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Nothing says “we don’t value our employees” quite like asking them to volunteer unpaid hours planning their own appreciation party while the owner drives around in a truck wrapped in his own face.

One worker watched this exact scenario unfold after her company, struggling with heavy turnover, decided the solution wasn’t a pay raise or a better schedule but a shiny new “culture committee.”

The details that followed made the intent pretty clear: after-hours meetings, no compensation, attendance framed as voluntary but somehow mandatory in tone, and a first project involving vendor calls, decorations, setup, and cleanup, all crammed into a budget that barely stretched across 80 employees.

When she questioned whether this counted as actual paid work, her boss accused her of not being a team player.

You’ll want to keep reading for this one.

My job started a “culture committee” and somehow made it unpaid work

So my company has been losing people like crazy, and instead of raising pay or fixing the schedule, they started a “culture committee.”

At first I thought it was just gonna be some monthly meeting where people complain and nothing happens. Annoying but whatever.

She soon realized this was going to be a much bigger commitment.

Then they sent out the details. Meetings are after work, unpaid, attendance is “voluntary but strongly encouraged,” and the first project is planning a summer appreciation event for staff.

We are supposed to help call vendors, make decorations, set up tables, clean up after, and “bring ideas that fit the budget.”

The budget is ridiculously low for around 80 employees.

The employee can’t help but notice where other money is being spent.

Meanwhile the owner just got a wrapped company truck with his face and the logo on it. Not joking.

So when she tried to lightly push back, it didn’t go over well.

I asked my manager if committee time would be paid since it is literally company work for a company event.

She said, “It’s more of a chance to have your voice heard than a work task.” I said my voice is usually heard better while I’m clocked in.

Now I’m apparently not a team player.

This was the moment where I started seriously applying elsewhere. They really want us to donate our free time so they can throw us a cheap appreciation party and pretend morale is fixed.

Companies like this wouldn’t know good morale if it was standing right in front of them.

What did Reddit have to say?

This commenter goes as far as describing this as “a new low.”

This user sees right through the façade.

Just because someone’s in charge doesn’t mean they’re good at making decisions.

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If you enjoyed this post, check out this story about a contractor who flew along way and spent 3 days on a fix only to find a breaker that needed to be flipped.

This company seems intent on evading any and all responsibility.

Calling unpaid labor a “chance to have your voice heard” is corporate speak for “we’d like free work, please.”

These employees were asking for something very simple: to be compensated for time spent on literal company tasks, vendor calls, decorations, setup, cleanup, none of which happens without real effort attached to it.

The truck wrapped in the owner’s face was just the icing on the cake.

The writing’s on the wall here, so this employee would be wise to update her resume.

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Author

Benjamin Cottrell

Benjamin Cottrell | Assistant Editor, Internet Culture

Benjamin Cottrell is an Assistant Editor and contributing writer at TwistedSifter, specializing in internet culture, viral social dynamics, and the moral complexities of online communities. He brings a highly analytical, editorial voice to his reporting on workplace conflicts, malicious compliance, and interpersonal drama, with a specific focus on nuanced stories that lack an obvious villain.

As a published author of rhetorical criticism, Benjamin leverages his academic background in human communication to dissect and elevate viral social media threads. Instead of simply summarizing events, he provides readers with balanced, deep-dive commentary into why the internet reacts the way it does. In addition to his cultural reporting, he is an experienced fine art photography essayist and video game reviewer.

When he isn’t analyzing the latest viral debates, Benjamin is usually chipping away at his extensive video game backlog, hunting down the best new restaurants, or out exploring the city with a camera in hand.

Connect with Benjamin on Instagram and read more of his essays on Substack.