‘Mandatory’: Wild text from boss goes viral

An outrageous demand for money from an anonymous boss has gone viral, leaving workers outraged and stunned.

Ben Askins is a workplace commentator from the UK who has found his sweet spot sharing anonymous texts from bosses and offering his advice.

He recently shared a text message exchange between a boss and an employee he almost distrusted.

Askins read the text exchange that involved a boss texting an employee and asking for plenty of money.

Anyone who has worked in an office will know that often when someone leaves the company, employees will get together and decide on a going away gift.

However, this exchange takes things to another level.

“Hey! I noticed you haven’t given the gift to Josh yet. Can you send $50 today? I want to make the purchase by the end of the day, – sent a message to the boss.

Keep in mind this is in Euros so in Australia it’s about $100.

“May I ask why it is so expensive?” the employee replied.

“Money is a little tight right now and asking to put that much down feels like a lot.”

The boss didn’t back down but instead doubled down on the demand for money which quickly became a question.

“Josh has been away from the company for 3 years now and I think it’s a nice gesture to show our appreciation,” they said.

When the worker replied that they didn’t really work with Josh and therefore didn’t think it was fair, they charged such a large amount, especially since he made a lot more “money” than them.

The boss would see no reason and instead replied that it was “compulsory” and argued that it had to be because it wasn’t fair to take money from some people and not others.

“Besides, it doesn’t take all things into account,” argued the chief.

Askins said he doesn’t mind leaving gifts as a concept, but “companies should pay for them — not individual employees.”

“Companies must take responsibility and set a budget,” he said.

Askins argued that this would avoid someone feeling “pressured” into putting up money they can’t afford, and added that it’s a completely different situation if you want to buy something small for a close co-worker who is leave a business.

“This kind of mandatory, everyone has to enter, I absolutely hate it! I think it’s really poor,” he fumed.

Askins summed up the request as “ridiculous” and added in the clip’s caption that he was “crazy”.

People online were stunned.

“What the hell are they buying?” asked another.

Someone else called it “disgusting” and another claimed that such a requirement could never be “mandatory,” no matter what a boss claims.

“This is an outrageous amount to ask ordinary employees to pay for a manager’s going away gift. And since when was it a mandatory contribution,” wrote one.

One wrote that the boss claiming it wasn’t that much is something only someone would say if they “ask for money”.

Employment Hero’s head of people and culture, Liam D’Ortenzio, said this kind of entitled act by a boss is a massive mistake.

“Managers play a vital role in building team morale and recognition is a big part of that. However, asking employees to contribute a significant, mandatory amount to a gift is not the way to go, he said.

“It’s more likely to breed resentment than to foster appreciation, which is the opposite of what you want!”

D’Ortenzio argued that recognition should always be inclusive, influential and most importantly voluntary.

“A heartfelt acknowledgment in front of peers, highlighting the individual’s contributions to the business, can often be more meaningful than an expensive gift that misses the mark,” he said.

“Where budgets allow, companies can take the lead in supporting recognition efforts. In this case, a more thoughtful approach would be for the company to fund the gift or set aside a modest, optional budget for contributions.