2022 was coming to an end, and that means it was time for… (drum roll please) the announcement of the Employee of the Year (along with a few other things). Now I don't know a single soul who actually looks forward to these, but attendance was expected, and cash prizes (although small) were given out, so there's that. This time, however, in the back of my head, I was thinking that maybe, just maybe, I might be awarded, since I only missed 2 days throughout the year, and I thought I delivered a decent customer experience. But then again, I knew the odds were against me, since there are many other employees in other departments who also worked really hard.
The time of the announcement came. The store manager grabbed his mic. “And the Employee of the Year award goes to… Jenny!”
I was shocked. Dumbfounded. A few people clapped, but I, along with many others, did not. You see, if anybody from Deli, Produce, Meat, Fish, or Cashier, etc. were elected, I would've been totally fine with that. But no. It had to be Jenny from HR. The same person who always “worked” upstairs (I've never seen her downstairs on the floor in the span I worked), and was always watching a YouTube video on her computer whenever I passed her office.
Now if you ask me, I think the whole concept of Employee of the Year is stupid. But if you're going to do it, at least give it to somebody who actually does work. By giving it to HR, it blatantly shows that management has given up any pretense of fairness or caring about its employees. It is an insult and an affront to all the people who worked so hard that year.