Posted on 10/07/2025 9:50:11 AM PDT by simpson96
A Reddit post showing how one woman was rewarded for more than a decade of service at her job has struck a nerve online.
The post by u/BigZee004, shared to the subreddit Mildly Infuriating, has received more than 42,000 upvotes since it was shared on October 1.
The viral image shows what the poster’s girlfriend was given for 11 years at her company: a single mini candy bar tied with a “thank you” tag. In tiny print, the tag reads, “We appreciate your dedication and loyalty over the past 11 years.”
The poster added in the comments: “This was in lieu of an increase. Which makes it more insulting.”
(snip)
Thousands of Reddit users shared similar stories of lackluster recognition.
“Is 11 years significant? I would have thought 10 years would be when you expect a little more,” one user wrote.
Another commented, “I had my 10 years of service some months ago. I did not even realize at first until someone asked me how long I had been working there. Got no gift or notification at all.”
A third added, “My partner got a sticker for his hard hat for 15 years.”
(Excerpt) Read more at newsweek.com ...
WELL....
I am the LUCKY one-
On my 21st year working for my boss- he presented me
With an AMERICAN GOLD EAGLE coin!!- could not believe
my eyes so grateful- increased my tithing to church-
I worked at one company for 10 years. They had a catalog you could pick gifts from, depending on your length of service. I picked a Walkman at 5 years and a set of suitcases at ten years.
The company I work for now does a bit better, they give rewards for a job well done and also service awards. They have pretty nice gifts you can select from and you can also save up your rewards points through the years and purchase more big ticket items.
34 years with the same outfit, I got a pin. Well actually 3 pins because all they had were 10 year pins so they gave me 3.
One year, at a hospital I worked at, for National Nurse’s Day, we nurses were given plastic whistles. The genius who thought that was appropriate told us she thought it was a good idea, so if we were ever accosted in the parking lot, we could blow the whistle to get help.
As always....Thanks Laz!
I got a pen.
Exactly. I’ve been with my company for 24 years. An email went around congratulating me on 20 years. I didn’t expect anything more and certainly was not resentful. I’m happy where I work and like the people I work with. They don’t owe me gifts for gracing them with my presence. And “the company” is the people. Its not some magic ATM machine that spits out gifts to me.
I’d rather have that candy bar than the silly lapel pin that I’ll never wear.
37 years with the same employer. 2 printed pieces of paper.
Not even a cake and coffee.
sounds about right. IT keeps our school district running, we get squat and I will probably get less than that after spending 26 years here.
I remember a Costco cashier getting her reward, a tshirt in the middle of her ringing up the merchandise.
Don’t expect recognition and you won’t be disappointed.
That was out of ink?.................😏
After 25 years of dedicated service I got laid off because I had reached the age when my pension benefits started to increase. Nothing like starting over at age 50.
Right. She didn’t *give* 11 years to the company. She was paid to work there.
And as another poster said, 11 years isn’t one of those milestones companies tend to recognize. Maybe at ten years. Then again, maybe not.
A small candy bar for an 11 year work anniversary is more than most people get.
Companies that want to keep people should act like it.
Employees that want to stay should act like it.
Imbalances by mass migration, new tech and other events skew the balance.
Unscrupulous people exploit those. Naive people get overrun. Decent people treat others as they would be treated.
“””What kind of mini candy bar? If it was a Payday or a Snickers, what’s the problem?””
I would even be happy with a Milky Way. Chocolate, nougat and caramel is a pretty tasty treat.
I had employees for 40 years. They got recognition EVERY WEEK. I called it a PAYCHECK. I don’t recall anyone ever caring about length of service.
“Your employer owes you nothing more than a paycheck.”
And that mentality is precisely what causes the kind of worker that employers complain about. The one that has no loyalty to the company.
> And that mentality is precisely what causes the kind of worker that employers complain about. <
Yes. And that was exactly my point. Companies ignore employee morale at their own peril.
That kind of appreciation makes a big difference. Too many businesses look at employees with thinly veiled contempt, or at best, as cattle. Then they are insulted when the employees don’t seem to look at the job as anything more than a paycheck.
Employees who feel appreciated go that extra mile to make the business look good to the customer, stay that extra 10 minutes, fix things, help when it’s crunch time.
You were lucky to be in such a place as that. I think we have all been in both types at one time or another.
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