Profit versus people is an age-old debate in which the latter doesn’t usually stand a chance. In capitalism, money is often the main concern of most corporations. Meanwhile, employees are viewed as an expense to be cut in order to make even more earnings.
This sad yet true reality is often shared by people on the r/antiwork subreddit. We at Bored Panda have gathered some of the most bizarre notes and messages from workplaces that show how scary late-stage capitalism has become. From needing a doctor’s note to eat to taking employees' tips, scroll down to find instances where unemployment might sound more enticing than whatever these workplaces are offering.
#1 Ever Since I Have Found Stability In My Career, I Feel More Empowered To Respond To Recruiters Like This:
Image credits: trippyyhippy
#2 I've Been Giving Employers A Piece Of My Mind
Image credits: Affectionate_Okra298
#3 Sad That People Need To Be Reminded Of This
Image credits: indianplayers
In 2023, soft-skills training company Making Business Matter (MBM) conducted a study trying to find where businesses put their focus—people or profit.
The aim was to find out if organizations that publicly state caring for their employees are telling the truth. They also tried to reveal if companies are really making the proper investment in the development and well-being of their employees.
#4 And Some Have Super Yachts While Their Employees Are Drowning
Image credits: Redmannn-red-3248
#5 17-Year-Old Employee Ends Up In Er Before Scheduled Shift, Her Mother And Grandmother Both Call In On Her Behalf. Still Gets Fired For Not Personally Calling In.
Image credits: UnsupervisedMink
#6 Popular Sandwich Chain Had This Tip Sign
Image credits: shibbyman342
In the report, the researchers claim that they chose such a particular focus because it hasn’t been done before. Interestingly enough, they are the first to bring these facts to light by looking at publicly available annual reports.
#7 85 Degree Bakery Enabled Tips On Their Point Of Sale Devices. Tips Don’t Go To Workers; You’re Just Giving The Company More Money
Image credits: MightyTribble
#8 Paramedic
Image credits: Physical-Way188
#9 Employees Need A Doctor's Note To Eat At Work
Image credits: MiladyWillDo
Their main finding was that “85 out of 100 companies focus more on profit than people in their annual reports, even in today’s climate of emphasizing employee happiness.” Well-being and mental issues are some of the aspects that organizations are simply glossing over in their yearly reviews, with 21 businesses not mentioning these keywords in their documents at all.
#10 Boss Wrote “Thief” On My Check
"Filed a wage theft report against my former employer, was told he only paid 80% of what was owned, but I sucked it up. When I picked up the check at the Department of Labor, it had 'THIEF' boldly written on the subject line. Super awkward, unfair, and embarrassing, especially with others witnessing it. Is there anything that can be done?"
Image credits: OriginalNotice7957
#11 Found On Facebook
Image credits: Due_Recording6357
#12 Makes Me Even More Mad If Possible. What Do You Think?
Image credits: Catiline64
They also revealed a common disparity between the values that the companies publicly communicate and those their annual report focuses on. “A key example of this is Toyota, which claims ‘Kaizen’ as one of their core values, meaning ‘continuous improvements’, and yet has a total of zero learning mentions,” the study writes.
#13 Am I Wrong To Be Irritated By This?
Image credits: bluebrindleivy
#14 Injury At Work
Image credits: petalios
#15 This Sign Was Posted In A Popeyes Next To The Customer Restrooms
Image credits: Ironthumb
The main takeaway from this study is quite clear: most businesses agree, at least on the surface, that people are an important asset of any company. However, too few are willing to apply this logic to their policies and daily management. Instead of putting employees and their well-being first, they often look for short-term solutions like slashing labor costs, office expenses, etc.
#16 My Husband Is An Repair Technician Working On Their Fridge
Image credits: GilbertTheCrunch
#17 We All Know About "Shrinkflation". Can I Coin The Term, "Trickflation"?
Image credits: inasimplerhyme
#18 My House Burned Down Two Months Ago, And I'm In A Fight With The Insurance Company. My Neighbour Has Concerns
Image credits: Southern_Activity177
By prioritizing profit over people, these organizations are causing harm to their businesses without even realizing it. Often, when that happens, one of the things the firm experiences is the stifling of creativity. “Innovation happens when people feel appreciated. When they know you’re willing to invest in their contributions, they give their all. When you treat them as a budget line item, they do the minimum. They’ll save their best ideas for someone who appreciates them,” says Lolly Daskal, executive leadership coach.
#19 When My Grandfather Passed Away, My Boss Asked For A Funeral Note. Wtf Is A Funeral Note?
Image credits: snaresht
#20 How Legal Is This?
Image credits: notnaturalcas
#21 Do I File A Wage Theft Claim?
Image credits: GeneralMills420
Additional downsides of overlooking employees include the suffering of reputation, the loss of employees, and their engagement. “Unengaged employees aren’t motivated. They rarely go the extra mile, and they have more absences and less loyalty. High sales and revenues require engaged employees working hard to meet the company’s goals. An engaged workforce is one of the most valuable resources you can have—and its absence causes real harm,” says Daskal.
#22 Over 14,000 California Disney Workers Authorize Strike
Image credits: AnonBard18
#23 Is This Allowed
Image credits: generaljustin3
#24 Came Into Work This Morning To Find This Taped To The Wall. Boss Went On Tirade Against Me And Co-Worker Yesterday For Taking To Each Other With No Customers In The Store
Image credits: MrHatesThisWebsite
But there is a way companies can be profitable and compassionate at the same time. In fact, businesses that thrive tend to be the ones that embrace this idea. A Gallup study has found that by prioritizing employee well-being and offering competitive compensation, comprehensive benefits, work-life balance initiatives, growth opportunities, and encouraging open communication, companies can see 21% higher profitability. Other benefits include lower turnover, better customer service, and a reduced risk of safety incidents.
#25 And This Is Just In One State
Image credits: Kit-tiga
#26 A Note From Management When I Used To Work Here
Image credits: jayzval
#27 Employer Complains On Facebook About Casual Employee Taking Time Off For Birthdays
Image credits: TonyAbbottMHR
#28 Those Pesky Workers
Image credits: Only-Reach-3938
#29 We Got A New District Manager
Image credits: Remote-Acadia4581
#30 Place I Worked For A Month
Image credits: tortilini-houdini
#31 How Does Alex Manage To Be On Call On A Weekend Away??
Image credits: geomachina
#32 Someone Keeps On Flipping The Sign In The Supermarket
Image credits: danielsuperone
#33 “Time Theft”
Image credits: DeathlessQuotient
#34 Fun Giant Eagle Memory
Image credits: RapidMongrel
#35 An Owner Put This Up For The Workers
Image credits: Chance_Ad_3886
#36 Dollar General Management With An Inspiring Message To Staff
Image credits: Whadyagot
#37 Ez Stop In Kinsley, Ks Still Pays Poverty Wages
Image credits: Kramit2012
#38 I Got A Raise 4 Months Ago And It Is Finally Implemented
Image credits: bjmendy
#39 Note Posted At Job…
Image credits: term1nallycapr1c1ous
#40 The “Suggested Tips” Section On The Receipt From The Hipster Bar We Were Just At
Image credits: NineDayOldDiarrhea
#41 The Job Hunt Has Been Exhausting And I'm So Tired Of These Type Of Descriptions
Image credits: Purple_Apartment
#42 Found This On A Door While Waiting For A Table At A Restaurant With My Family
Image credits: The_truth_may_hurt
#43 Hospital Has Money For Bs But Not Safe Staffing
Image credits: Golden_dumpster
#44 Look At This
Image credits: Sunyata666
#45 Is This Even Legal? (Must Be Flexible 12 Hr Days)
Image credits: bossamemucho
#46 Kroger Requires Full Time Workers To Have Open Availability
Image credits: AwesomeManatee
#47 Owner Of The Spa I Used To Work At Responds To A Review Left By A Client Who Is Upset That The Massage Therapists Are Forced To Rely On Tips
Image credits: user94896267348
#48 Navigating Malicious Compliance: Share Your Stories
Image credits: sinful_olive
#49 No Details
Image credits: xbrittxbratx
#50 This Is A Bad Sign…
Image credits: bluebrindleivy
#51 “Please Check-In On Your Poor, Struggling Ceos…”
Image credits: missy498
#52 "Instead Of Paying Your Waiter/Waitress Their Expected Wage, Donate To Charity!" I Barely Get Tips Because Of This
Image credits: PhoonTFDB
#53 Fulltime And Get Complaints Of Me Taking Care Of Work. Funny Thing Is I Didn't Go Over 40 Hours
Image credits: Ambient117
#54 If The Sign With Arrows Is Not Clear Enough, How Bout The Big Hamper?
Image credits: doi11
#55 "Up To" $13.00 An Hour
Image credits: tartcore814
#56 Ah, Yes, What A Wonderful Array Of Benefits. (Boredom So Browsing Indeed.)
Image credits: Quitemui
#57 Thought This Was Funny
Image credits: WavyDafoe
#58 Posted By A Facebook Friend. 6 Months Of Mandatory Overtime??? She’s Also Pregnant With A 1 Year Old At Home
Image credits: jodamnboi
#59 Lying To Populate On More Ppls Searches. Hybrid Remote Pool Cleaning?
Image credits: Legen_unfiltered
#60 Absolute Jerk
Image credits: reddit.com
#61 I Found This Note In The Elevator At My Hotel
Image credits: iroczcamaro22
#62 Crazy Neighbor Gets Mad At Friend For Dropping A Single Strand Of Hair And Tapes Up The Hair As Evidence
Image credits: scorsese_finest
#63 George’s In La Jolla, Ca
Image credits: LouDiamond
#64 Got This Gem
Image credits: gizmodo-0304
#65 My Wife Found This In The Break Room Today
Image credits: megaman368
#66 Look At What Booster Juice Thinks Is Appropriate To Send To Their Employees While They Sit In Back Watching The Videos Of Said Employees Working
Image credits: babosw
#67 The Gas Station Blaming Your Bank For Any Holds
Image credits: Historical-Two9722
#68 Just Saw This On A Job Application, Absolutely Insane
Image credits: Krazy-Kat15
#69 At My Workplace Today
Image credits: kanepedekikedi
#70 “Resolve *any* Issues That May Be Causing Delay Of Payment”
Image credits: IWantSealsPlz
#71 Merhcandise Cunsomption Policy At A Grocery Store
Image credits: Alex_daisy13
#72 Found In A Break Room At My Job
Image credits: RedBeardsCurse
#73 20 Months Later, They Finally Admitted I No Longer Worked There
Image credits: thepinky7139
#74 Sign On The Way Into A Local Restaurant
Image credits: addisonshinedown
