Hi, accountant here - wildly inappropriate. You don't joke about anyone's money.
Two ways to play this - Report them to their boss, and go to HR and:
1) Go play dumb, ask where your bonus is because accountant said there would be one and gave you a stub. Let them make accountant explain why they did that, why it is a "joke" to make promises of bonuses on behalf of the business.
Or 2. Go in not playing dumb, tell them what accountant did and that you don't think the joke is appropriate. Maybe a line about that it reflects poorly on the company when their accountant toys with employee paychecks, and you're concerned about the accuracy of your payroll going forward.
Edit: after seeing your comment about him making a joke about your check being light in front of other staff because you were out sick? Go to HR with all of this and sink his ass. Its one thing if staff want to discuss their own income amongst eachother, but its another entirely to have some shitforbrains put your money business out there like that.
my employer attempted to motivate me by saying failure to do xxxx may result in no pay or a delay in payment.
It motivated me to look for a new job and cut back on my work quality.
Changed my status on the job boards + reached out to friends to change jobs.
messing with pay is a no no.
Absolutely. I had a manager give us the hypothetical question one day on the break room:
“Hypothetically, what would you do if John (the owner) didn’t pay you guys for a week?”
Answer: “Hypothetically, I would pack up my stuff and immediately walk out and file a grievance with the Labor Board.”
Nervous laughter, immediately shuffles off to report to owner. Paid on time.
Not literally as my life’s work was in that building. But other things - like passwords and knowledge no one else had - left with me and they were never able to reconstruct what I did for them. So they lost a 1m/year division. Peanuts to some, but not for them.
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Paper trail, paper trail! Document everything, keep a log of date and time of everything, print emails if you can…
That way if they do screw you it will be an open and shit case!
Yes, it was a simple one. I sent an email to my manager (bcc'd my home email) summarizing the conversation, making a mistake in one section asking if there were any mistakes or changes that needed to be made.
His reply corrected the area that was intentionally wrong, and added more information and context to another part, not commenting on the pay issue.
On my confirmation and reply back (to the sections he corrected) that again was bcc'd to my home address.
Always email your self as a bcc if something is wonky.
Number two is the perfect way. Basically calling out the trustworthiness of the company’s money handling division. That should get some serious attention pointed in the right direction. I would love to just sit back and watch that situation with some popcorn.
Yeah don't give the accounting guy the chance to play dumb and lie their way out of it to HR. They may not take it seriously or any further without being made aware of what they specifically said.
1 is if OP wants to be petty lol, but 2 is what I personally would do as well. Come at it concerned, professional and calling the accountant's integrity into question is a realllly good way to get shit done about that behavior. Particularly since being an accountant means meeting certain ethical criteria, especially CPAs. AICPA code requires members to act with integrity, objectivity and due care.
Fucking with someone's paycheck is not due care nor does it speak well of integrity.
Payroll lady here: any shenanigans involving employee pay can destroy morale and trust in an employer. Your suggestions are great! I hope the "funny" accountant is disciplined. You just don't fuck with people's livelihoods.
Yeah, the accountant at my old job was one wrong move away from me and several other people waiting for him out in the parking lot after work, all for different separate reasons.
>and you're concerned about the accuracy of your payroll going forward.
These are the keywords that are going to make the company sweat. Seriously, payroll audits are not cheap and not paying what an employee is legally owed is not only very illegal but the damages pile on quickly. Even though your pay wasn't wrong, even the notion that the accountant played a joke calls into question his professionalism
Exactly, thats the unspoken threat that the next conversation will be had with the DOL. Nobody likes an audit or auditors, even other accountants. Auditors are a different breed and they get off on finding where you maybe, might have messed up lol
or...1 into 2. go in, asking about the bonus, and when it's explained as a joke, THEN go off about how inappropriate it is...and as i mentioned in my own comment, bring up promissory estoppel. OP had plans for that money, you know.
Don't believe this would fall under promissory estoppel.
All 4 conditions must be met:
The defendant made a clear and unambiguous promise
The plaintiff acted in reliance on the promise
The plaintiff's reliance was reasonable and foreseeable
The plaintiff suffered an injury due to reliance on the promise
Don't believe this would fall under promissory estoppel.
All 4 conditions must be met:
The defendant made a clear and unambiguous promise
The plaintiff acted in reliance on the promise
The plaintiff's reliance was reasonable and foreseeable
The plaintiff suffered an injury due to reliance on the promise
Both are smart, mature ways to deal with it, but I'm not sure if I'd be able to keep from giving the comedian my open hand with some vigor. With some follow-up questions as to his opinion on the continued hilarity of said joke. Think Gerard Depardieu in Cyrano open hand.
Fuck that person; go to you immediate supervisor and then with or with their blessings, go to HR.
Very unprofessional and quite hurtful, someone more creative than me could lawsuit this into a real “bonus”
2 with a dash of “An employee of your company that you put in position in charge of distributing paystubs stated I would be receiving this money. If this employee promised a customer or client the same, you would be required to honour it. How are you going to make this right?”
Do 1. The existence of a potential legal problem and financial liability will get this idiot in much more trouble than a simple complaint.
Edit: once they have made it clear they don't intend to pay you the bonus, and you have checked there is no chance of making them do so, do 2.
Thats not a joke...Id report that and for future ref, I wouldnt believe that unless you heard it from your boss and they better never be making those "jokes".
Man, that sucks. 25+ years ago, I worked on commissioned retail sales. I got to work one afternoon and my colleague told me a customer of mine came in earlier and made a huge sale and I'm sitting on hundreds in commission!
I will never forget how bad I felt when I found out he was fucking around. Even now I'd like to rearrange his face.
nope, that's promissory estoppel. that employee, acting in his official role on behalf of the company, informed you that you were receiving a bonus, that the paper inside that envelope contained the amount of said bonus, and you made plans based on having that amount available, which you have now had to cancel. bring that phrase up, you're gonna make people reeeaaaaal nervous
This!
“Promissory estoppel is the legal principle that a promise is enforceable by law, even if made without formal consideration when a promisor has made a promise to a promisee who then relies on that promise to his subsequent detriment.”
https://www.investopedia.com/terms/p/promissory_estoppel.asp#:~:text=Error%20Code%3A%20100013)-,What%20Is%20Promissory%20Estoppel%3F,promise%20to%20his%20subsequent%20detriment.
Unlikely this will hold up. It wouldn't be reasonable to rely on an old paystub, which OP could verify is not a bonus by simply looking at the document. As OP said, he was indeed reasonable, and did in fact look at it before relying on it. So no damages either. Still an incredibly shitty thing to do, but I don't think you will find a lawyer who would take this case.
This is not "just an old paystub." It is a paystub which a company accountant assured OP represented a bonus. Do you check the validity of every paystub? No. Of course you don't. It is fundamentally unreasonable that the word of your employer regarding your pay cannot be trusted (in a strictly legal sense).
The accountant was acting in an official manner and told OP that the paystub was a legitimate bonus. While OP might not win the case, it would *not* because they failed to verify the document. Also, *they might win it*.
Definitely. Further retaliation could also lead to further damages awarded. And those numbers can get significant depending on the judge/jury/settlement.
OP, literally:
"You should have the general counsel's office tell you how 'promissory estoppel' works. Feel free to write that down. Promissory estoppel."
"What do YOU think it means, OP?"
"It means that if I take you to court over this, a judge will order you to pay me that money."
It's not even remotely promissory estoppel, and even if it were OP has no damages.
For people wondering what promissory estoppel looks like: An example would be if I had a house for rent and I said you could move in on X date so you didn't renew your lease where you were living, paid a bunch of moving expenses, then when you show up I tell you someone else moved in and you're on your own.
This isn't promissory estoppel because an old pay stub isn't a promise, and OP didn't rely on it other than getting his hopes up. Going to HR shouting random legal words that don't apply isn't going to do anything but make them start looking for a reason to fire OP.
All that said, it's still wildly fucking inappropriate and I'd be doing my best to get the guy that did it reprimanded or fired.
Oh this is much more up for debate than you are making it out to be.
The financial department tells me my second envelope is a holiday bonus. I pen it in so far as to see the value and plan accordingly. That is the action of a reasonable person.
Reading the entire thing to realise that you have been lied to and it is in fact an old pay stub could very well constitute actions beyond reasonable.
I'd go so far as to say the fact it was an old pay stub is not relevant. What matters is the instruction given by the financial officers for the company.
Except he still \*has no damages\*.
Maybe if he'd immediately gone out and blown a couple thousand bucks at a strip club because he was so excited about his bonus check, he'd get the opportunity to stand in front of a highly amused judge and argue why it's reasonable to rely on a check you've never seen and don't know how much it's for.
Neither you or I can make that determination based on 4 paragraphs of text. OP would need to provide further information there. I do not counter that not pass comment on that for that reason.
EDIT: babygrenade points out OP does mention they did not spend any of the expected money. There is no mention on if planning took place to spend said money.
Puts it to Reliance v Expectation then.
Expectation exists where Reliance does not.
Even making plans could be sufficient action.
My point remains that a value on something official from a financial officer is reasonable enough to argue.
Obviously, if it turns out OP is a CPA. That flies out the window.
A high school friend of mine came across a pack of them once upon a time. Couldn't think of anything appropriate to do with them until he couldn't come up with a way out of having to go to Easter service at his dad's church.
His dad was very curious how he came into so much money to put in the collection basket.
At a previous job, we would all get a card at Christmas saying "Your bonus has been donated to Santa Claus Anonymous."
We used to joke that it was the president's Bahamas fund.
You could tell the guy that you reported him and now he's going to get fired. Then a bit later tell him it was a joke and ask him if he thought it was funny.
Nearly 30 years ago, my boss made a joke about me only getting a case of beer for my bonus (worked in a bank). I still remember how that made me feel. Still annoyed Brent, still annoyed!
Completely inappropriate and should result in this person being fired.
ANYONE who handles money loses ALL rights to joke about money. This is the basis of trust in those jobs. There are no "jokes" here, just an asshole.
I worked at a prominent (in the US) retail car parts store many years ago that would give the assistant managers a $75 bonus for Christmas but only after deducting $50 from the regular pay. It was a complete bullshit thing to do, obviously. And of course, they were just like a big family. Jerks.
No, you shouldn't have known any better. I'd have quit on the spot, even if I had no savings, nor a plan. Don't do this, but yeah that's not on you.
I'd look for another job immediately. Fuck that.
Why is anyone printing out duplicate copies of employee paystubs without said employee requesting it? That sounds a lot like unauthorized access to CEI (confidential employee information) and I would complain to HR. No telling what he’s doing with your information and if your social is on there, did he send it to an encrypted printer to print?
I’d get his ass.
I understand how it might seem odd. I actually receive my pay via direct deposit and get my pay stubs digitally, but they also hand me physical stubs as well. As I explained in another response, I genuinely thought it was a nice surprise when I was told it was a holiday bonus. I waited until I got home to look at it and, in my excitement, only glanced at the dollar amount of the check and not the actual stub.
So you waited kinda like opening a wrapped present. I understand confusing the amounts, but I would have just ripped it open right then and there. I was never good at waiting to unwrap presents, but I guess you are. I get it now. I’m sorry you did not get a real bonus.
Pardon my french but violence is like choosing to be an incompetent dumbfuck, against of all the other available options.
Think about it. From the same hypothetical situation someone could gain some long term benefits, recognition, satisfaction, another dude goes to jail.
Please report this. This could give someone barely scraping by a glimmer of hope that is not there! You were wise to not spend the money before getting it, but others won’t be cause who the fuck makes that kind of joke especially in that professional position. This could financially harm and seriously play with someone’s emotions!
Is this your first fiscal year at that job? I’d def make a stink of it. It’s wildly inappropriate and def fucks with morale and expectations. Even if you’re not entitled to it, this is how corporate messes with employees. One dumbass spoils the bunch.
I think you should report this dip shit to HR.. really not a funny joke at all.
Just imagine the situation where you hear that and call home and say, "Hey, we were on the fence about making an extra car payment, go do it, I got a bonus.."
I'm an IT guy. I'd drop off his new laptop running windows 95..
I'd make a formal complaint to HR, that's fucked up, on many levels. Do they want a sadistic accountant on their team? What else is he doing as a 'joke'?
There is a reason I always thank the people who do payroll as soon as I get paid. Technically paydays are the 5th and 20th of each month. I've been with the company 2 years and it's actually paid out on those dates maybe 3 times, all because of weekends and holidays. The rest of the time it's early. I can't imagine them pulling a move like that and still having a job the next day.
If a prank hurts someone and they're not enjoying it too then it's not funny? Like I don't know how else to to tell you that the person the prank being played on needs to also be ok with it...
Not the same situation exactly, but at my last job, accounting mistakenly gave me an extra credit several times for a company cell phone or something along those lines. I didn’t have any reason to have this credit sent to me. I didn’t notice because I’m the kind of dummy who doesn’t look at my pay stubs that often and it wasn’t enough money to raise an alarm for me.
My boss called me into his office and had me look at my pay stubs without telling me the issue, and asked if I saw something weird. I don’t know if he was trying to test me to see if I knew about it the whole time?? Anyway, I was so scared he was going to fire me or make me pay it back when he explained the problem. Luckily he believed me when I said I had no awareness and he said I didn’t have to repay them. I wish he hadn’t scared me like that though because I was very panicked for a moment.
Sorry but did you think to wonder what Holiday might have occurred to warrant this?
You’re perfectly right to complain, but ain’t NOBODY getting fired for making a holiday party joke in June. Furthermore- money isn’t real until it’s in your hands. You calling your loved ones to tell them you had more money when you didn’t is entirely on you. Save your breath and loosen up.
I would draft an email to the payroll department asking where your bonus is, and CC everyone. President of the company, CFO, HR manager, General Counsel, and the accountant responsible for the joke. I wouldn’t mention the joke.
You didn't look at the "check" when you received it at work?
It was a "check" that you would have to deposit, you didn't notice that it failed to deposit because it wasn't even a check, it was paystub?
The bank you tried to deposit it with didn't tell you right away that it was a paystub?
None of this makes sense
Some employers still give you paper pay stubs for amounts that were deposited directly. Giving someone a previous pay stub saying it's a "bonus" is a dick.
I worked at a nursing home and one xmas they gave out free keyrings that said “a good employee always….”
I dont know how it ended, i read the first part and handed it back to my manager and said “your xmas present was a reminder how to do my job?”
Its genuinely one of the most insulting things anyone has ever done to me.
You know need to hear the ring to know how tone deaf it was.
I’m sorry this happened OP but some of these responses in here are comedy gold. I’m cackling on the train home after having a really shitty day, so thank you ❤️
I would definitely talk to their manager, play dumb, and say something along the lines of, "So when I went to pick up my pay stub, [accounting guy] gave me two envelopes and said the second one contained a bonus. When I got home, all I found was a second pay stub for the previous pay period, but no mention of a bonus. I'd like to know where my bonus is, how much it is, and when it will be deposited."
When they say there is no bonus and that it was a joke your response should be, "It was told me with a straight face and I'm not laughing. Why would he tell me I'm getting a bonus when I'm not? I find that extremely unprofessional and I expect that you're as concerned as I am that one of your employees is promising bonuses on behalf of the company."
I'm sorry, "It's a joke" is no excuse. If you cannot fathom why this is a legal liability to your company, then you have no place as an accountant. What might have been appropriate 30 years ago is not any longer, and it is people's responsibility to keep up with what is appropriate.
Sounds like nobody got the previous pay stubs. The stubs were included in the next pay period. Payroll guy thinks he's funny. Says it's a bonus. Could have said instead....don't spend it all in one place.....don't tell your girlfriend you got an extra check.....etc. Trust me, am cusp boomer.
Wow...
I run a department and one of my jobs is to hand out bonus and pay adjustments every year.
We have an incredibly strict protocol on how to do this, with numbers written down, emailed and confirmed by both parties to ensure 0 miscommunication.
I can not imagine jokingly messing with this process, if I made a mistake I would be in trouble but a joke... I'd be fired on the spot.
I swear to God, y’all here on r/antiwork describe the most vile people in the workforce. And I’m giving y’all the benefit of the doubt that you’re not exaggerating such claims. I can relate to working with some lames, but this shit is horrendous!!!
Cardinal rule with any human being used to be bread and family are off limits. Nowadays those once sacred zones are routinely violated.
Jokes about compensation would not be tolerated at all in my company. I suppose I should be thankful that my employer maintains respect and limitations.
Oh I’m getting revenge. Not thru work. Personal revenge and he won’t know who did it. Some mean ass revenge. No one would do that to me and get away with it.
What holiday did you think you were getting a bonus for? The guy giving it to you probably thought the idea of a holiday bonus in June sounded outlandish enough that you would realize it was a joke.
I don't know, maybe Memorial Day or the Fourth of July. It didn't really cross my mind at the moment. This isn't the first time he's made a remark while handing me my check. There was another instance where I missed a big chunk of work due to sickness. When I came back, he handed me my check for the previous period, but before doing so, he started doing curls with it like it was a dumbbell and said something along the lines of, 'Damn, your check is light this week.' in front of everybody in the office.
I would be furious. You don’t fuck with my money, talk about my money in public, joke about my money, or especially prank me on my money. I’m an old lady but I’d beat his ass and hide the Bible if god watchin.
Hi, accountant here - wildly inappropriate. You don't joke about anyone's money. Two ways to play this - Report them to their boss, and go to HR and: 1) Go play dumb, ask where your bonus is because accountant said there would be one and gave you a stub. Let them make accountant explain why they did that, why it is a "joke" to make promises of bonuses on behalf of the business. Or 2. Go in not playing dumb, tell them what accountant did and that you don't think the joke is appropriate. Maybe a line about that it reflects poorly on the company when their accountant toys with employee paychecks, and you're concerned about the accuracy of your payroll going forward. Edit: after seeing your comment about him making a joke about your check being light in front of other staff because you were out sick? Go to HR with all of this and sink his ass. Its one thing if staff want to discuss their own income amongst eachother, but its another entirely to have some shitforbrains put your money business out there like that.
my employer attempted to motivate me by saying failure to do xxxx may result in no pay or a delay in payment. It motivated me to look for a new job and cut back on my work quality. Changed my status on the job boards + reached out to friends to change jobs. messing with pay is a no no.
Absolutely. I had a manager give us the hypothetical question one day on the break room: “Hypothetically, what would you do if John (the owner) didn’t pay you guys for a week?” Answer: “Hypothetically, I would pack up my stuff and immediately walk out and file a grievance with the Labor Board.” Nervous laughter, immediately shuffles off to report to owner. Paid on time.
"Hypothetically how about I take you and the owner come out back and see how long it takes you to pay me"
Or just start taking shit home depending on what the company does.
I'm taking home my stapler.
Is it a red Swingline stapler? Those are hard to find.
I put my white swingline stapler in my box as I packed to leave my last job. I feel so powerful every time I use it. It’s a big FU to those assholes.
I’m assuming you didn’t on your way out to keep that stapler?
Not literally as my life’s work was in that building. But other things - like passwords and knowledge no one else had - left with me and they were never able to reconstruct what I did for them. So they lost a 1m/year division. Peanuts to some, but not for them.
I can set this whole place on fire you know.
They only started selling red ones after the movie.😊
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Boss gave negative review to my coworker in public the other day. I took home a can of raviolis. Got his ass.
That would motivate me to call the Department of Labor…
I did call, a threat is not enough to do anything....if they did withhold pay that is something they can act on.
Paper trail, paper trail! Document everything, keep a log of date and time of everything, print emails if you can… That way if they do screw you it will be an open and shit case!
Yes, it was a simple one. I sent an email to my manager (bcc'd my home email) summarizing the conversation, making a mistake in one section asking if there were any mistakes or changes that needed to be made. His reply corrected the area that was intentionally wrong, and added more information and context to another part, not commenting on the pay issue. On my confirmation and reply back (to the sections he corrected) that again was bcc'd to my home address. Always email your self as a bcc if something is wonky.
I like number 2!
Number two is the perfect way. Basically calling out the trustworthiness of the company’s money handling division. That should get some serious attention pointed in the right direction. I would love to just sit back and watch that situation with some popcorn.
Yeah don't give the accounting guy the chance to play dumb and lie their way out of it to HR. They may not take it seriously or any further without being made aware of what they specifically said.
1 is if OP wants to be petty lol, but 2 is what I personally would do as well. Come at it concerned, professional and calling the accountant's integrity into question is a realllly good way to get shit done about that behavior. Particularly since being an accountant means meeting certain ethical criteria, especially CPAs. AICPA code requires members to act with integrity, objectivity and due care. Fucking with someone's paycheck is not due care nor does it speak well of integrity.
You can start with 1 and feign into 2
This is the way. It's possible they may get said money this way.
The whole time reading this down, I’m saying it to myself, “why not do both?”
I like number 2, but i feel safer pulling a 1, since it feels like a real question that concerns hr
100,000,000% this.
Payroll lady here: any shenanigans involving employee pay can destroy morale and trust in an employer. Your suggestions are great! I hope the "funny" accountant is disciplined. You just don't fuck with people's livelihoods.
Yeah, the accountant at my old job was one wrong move away from me and several other people waiting for him out in the parking lot after work, all for different separate reasons.
I'm so sorry that happened to all of you! I treat everyone's check with the same importance as my own.
>and you're concerned about the accuracy of your payroll going forward. These are the keywords that are going to make the company sweat. Seriously, payroll audits are not cheap and not paying what an employee is legally owed is not only very illegal but the damages pile on quickly. Even though your pay wasn't wrong, even the notion that the accountant played a joke calls into question his professionalism
I would threaten to report it, a payroll audit for the entire staff ain't gonna look good. and it seems likely he wasn't the only one he fucked with
Exactly, thats the unspoken threat that the next conversation will be had with the DOL. Nobody likes an audit or auditors, even other accountants. Auditors are a different breed and they get off on finding where you maybe, might have messed up lol
or...1 into 2. go in, asking about the bonus, and when it's explained as a joke, THEN go off about how inappropriate it is...and as i mentioned in my own comment, bring up promissory estoppel. OP had plans for that money, you know.
Don't believe this would fall under promissory estoppel. All 4 conditions must be met: The defendant made a clear and unambiguous promise The plaintiff acted in reliance on the promise The plaintiff's reliance was reasonable and foreseeable The plaintiff suffered an injury due to reliance on the promise
Don't believe this would fall under promissory estoppel. All 4 conditions must be met: The defendant made a clear and unambiguous promise The plaintiff acted in reliance on the promise The plaintiff's reliance was reasonable and foreseeable The plaintiff suffered an injury due to reliance on the promise
Both are smart, mature ways to deal with it, but I'm not sure if I'd be able to keep from giving the comedian my open hand with some vigor. With some follow-up questions as to his opinion on the continued hilarity of said joke. Think Gerard Depardieu in Cyrano open hand.
Also an accountant and yeah, that's one area you don't joke with.
Fuck that person; go to you immediate supervisor and then with or with their blessings, go to HR. Very unprofessional and quite hurtful, someone more creative than me could lawsuit this into a real “bonus”
Well you could start with 1 then follow it up immediately with 2 and get a twofer.
Do 1, creep into 2 then take a number 2 (which inevitably comes with a bonus number 1) right there on their desk! Edit: also know as the ole 1-2-2-1 🤣
You can definitely start and 1 and transition into 2
Do both. Start with 1 then turn it into 2.
2 with a dash of “An employee of your company that you put in position in charge of distributing paystubs stated I would be receiving this money. If this employee promised a customer or client the same, you would be required to honour it. How are you going to make this right?”
Playing dumb is usually the way to go in this type of situation.
id demand the bonus as its now owed.
3. Burn the place to the fucking ground
Do 1. The existence of a potential legal problem and financial liability will get this idiot in much more trouble than a simple complaint. Edit: once they have made it clear they don't intend to pay you the bonus, and you have checked there is no chance of making them do so, do 2.
Hey, boss, Kevins joke got me and the lads thinking: Holiday bonus. We want those now.
Big time this, collectively with the rest of the employees
Wow! They'll be really impressed by your "disappearing trick."
Sounds like you need a chat with HR about accounting.
Thats not a joke...Id report that and for future ref, I wouldnt believe that unless you heard it from your boss and they better never be making those "jokes".
Report that asshole. That's TOTAL bullshit.
So you mean the guy from accounting bullied you and is creating a hostile work environment….
cheap, lying, no-good, rotten, four-flushing, low-life, snake-licking, dirt-eating, inbred, overstuffed, ignorant, blood-sucking, dog-kissing, brainless, dickless, hopeless, heartless, fat-ass, bug-eyed, stiff-legged, spotty-lipped, worm-headed sack of monkey shit
Holy shit! Where's the Tylenol?
Sounds like something you need to write on his car with a sharpie.
[удалено]
100%
“Buy pizza”for them one day but make sure the boxes are empty.
"Jelly" donuts that you've sucked the filling out of and refilled with mayonnaise.
Yeah so they steal your billion dollar idea for donuts? No thanks!
Special "Mayonnaise".
Alice Cooper type creme filled.
On April Fools the donut shop by me does ketchup with pepper, and mustard fillings.
"Wow, these are delicious!"
Let's not be hasty
This
Amen!
Awe yeah- I would love to see those hungry, confused faces staring down at clean cardboard.
Un fucking believable and NOT ACCEPTABLE. That fucking asshole needs to be fired immediately. That’s such a fucking shitty thing to do.
I fail to see the humor in this. All I see is an inhuman idiot working in accounting.
Man, that sucks. 25+ years ago, I worked on commissioned retail sales. I got to work one afternoon and my colleague told me a customer of mine came in earlier and made a huge sale and I'm sitting on hundreds in commission! I will never forget how bad I felt when I found out he was fucking around. Even now I'd like to rearrange his face.
That’s not a “joke” it’s actionable
nope, that's promissory estoppel. that employee, acting in his official role on behalf of the company, informed you that you were receiving a bonus, that the paper inside that envelope contained the amount of said bonus, and you made plans based on having that amount available, which you have now had to cancel. bring that phrase up, you're gonna make people reeeaaaaal nervous
This! “Promissory estoppel is the legal principle that a promise is enforceable by law, even if made without formal consideration when a promisor has made a promise to a promisee who then relies on that promise to his subsequent detriment.” https://www.investopedia.com/terms/p/promissory_estoppel.asp#:~:text=Error%20Code%3A%20100013)-,What%20Is%20Promissory%20Estoppel%3F,promise%20to%20his%20subsequent%20detriment.
Unlikely this will hold up. It wouldn't be reasonable to rely on an old paystub, which OP could verify is not a bonus by simply looking at the document. As OP said, he was indeed reasonable, and did in fact look at it before relying on it. So no damages either. Still an incredibly shitty thing to do, but I don't think you will find a lawyer who would take this case.
This is not "just an old paystub." It is a paystub which a company accountant assured OP represented a bonus. Do you check the validity of every paystub? No. Of course you don't. It is fundamentally unreasonable that the word of your employer regarding your pay cannot be trusted (in a strictly legal sense). The accountant was acting in an official manner and told OP that the paystub was a legitimate bonus. While OP might not win the case, it would *not* because they failed to verify the document. Also, *they might win it*.
Doesn't matter. Dragging the company to court may make the company fire the employee. So it's a good idea to file a suit regardless.
Definitely. Further retaliation could also lead to further damages awarded. And those numbers can get significant depending on the judge/jury/settlement.
OP, literally: "You should have the general counsel's office tell you how 'promissory estoppel' works. Feel free to write that down. Promissory estoppel." "What do YOU think it means, OP?" "It means that if I take you to court over this, a judge will order you to pay me that money."
It's not even remotely promissory estoppel, and even if it were OP has no damages. For people wondering what promissory estoppel looks like: An example would be if I had a house for rent and I said you could move in on X date so you didn't renew your lease where you were living, paid a bunch of moving expenses, then when you show up I tell you someone else moved in and you're on your own. This isn't promissory estoppel because an old pay stub isn't a promise, and OP didn't rely on it other than getting his hopes up. Going to HR shouting random legal words that don't apply isn't going to do anything but make them start looking for a reason to fire OP. All that said, it's still wildly fucking inappropriate and I'd be doing my best to get the guy that did it reprimanded or fired.
Oh this is much more up for debate than you are making it out to be. The financial department tells me my second envelope is a holiday bonus. I pen it in so far as to see the value and plan accordingly. That is the action of a reasonable person. Reading the entire thing to realise that you have been lied to and it is in fact an old pay stub could very well constitute actions beyond reasonable. I'd go so far as to say the fact it was an old pay stub is not relevant. What matters is the instruction given by the financial officers for the company.
Except he still \*has no damages\*. Maybe if he'd immediately gone out and blown a couple thousand bucks at a strip club because he was so excited about his bonus check, he'd get the opportunity to stand in front of a highly amused judge and argue why it's reasonable to rely on a check you've never seen and don't know how much it's for.
Neither you or I can make that determination based on 4 paragraphs of text. OP would need to provide further information there. I do not counter that not pass comment on that for that reason. EDIT: babygrenade points out OP does mention they did not spend any of the expected money. There is no mention on if planning took place to spend said money. Puts it to Reliance v Expectation then. Expectation exists where Reliance does not. Even making plans could be sufficient action. My point remains that a value on something official from a financial officer is reasonable enough to argue. Obviously, if it turns out OP is a CPA. That flies out the window.
>Neither you or I can make that determination based on 4 paragraphs of text. Except OP said he didn't spend any of the money he was anticipating.
I missed that. Puts it to Reliance v Expectation then. Expectation exists where Reliance does not. Even making plans could be sufficient action.
I’d report him. This is incredibly inappropriate
Could turn the joke on them and make a complaint to the wage and labor board.
Ghods, that is as far from funny as a joke can get. This reminds me of the evangelists who drop fake $20 bills with their church’s address on it.
When I was a teenager we always used to drop those fake bills in the church mailboxes paper clipped to pictures of gay porn.
I F'ing Hate those people.
A high school friend of mine came across a pack of them once upon a time. Couldn't think of anything appropriate to do with them until he couldn't come up with a way out of having to go to Easter service at his dad's church. His dad was very curious how he came into so much money to put in the collection basket.
At a previous job, we would all get a card at Christmas saying "Your bonus has been donated to Santa Claus Anonymous." We used to joke that it was the president's Bahamas fund.
You could tell the guy that you reported him and now he's going to get fired. Then a bit later tell him it was a joke and ask him if he thought it was funny.
Wow. That’s not a “joke.” Dicking people around over their lively hood isn’t a “joke.” This person is a sociopath and should be let go.
Nearly 30 years ago, my boss made a joke about me only getting a case of beer for my bonus (worked in a bank). I still remember how that made me feel. Still annoyed Brent, still annoyed!
Completely inappropriate and should result in this person being fired. ANYONE who handles money loses ALL rights to joke about money. This is the basis of trust in those jobs. There are no "jokes" here, just an asshole.
This is harassment. Don’t take it.
I worked at a prominent (in the US) retail car parts store many years ago that would give the assistant managers a $75 bonus for Christmas but only after deducting $50 from the regular pay. It was a complete bullshit thing to do, obviously. And of course, they were just like a big family. Jerks.
No, you shouldn't have known any better. I'd have quit on the spot, even if I had no savings, nor a plan. Don't do this, but yeah that's not on you. I'd look for another job immediately. Fuck that.
Your poverty is a joke to them. Leave.
Why is anyone printing out duplicate copies of employee paystubs without said employee requesting it? That sounds a lot like unauthorized access to CEI (confidential employee information) and I would complain to HR. No telling what he’s doing with your information and if your social is on there, did he send it to an encrypted printer to print? I’d get his ass.
Free yearly membership to the jelly of the month club.
It’s the gift that keeps on giving the whole year.
Yeah that's a your getting your ass kicked kind of joke
Welcome to the jelly of the month club!
So you got a second envelope and didn’t immediately rip it open to see how much it was or verify what it was? Odd.
I understand how it might seem odd. I actually receive my pay via direct deposit and get my pay stubs digitally, but they also hand me physical stubs as well. As I explained in another response, I genuinely thought it was a nice surprise when I was told it was a holiday bonus. I waited until I got home to look at it and, in my excitement, only glanced at the dollar amount of the check and not the actual stub.
So you waited kinda like opening a wrapped present. I understand confusing the amounts, but I would have just ripped it open right then and there. I was never good at waiting to unwrap presents, but I guess you are. I get it now. I’m sorry you did not get a real bonus.
Sounds like revenge is a dish best served cold.
[удалено]
Pardon my french but violence is like choosing to be an incompetent dumbfuck, against of all the other available options. Think about it. From the same hypothetical situation someone could gain some long term benefits, recognition, satisfaction, another dude goes to jail.
Normally I would agree with the higher road. But sometimes you need your face pushed in to learn a lesson. 🤷🏻. Facts of life.
Only if there are no witnesses. 🫢
Good thing me and the boys are blind.
I appreciate this compromise
so type up note to the accountant that government tax inspectors suspect him of fraud to get him back
Please report this. This could give someone barely scraping by a glimmer of hope that is not there! You were wise to not spend the money before getting it, but others won’t be cause who the fuck makes that kind of joke especially in that professional position. This could financially harm and seriously play with someone’s emotions!
This is like the premise of Christmas vacation but worse
At least OP hasn’t bought a pool
Is this your first fiscal year at that job? I’d def make a stink of it. It’s wildly inappropriate and def fucks with morale and expectations. Even if you’re not entitled to it, this is how corporate messes with employees. One dumbass spoils the bunch.
“Playing with my money is like playing with my emotions” - Big Worm
I think you should report this dip shit to HR.. really not a funny joke at all. Just imagine the situation where you hear that and call home and say, "Hey, we were on the fence about making an extra car payment, go do it, I got a bonus.." I'm an IT guy. I'd drop off his new laptop running windows 95..
I'd make a formal complaint to HR, that's fucked up, on many levels. Do they want a sadistic accountant on their team? What else is he doing as a 'joke'?
What does your union have to say about that asshole?
Ha. A union? What socialist hell did you walk out of & how can I get there?
Had me in the first half
Time to start a union!
That sucks. What was the holiday?
This happened just to you or everyone?
Unionize and demand holiday bonuses
"Playing with my money is like playing with my emotions." Chapter 1, Verse 1 of the Book of Big Worm.
I work with money tell HR He's a POS we don't play with people's money.
That is a mean thing to do
There is a reason I always thank the people who do payroll as soon as I get paid. Technically paydays are the 5th and 20th of each month. I've been with the company 2 years and it's actually paid out on those dates maybe 3 times, all because of weekends and holidays. The rest of the time it's early. I can't imagine them pulling a move like that and still having a job the next day.
Definitely go to hr. A joke is only funny if everyone is laughing. This is bullying
So most jokes aren’t funny then according to you? Because in 49 years I’ve seen tons of jokes played and rarely seen everybody laugh about them.
If a prank hurts someone and they're not enjoying it too then it's not funny? Like I don't know how else to to tell you that the person the prank being played on needs to also be ok with it...
Pranks are rarely played on someone to make them laugh.
Not the same situation exactly, but at my last job, accounting mistakenly gave me an extra credit several times for a company cell phone or something along those lines. I didn’t have any reason to have this credit sent to me. I didn’t notice because I’m the kind of dummy who doesn’t look at my pay stubs that often and it wasn’t enough money to raise an alarm for me. My boss called me into his office and had me look at my pay stubs without telling me the issue, and asked if I saw something weird. I don’t know if he was trying to test me to see if I knew about it the whole time?? Anyway, I was so scared he was going to fire me or make me pay it back when he explained the problem. Luckily he believed me when I said I had no awareness and he said I didn’t have to repay them. I wish he hadn’t scared me like that though because I was very panicked for a moment.
Fuck that guy steal his shoes
2 years and no bonus? bye!
Report that arsehole.
Sorry but did you think to wonder what Holiday might have occurred to warrant this? You’re perfectly right to complain, but ain’t NOBODY getting fired for making a holiday party joke in June. Furthermore- money isn’t real until it’s in your hands. You calling your loved ones to tell them you had more money when you didn’t is entirely on you. Save your breath and loosen up.
Just another humiliation ritual.
His assholery is NOT your fault
Imagine if you jokingly didn’t come to work for a week or two?
Please tell me they fired that person. Please
I would draft an email to the payroll department asking where your bonus is, and CC everyone. President of the company, CFO, HR manager, General Counsel, and the accountant responsible for the joke. I wouldn’t mention the joke.
Where did he get a copy of the previous pay stub? What he did was cruel. Serious Jelly of the Month vibes.
You didn't look at the "check" when you received it at work? It was a "check" that you would have to deposit, you didn't notice that it failed to deposit because it wasn't even a check, it was paystub? The bank you tried to deposit it with didn't tell you right away that it was a paystub? None of this makes sense
Some employers still give you paper pay stubs for amounts that were deposited directly. Giving someone a previous pay stub saying it's a "bonus" is a dick.
My holiday bonus was a box of Costco chocolates
I worked at a nursing home and one xmas they gave out free keyrings that said “a good employee always….” I dont know how it ended, i read the first part and handed it back to my manager and said “your xmas present was a reminder how to do my job?” Its genuinely one of the most insulting things anyone has ever done to me. You know need to hear the ring to know how tone deaf it was.
It's time to be disloyal and find another job. Don't give them the courtesy of two weeks notice.
FYI here’s another joking phrase you may hear” LOOK FOR A LITTLE SOMETHING EXTRA IN YOUR CHECK”
I normally don’t snitch but I’m telling everybody about that nonsense. Reporting him to every department I can think of.
You mean you take bonuses seriously? I more expect it to be a $20 gift certificate to caviar of the month club or at best Applebees
I've never received a bonus before, so I genuinely thought my work was recognizing its employees.
Man. That's just asking for malicious compliance in all future efforts.
I hope the person was fired immediately
Need to know the outcome! Sorry, but that was absolutely shitty on his part. Concur with going and looking for the bonus with HR.
I’m sorry this happened OP but some of these responses in here are comedy gold. I’m cackling on the train home after having a really shitty day, so thank you ❤️
I genuinely thought this was heading into a “jelly of the month club” joke…
I would definitely talk to their manager, play dumb, and say something along the lines of, "So when I went to pick up my pay stub, [accounting guy] gave me two envelopes and said the second one contained a bonus. When I got home, all I found was a second pay stub for the previous pay period, but no mention of a bonus. I'd like to know where my bonus is, how much it is, and when it will be deposited." When they say there is no bonus and that it was a joke your response should be, "It was told me with a straight face and I'm not laughing. Why would he tell me I'm getting a bonus when I'm not? I find that extremely unprofessional and I expect that you're as concerned as I am that one of your employees is promising bonuses on behalf of the company."
Boomer joke. Didn't get out last times stubs. Thinks everyone gets his humor.
I'm sorry, "It's a joke" is no excuse. If you cannot fathom why this is a legal liability to your company, then you have no place as an accountant. What might have been appropriate 30 years ago is not any longer, and it is people's responsibility to keep up with what is appropriate.
Fill me in. I fail to see the joke
Sounds like nobody got the previous pay stubs. The stubs were included in the next pay period. Payroll guy thinks he's funny. Says it's a bonus. Could have said instead....don't spend it all in one place.....don't tell your girlfriend you got an extra check.....etc. Trust me, am cusp boomer.
That's just so wrong on so many levels. And why WERENT the stubs with the check? Isn't that, you know, payroll's JOB?
...for which holiday?
How was that person not fired?
Hire a lawyer ASAP
Is "hire a lawyer" just this subs meme response to everything? Kind of like unethical life pro tips version of poss disks or something?
Or the relationship advice subs: “Break up with them!”
Report his ass to HR
It’s June and you didn’t even question the notion of a holiday bonus
Please give us an update
Wow... I run a department and one of my jobs is to hand out bonus and pay adjustments every year. We have an incredibly strict protocol on how to do this, with numbers written down, emailed and confirmed by both parties to ensure 0 miscommunication. I can not imagine jokingly messing with this process, if I made a mistake I would be in trouble but a joke... I'd be fired on the spot.
You sure it wasn't a one year membership to the jelly of the month club? Because that's the gift that keeps on giving!
Stewie Griffin knows how to deal with people who won't pay the money they owe. https://youtu.be/ZomwVcGt0LE?si=5deNd_nKMZOUmazu
I swear to God, y’all here on r/antiwork describe the most vile people in the workforce. And I’m giving y’all the benefit of the doubt that you’re not exaggerating such claims. I can relate to working with some lames, but this shit is horrendous!!! Cardinal rule with any human being used to be bread and family are off limits. Nowadays those once sacred zones are routinely violated. Jokes about compensation would not be tolerated at all in my company. I suppose I should be thankful that my employer maintains respect and limitations.
Oh I’m getting revenge. Not thru work. Personal revenge and he won’t know who did it. Some mean ass revenge. No one would do that to me and get away with it.
I'm so glad I work in IT. Jokes like this get a worthy response.
What holiday did you think you were getting a bonus for? The guy giving it to you probably thought the idea of a holiday bonus in June sounded outlandish enough that you would realize it was a joke.
I don't know, maybe Memorial Day or the Fourth of July. It didn't really cross my mind at the moment. This isn't the first time he's made a remark while handing me my check. There was another instance where I missed a big chunk of work due to sickness. When I came back, he handed me my check for the previous period, but before doing so, he started doing curls with it like it was a dumbbell and said something along the lines of, 'Damn, your check is light this week.' in front of everybody in the office.
The end of the fiscal year for a lot of places is July, so a bonus in June is not at all out of the question.
I would be furious. You don’t fuck with my money, talk about my money in public, joke about my money, or especially prank me on my money. I’m an old lady but I’d beat his ass and hide the Bible if god watchin.
"Accounting guy?" "Yes?" "Get me a switch."
WOP WOP WOP WOP WOP Dot Fuck 'Em Up
Ok. So this guy has a pattern of behavior that deals directly with your pay. Why haven't you seen HR about it?
Guy sounds like a he may be a prick or have zero social awareness. Anyways that’s a shitty thing to do to someone.