Employees Given 'PB&J' Day Instead Of Their Annual Raise — 'They Couldn't Even Spring For Brand-Name Bread'
Instead of prioritizing benefits, a liveable salary, or promotions, this employer took an unsettlingly different route for their team.
Drazen Zigic | Shutterstock.com In what seems like more of a joke from a sitcom, a man turned to Reddit after his company's annual raise day was replaced with a mediocre lunch that would embarrass most school cafeterias.
Expecting a bump in salary, workers were met with a build-your-own “PB&J” day lunch.
“We were supposed to get our annual raise,” he wrote in a post to the “Anti Work” Reddit forum, “but this is what they gave us instead.”
Employees were given a ‘PB&J’ day as a reward for their hard work instead of their annual raise.
On a table in their break room, laid together lazily, was a combination of ingredients: off-brand white bread, squeezable jellies in grape and strawberry, and a shared knife. There were no plastic plates or napkins; the peanut butter was somehow missing, but a sea of disappointed colleagues were certainly present.
Reddit
“The worst part is that they didn’t even assemble the sandwiches for them,” one commenter wrote under the post. “They really just got $10 worth of groceries and said, ‘Here. Assemble them yourselves.’”
Considering that the number of employees unhappy at work is lingering at around 50% and rising rapidly, it’s not surprising that this is the reality for many workers today.
Not only are they overworked and underpaid, but they’re “rewarded” with a mediocre lunch.
Not only did their employer skimp out on real compensation for the team, but they also used off-brand bread, peanut butter, and jelly.
Across industries, employees feel underappreciated despite putting their personal time, well-being, and health on the line for their employers.
This is exactly what’s inspired many to take a step back and adopt Gen Z’s perspective on work, which is centered around prioritizing life outside of the office and treating employers in the same way they treat employees — like they are disposable.
“Bare minimum doesn’t mean you’re doing nothing,” one employee named Savanah shared on TikTok. It just means you’re doing the tasks you’re being paid for — nothing more, nothing less.
“This is somehow more insulting than pizza,” one Reddit commenter added. “This is what my lunch looks like when I have two seconds to pack my lunch while running late to work…The effort on this isn’t even there.”
Many employees feed left without recognition and compensation in today's corporate workplaces.
Even for “over-achieving” employees in corporate settings, the tendency for fair compensation is slim. Most employers try to give their best and brightest more work because they will perform, usually without complaint out of fear of losing their standing.
The truth is that many employees live in a state of fear regarding job security, making them unlikely to complain while being underappreciated, underrecognized, and underpaid.
So, while this might be a humbling reminder of the toxicity of corporate spaces, it’s not that easy to just quit, find a new job, or ask for better compensation.
As more employees demand change, hopefully, the workforce will change for the better. But for now — we’re all basically being awarded some kind of “PB&J” to work.
Zayda Slabbekoorn is a News & Entertainment Writer at YourTango who focuses on health & wellness, social policy, and human interest stories