said.

Meanwhile, Canadian philanthropist, researcher, and management consultant Andrew Fass told the BBC that mid-level executives ought to inspire others by considering how they themselves would like to be inspired by the leaders above them.

“Become a role model by understanding how you want to be managed. Once you understand how you want to be managed, you can apply it to others,” Fass explained.

Bored Panda has recently written about why the best way to quit is actually not to quit, but to negotiate a severance package. That way, you create a situation where everyone wins. Your boss and coworkers can have an easier transition while they look for someone to replace you and you help train them.

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Meanwhile, you’ll end up with a financial cushion as you look for another job, take some well-deserved time off, or work on a passion project. In some cases, compromises can work wonders. In other cases, there’s nothing left to be said, and it’s best to part ways as soon as possible. Nobody can make that decision for you.

Meanwhile, here’s how some other people reacted to the coupon for the extra break at work

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Image source: knobwobble

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Jonas Grinevičius

Jonas Grinevičius

Writer, BoredPanda staff

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Storytelling, journalism, and art are a core part of who I am. I've been writing and drawing ever since I could walk—there is nothing else I'd rather do. My formal education, however, is focused on politics, philosophy, and economics because I've always been curious about the gap between the ideal and the real. At work, I'm a Senior Writer and I cover a broad range of topics that I'm passionate about: from psychology and changes in work culture to healthy living, relationships, and design. In my spare time, I'm an avid hiker and reader, enjoy writing short stories, and love to doodle. I thrive when I'm outdoors, going on small adventures in nature. However, you can also find me enjoying a big mug of coffee with a good book (or ten) and entertaining friends with fantasy tabletop games and sci-fi movies.

Read less »
Jonas Grinevičius

Jonas Grinevičius

Writer, BoredPanda staff

Storytelling, journalism, and art are a core part of who I am. I've been writing and drawing ever since I could walk—there is nothing else I'd rather do. My formal education, however, is focused on politics, philosophy, and economics because I've always been curious about the gap between the ideal and the real. At work, I'm a Senior Writer and I cover a broad range of topics that I'm passionate about: from psychology and changes in work culture to healthy living, relationships, and design. In my spare time, I'm an avid hiker and reader, enjoy writing short stories, and love to doodle. I thrive when I'm outdoors, going on small adventures in nature. However, you can also find me enjoying a big mug of coffee with a good book (or ten) and entertaining friends with fantasy tabletop games and sci-fi movies.

Kotryna Br

Kotryna Br

Author, BoredPanda staff

Read more »

Kotryna is a Photo Editor at Bored Panda with a BA in Graphic Design. Before Bored Panda, she worked as a freelance graphic designer and illiustrator. When not editing, she enjoys working with clay, drawing, playing board games and drinking good tea.

Read less »

Kotryna Br

Kotryna Br

Author, BoredPanda staff

Kotryna is a Photo Editor at Bored Panda with a BA in Graphic Design. Before Bored Panda, she worked as a freelance graphic designer and illiustrator. When not editing, she enjoys working with clay, drawing, playing board games and drinking good tea.

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natie marie
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

This is actually a joke in Outer Worlds, a game where it’s a dystopian future in late stage capitalism where the world is controlled by The Board. If you read on some of the terminals people receive a15 mins extra break as a reward. So, in a game, commenting on how ridiculous that is, they actually get more of a break. Every time I play this game the closer to reality it feels. Which is quite scary.

Whitefox
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Lol, a place I used to work would sell jean day coupons for $30 a pop. It was for ONE day and if you didn't work that day, oh well. We were also gifeted a LARGE amount of wine from a local winery. Like enough to give every employee in a Level-Trauma center a bottle. We were told it was considered a gift and that we couldn't accept it. Later that night we watched admin loading cases of the stuff into their cars. Sickening.

Ernie Tabuena
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

When I hit 20 years at a previous job I received an automated email from Workday and a code to get my reward from the catalog. I got an iPod Classic back when that was still a neat thing. But from my boss, his boss, or management? Nothing. No ceremony with a cake and a certificate, not even an email saying “good job!” About a year later the company lost the contract I worked on and I left and now work for a company that sends out birthday cards signed by the president and CEO and pays real bonuses. My bonus this year was more than all the bonuses I’d gotten in 30 years combined. Some companies care, just not very many.

Load More Comments
natie marie
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

This is actually a joke in Outer Worlds, a game where it’s a dystopian future in late stage capitalism where the world is controlled by The Board. If you read on some of the terminals people receive a15 mins extra break as a reward. So, in a game, commenting on how ridiculous that is, they actually get more of a break. Every time I play this game the closer to reality it feels. Which is quite scary.

Whitefox
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Lol, a place I used to work would sell jean day coupons for $30 a pop. It was for ONE day and if you didn't work that day, oh well. We were also gifeted a LARGE amount of wine from a local winery. Like enough to give every employee in a Level-Trauma center a bottle. We were told it was considered a gift and that we couldn't accept it. Later that night we watched admin loading cases of the stuff into their cars. Sickening.

Ernie Tabuena
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

When I hit 20 years at a previous job I received an automated email from Workday and a code to get my reward from the catalog. I got an iPod Classic back when that was still a neat thing. But from my boss, his boss, or management? Nothing. No ceremony with a cake and a certificate, not even an email saying “good job!” About a year later the company lost the contract I worked on and I left and now work for a company that sends out birthday cards signed by the president and CEO and pays real bonuses. My bonus this year was more than all the bonuses I’d gotten in 30 years combined. Some companies care, just not very many.

Load More Comments
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