When a Stingy Raise Turns into a Corporate Funeral
The company had been losing money for two consecutive years. That year, with our biggest client suddenly going out of business, we lost nearly ten million dollars in receivables.
On New Year's Eve, I sent out a company-wide apology email after much deliberation.
The email stated, "At this moment, I regret to inform that we can only increase each employee's monthly salary by 20 dollars this year."
An intern named Ingrid Little took a screenshot of the email and posted it online. In no time, her post started trending.
The entire internet criticized me for being fake and pretending to be poor. They said that my shameless act was a blatant insult to my employees' hard work.
"20 dollars doesn't even cover commuting!"
"Why hasn't this garbage company gone under yet?"
Ingrid replied to each comment with the same line: "I don't care about the money. I just feel insulted. I'm quitting tomorrow."
The next day, I walked into the office with bloodshot eyes and turned on the company-wide broadcast.
I announced, "Since some people believe I've insulted their dignity, you may submit your resignation immediately. However, you will no longer be entitled to the year-end bonus of 20 thousand dollars."
Everyone gasped in disbelief. Ingrid turned completely pale, and some workers even rushed into my office impulsively.
"Boss, this has nothing to do with me! I stand with the company!"
After all, my company had increased salaries for 37 consecutive years and given an average raise of over 2,000 dollars each time. They wouldn't find a company like mine elsewhere.