A recent story has surfaced after a woman opened up about an encounter at her workplace involving her boss, an experience she described as truly “eye-opening.”
According to Alicia (a pseudonym), she had been working as a marketing executive at a company known for presenting awards to “Outstanding Malaysian Entrepreneurs.” However, Alicia claimed that despite the company celebrating successful business figures, her boss was often hesitant to pay out bonuses.
Ai-generated image. For illustration purposes only
“As a career woman in the 21st century, I honestly never imagined I would end up with such an outrageous and stingy boss. Titles like ‘Outstanding Excellent Entrepreneur International Company Super Award’ sound incredibly prestigious. People on the outside would assume the company is very impressive,” she said.
Promises vs reality
She recalled having high hopes when she first joined the company, which promised her commissions as long as she could recruit entrepreneurs to participate in the award programme.
“It sounded reasonable, right? Over that year, I might not have been the top performer in the company, but I did manage to sign up quite a number of entrepreneurs. Every time I closed a deal, I felt a sense of achievement, as if I were doing meaningful work.”
However, Alicia eventually faced the harsh reality that despite her effort and hard work, she never received a single cent of her promised bonuses.
“I didn’t get a single cent. Not for one month, not for three months, but for an entire year. Every time I asked my boss about it, he would just smile and say, ‘We’ll handle it.'”
Ai-generated image. For illustration purposes only
The RM26.75 ‘debt’
As time went on, her initial excitement soured into disappointment, and she eventually decided to resign. But just as she was about to leave, she was shocked when her boss asked her to pay back money he claimed she owed.
“Right before I left, my boss suddenly said, ‘We need to settle the money for the tea break we had previously.’ The amount was RM26.75. At that moment, I honestly didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.”
Alicia noted the irony of the situation:
“You can ignore a year’s worth of unpaid employee bonuses, but RM26.75 must be settled properly. In the end, I paid.
“I never expected that the thing that would leave the deepest impression on me wouldn’t be my achievements… but RM26.75.”
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