At the end of a long year, a gesture of appreciation from an employer can go a long way. But for one McDonald's worker, the company's attempt at a "bonus" was so underwhelming it went viral, sparking a wave of online outrage and commiseration.
In a post on Reddit, user u/MMS37 shared a photo of the gift they received from the fast-food giant. "I work for one of the biggest companies in the world. This was my bonus," they wrote.
The so-called bonus package included a flimsy cardboard bag that would allegedly "disintegrate" if wet, a single movie ticket to a cinema in another city, and a few pin-up badges. The post immediately took off, with commenters—including other McDonald's employees—slamming the gift as a tone-deaf and disrespectful gesture.
A fast food employee hands over a bag of food to a drive-thru customerCanva
"I actually appreciated when my company just stopped doing bonuses altogether," one user, u/ShiftWorth5734, commented. "It’s actually more dignified than this insulting stuff."
The bizarre cardboard bag drew particular scorn. "What’s with this cardboard backpack thing?" asked u/godefroy15. "Unpractical as hell. Wore it a few times, and it’s all crumpled."
Gif of Ronald McDonald losing his hat via Giphy
Many users argued that the gift wasn't a bonus at all, but a thinly veiled attempt at free marketing. "Even calling it branded company merchandise feels generous," wrote u/CategoryKiwi. "They’re trying to make their employees into living advertisements. They should be (separately/additively) paying people to use that garbage."
The post also prompted a bit of nostalgia for a time when things were apparently different. User u/rustys_shackled_ford recalled, "In the '80s, McDonald's used to give every single employee a turkey for Thanksgiving and a ham for Christmas."
A fancy turkey dinnerCanva
The overwhelming response on Reddit made it clear: the so-called bonus was seen not just as cheap, but as a fundamental sign of disrespect from a multi-billion dollar corporation to its frontline workers.
This article originally appeared earlier this year. It has been updated.
Whitney Carpenter with a patient in one of her custom port shirtsAtrium Health 
People chat on a video callCanva
A parked school busCanva
A woman relaxes in the woodsCanva
A neuroscientist studies brain scansCanva
Gif of someone saying "I'm okay. I can do it" via 
Man laying sodCanva
A firefighter rolls up a water hoseCanva
A group of people jumping for joy at the beach during sunsetCanva
two young children play by the water at the beach during sunsetCanva
An exasperated woman sits behind the wheel of her carCanva
Car being towedCanva
Gif from the TV show "FBI" via