Quick edit: Obvious throw away cuz reasons.
So my company has a program where anyone can give anyone a spot bonus called an “Appreciate Award”. They're a way to give someone something tangible as a thank you for going above and beyond with amounts ranging from $25 – $500. Most of these awards go to our support team who are already overworked and underpaid. We even have a company “holiday' where your encouraged to appreciate as many people as possible to keep the culture alive. The true go-getters take home several thousand dollars a year.
All of this required manager approval. It's not like you could pass awards back and forth between your friends to rack up extra cash. You had to actually go above and beyond.
We're now being told this is capped at $400 sent AND received per person because fuck us I guess.
Moral is at an all time low, there has been an absolute exodus of knowledgeable hard working people because my company refuses to increase salaries to match the market, and now they're killing the culture.