A manager threatened a salary deduction and reconsideration of promotion after employees left a few empty pizza boxes and soft drink bottles on their office desks after a team meal. But the employees did not back down. One of them replied to the manager, apologised for their behaviour, and pushed back against the references to pay cuts and promotions.
The screenshots of the exchange were shared in a Reddit post, where the Software Developer said the team usually cleans up after Friday team meals, but on this occasion they were caught up in urgent work and failed to dispose of the boxes and containers, which prompted the manager to reprimand them.
Manager Threatens With Pay Cut The manager addressed the issue in a group chat, saying he had personally
disposed of the waste and warned employees against such behaviour. “If I see this happen again, I’ll recommend Arrie and the HR to give you guys a pay cut in your monthly salary for that month,” the manager wrote, while stressing the importance of maintaining “office decorum” and “office discipline”.
The manager also said that employees should contact him on Zoom before coming to his desk for an in-person meeting, describing the unannounced meetings as disturbing and inappropriate office manners.
Manager Says He Will Reconsider Their Promotions
The situation took a more serious turn when the manager linked it to career progression, saying he had been planning to recommend the employees for a promotion but he could change his mind if such behaviour continued. He further said that they would no longer use their credit card for team lunches or outings.
Employee Responds To “Threats” Of Pay Cut And No Promotion
Following the manager’s texts, an employee responded by acknowledging the mistake and apologised for leaving the trash behind, but pushed back against the threat of salary deduction and promotions.
“I would like to respectfully raise a concern about the references to both a pay cut and promotion in your message. I don’t think a one-off incident of this nature should be used as a basis for either a salary-related consequence or reconsidering someone’s promotion recommendation,” the employee said.
They also questioned whether the company had an established policy allowing salary deductions for such an incident. “If there is an established company policy or process around such matters, I’m of course happy to understand and follow it,” the employee wrote.
The employee also objected to the manager addressing the matter in a group chat, saying they found the tone concerning. They further added, “I’m happy to take accountability for the mistake, but I don’t think linking it to compensation or career progression is an appropriate way to address it. I’d prefer to discuss this constructively and offline rather than continue the conversation over chat.”
Internet Applauds The Employee For Taking A Stand
The post has since sparked a debate on workplace culture in Indian workplaces, with many people applauding the employee for politely giving it back to the manager while acknowledging that they should not have left the trash behind.
“Your reply was just spot on. And I think it was your personal desk anyway, right? It should have been thrown away, but a one-time incident- does it need this much attention over group chat?” said a user.
Another person wrote, “It’s bad etiquette, but it’s really not that big of a deal. Offices have cleaners who clean desks anyway.”
Someone else commented, “Well done, friend; we need change, we need to stop the culture where bosses think they own you.”
Disclaimer: This article is based on user-generated content. The claims made in the original post have not been independently verified by News18
