The internet has overwhelmingly backed a Reddit user who said they refused to pitch in $20 towards a gift for a CEO at the company he works for.
Reddit user u/MisterCallegari said the HR team at the company they worked at asked employees to pitch $20 towards a Christmas gift for the CEO.
In the 1.2 million-strong subreddit r/antiwork, the worker said: "I just f***ing can't. That money is going to my kids, not to the fat cats at the top who make at least 5x [five times] what I make on any given month. Buy your own damn presents."
The worker later shared an update that clarified their position: "I don't hate working here, but I do hate this kind of attitude toward employees with families at Christmas time."
A final edit read: "I've already told anyone with any relevance to the situation that I won't be pitching in. I haven't gotten any flack, most of them understand where I'm coming from."
The post, shared on Monday, has since been upvoted on more than 58,600 times and has received 4,876 comments, the majority of which agreed with the user, since being uploaded.
One user said: "That is more than a valid excuse. Honestly, no response would've also been a valid excuse as well because this s*** is egregious."
Another added: "And what was their Christmas gift to you? F*** that s***. You absolutely need to put that money toward your kids. So f***ing infuriating to get those kind of requests."
A third commented: "It's HR who are the real ***** here. Trying to get brownie points either the higher-ups by organizing a present for them. Kiss a** m**os."
According to market research firm Statista, this year Americans believe they will spend an average of $886 on Christmas gifts, up from $852 in 2020 and $846 in 2019.
The lowest amount spent recorded by Statista was in 2008, the year of the financial crash, when Americans said on average they would spend $616 on Christmas gifts.
The disgruntled user was not the only worker to be backed by Reddit users. One employee was supported after sharing their frustration at receiving a 1 percent wage increase.
For this user, who shared their frustration with others in the subreddit r/antiwork, it was the fact they had been promised "something special" for their hard work.
After thinking they would be due a "huge" raise, the employee was awarded a "1 percent raise just like everyone else."
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
Anders Anglesey is a U.S. News Reporter based in London, U.K., covering crime, politics, online extremism and trending stories. Anders ... Read more
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