An employee’s first-ever company annual dinner turned into a shocking revelation after what seemed like a night of generosity and grand prizes turned out to be nothing more than an elaborate show (or sham).
In an anonymous post made on XUAN’s Facebook page, an unsatisfied employee exposed their company for giving out ‘fake’ prizes during their annual dinner.
Felt impressed at first
At first, everything looked impressive as laptops, vacuum cleaners, and cash packets were displayed as prizes where department heads “walked away with shiny MacBook boxes”, which were said to be rewards for their performance.
The OP also recalled feeling genuinely impressed, thinking, “Wow, our young boss is really generous. No wonder he could become successful.”
But little did the OP know that there was something sinister behind it.
Ugly truth revealed
A few months later in a private chat, a colleague casually revealed that someone she knew had taken home one of the so-called “MacBook prizes”—only to discover it was just an empty box.
At the time, the OP thought it was an honest mistake, but when she confronted the boss about it, she received a chilling response: “Haven’t you gotten enough already?”
It then dawned on the OP that all the prizes were nothing more than photo props which were carefully staged to create the illusion of generosity and success.
Toxic workplace culture
As it turns out, the fake lucky draw wasn’t the only red flag that began to rise to the surface.
Behind the scenes, employees said the company was riddled with messy office politics and a “culture of appearances” that went far beyond annual dinners.
The OP recalled that when they had first joined, all communication with management had to go through one designated middleman.
However, the middleman suddenly quit without warning and rumors said some staff found it easier to bypass him and deal directly with management, which effectively diminished his role.
Despite calling itself a work-life balance company, staff said they were expected to be on standby almost 24/7, with “review trips” that felt like unpaid overtime.
Even the only company trip ended up being a pep talk about management, and employees weren’t allowed to take leave the next day even if they fell sick.
High turnover and mind games
Not only that, the OP wrote that employee turnover was high, be it due to overwhelming pressured or allegedly being “forced out” from the company.
New hires were often underpaid and overloaded with expectations, with some undergoing screening procedures such as personality tests or numerology.
Instead of giving direct feedback, management would gaslight workers with statements like:“Everyone thinks you’re not good enough, so we have no choice but to let you go.”
This way, they avoided taking responsibility, maintained their “nice person” image, and made it seem like the decision came from others rather than themselves.
According to the OP, the company also had an obsession with photos, with almost every meal, meeting, and event being documented.
These images were then used in recruitment ads to portray a “warm and loving team,” but in reality, employees felt like props who were forced to smile and look enthusiastic on cue.
Towards the end of the post, the OP said they’re still at the company after three years but wondered whether they had grown more tolerant, or simply became numb to the work culture.
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