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‘Entitled’: Photo exposes what workers hate

A simple picture posted online has exposed what people are beyond fed-up with at work, but bosses think they’re doing the right thing.

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A tongue-in-cheek post online has exposed the boss act that workers worldwide are sick of tolerating, and it sparked a heated debate.

Calling himself Boris Bartman, an American man posted a photo of a bunch of pizzas being eaten in an office - and it immediately created anarchy.

“CEO got us pizza for Q3 performance. Happy to have helped contribute to his $3 million bonus,” he wrote.

“Never kill yourself, you never know when your hard work might get recognised.”

That tweet amassed more than 11 million views and started a big conversation about token gestures from bosses instead of a monetary reward.

A parody tweet has exposed the boss act that workers worldwide are fed up Picture: X/Boris Bartman
A parody tweet has exposed the boss act that workers worldwide are fed up Picture: X/Boris Bartman

Recruitment expert Roxanne Calder told news.com.au that if a company is making millions of dollars in profits, rewarding your staff with a simple pizza party could be seen as “tone deaf”.

But she also explained that workers expecting significant financial rewards instead isn’t always fair, either,

“Part of the problem is leaders get canned for not doing anything, and when they do something, it isn’t enough,” she said.

“The question is what would be good enough?”

Ms Calder said the idea that bosses should “share” their bonuses or profits is far too simplistic and that your salary should already reflect your work.

“You don’t know the hours, what the whole executive team does, or what they’ve done to get there,” she argued.

“I always think when people make statements like that, if you want to be earning that sort of money. Maybe you need to change your jobs or your skills it is not a given.”

She added that while there are always “rumours and gossip” in workplaces about what bonuses people are getting, this information isn’t always accurate.

Roxanne said the problem is leaders are damned if they do and damned if they don’t. Picture: Supplied
Roxanne said the problem is leaders are damned if they do and damned if they don’t. Picture: Supplied
She said if you want to be paid more you should upskill. Picture: Supplied
She said if you want to be paid more you should upskill. Picture: Supplied

Even though Ms Calder is a massive fan of transparency regarding money in the workplace, she admitted it can create problems.

“If people judge it from the top level and don’t understand everything underneath it. That can create a lack of understanding,” she said.

“They don’t always know all the factors that come into play, which is a shame. If you want to earn that money, go do that job.”

Workers share their issues. Picture: X
Workers share their issues. Picture: X

While the man who posted the photo confirmed it had been a joke, the conversation around the pizza gesture was very much real.

Workers flooded X - formally Twitter - to share experiences where their boss rewarded them, but it didn’t feel like enough.

“Been there, done that. One year CEO got $16M. I got a blanket with the company logo. Would have preferred the pizza,” one shared.

“One time, our employer gave us lifesavers and a pen,” another complained.

“My boss said we were doing good and ordered sixty wings even though there are forty employees,” someone raged.

“We used to work six days a week and get free lunch once every month. It was literary, just a small sandwich, no drinks or sides,” one worker fumed.

“This is the story of my life. Work my ass off so other people can get rich,” another shared.

“One year, our multi-billion international corp cut Christmas parties. Our location was about 30 people for dinner. Read online the CEO had bonuses of $16 million that year,” one wrote.

“I work for a box store. Don’t go out of my way any longer for them. Store managers get a bonus the size of my yearly income for meeting goals at employee expense,” another shared.

Not everyone was pro workers getting a share in the profits. Picture: iStock
Not everyone was pro workers getting a share in the profits. Picture: iStock

Someone else wrote that when they were working for a mid-sized company, they generated so much revenue for a single project that the company had never seen such profits before - and she was told she’d receive a bonus for her worth.

“We were told to expect a bigger-than-usual bonus at the end of the year. Their earnings were in the millions. They gave us (a team of 12) an extra $500 on our already shitty $2000 bonus.”

But not everyone was pro workers getting a share in the profits. In fact, some thought a pizza party was enough.

“Start your own company p***y. Everyone always wants to cry about their job; start your own s**t, then. You don’t have to work for f**king anybody,” one recommended.

“Only one solution - become the CEO,” another claimed.

“Never work for someone else. Building your own business is the only way to go. If you work for someone else, it should only be to gain some knowledge you don’t have yet,” another person advised.

“Quit complaining! You sound like an entitled teen,” one wrote.

“If you don’t like it, quit. But your fat ass will eat the pizza and silently complain.”

Original URL: https://www.news.com.au/finance/work/at-work/entitled-photo-exposes-what-workers-hate/news-story/78ebe26fa011e5cfdd890c6a1769ba3e