Worker Shares Employer's 'Reward Program' That Allows Staff To Get A $25 Bonus After 5 Years & A $200 Bonus After 50 Years
That was their way of showing "appreciation" to their staff, but it seems they don't understand what that means.
Laura James / Pexels & Reddit Often when employees hear that they will be receiving a bonus of some kind at work, they assume the amount of money they will be given is going to be substantial in some way.
However, such was not the case for a hospital employee, who had taken to the subreddit r/antiwork — an online forum where people can share their job and work-related struggles — after she had received a notice that she was now eligible for a rewards program at her job.
The 'rewards program' she received from her employer would only staff to receive $25 for 5 years of work and $200 for 50 years.
In the Reddit post, a husband had explained that his wife had recently sent him the "rewards program" that she now qualified for at a rather large hospital where she worked. "What an absolute joke..." he wrote in the caption of the post.
In a screenshot of the program, his wife's employer had made sure to let workers know that the rewards program and incoming bonuses for eligible staff were to give them an "opportunity to celebrate Caregivers achievements and take the time to say 'Thank you' for a job well done."
Photo: Reddit
Unfortunately, their gratitude didn't seem to extend as far as their words did. The staff would only be issued dollars for every five years that they worked for the hospital. For example, if workers had been there for five years, their bonus would only be $25.
For 10 years, the bonus would be $50; for 15 years, $50, and so on. The highest amount that an employee could earn was $200 for working at the hospital for 50 to 55 years. Not only is this a bit of a slap in the face for hospital staff who have dedicated hours to work, but such a reward system would be put in place when many healthcare workers and hospital staff are already underpaid.
Healthcare workers and hospital staff are severely undervalued and underpaid.
According to the American Medical Association, patient care assistants earn on average $17,000 to $27,000 per year. In contrast, certified nursing assistants earn on average $22,000 to $31,000 per year, depending on the state in which they practice.
Despite working full-time or more, these workers were rarely able to live on their wages alone. In 2019, nearly 20% of care workers lived in poverty, and more than 40% received public assistance.
Many workers earning low wages, especially home health aides, patient care assistants, and certified nursing assistants, bring critical emotional knowledge to their jobs as caregivers, which makes it so much worse after realizing they are being paid fairly to reflect that.
In the comments section, many people were stunned at those numbers being qualified as a 'bonus.'
"Looks about right. I work at the largest hospital in my state. For my 5 [year] gift I got 'points' to purchase a gift from a website. Then they taxed me for it on the following paycheck," one Reddit user shared.
Another user added, "At the very least there should be an extra zero on all those numbers. Sheesh."
"I've worked at a hospital for 17 years now. Once they gave me a gift card for $50," a third user chimed in. "They no longer give gift cards to celebrate anniversaries. If you have perfect attendance for a year, you get a $5 gift card for a coffee shop now."
While some hospitals and healthcare organizations prioritize fair compensation and strive to address these issues by implementing measures to improve salaries and working conditions for their staff, it unfortunately, doesn't seem to be the case for hospital staff across the country.
Nia Tipton is a Brooklyn-based entertainment, news, and lifestyle writer whose work delves into modern-day issues and experiences.