A Malaysian man was left feeling unappreciated and demoralised after discovering by accident that a freshly hired colleague received a higher bonus than he did despite his seven years of service.
Summary of staff bonuses
The incident occurred when the HR department mistakenly sent him an internal document via WhatsApp, where it contained a summary of staff bonuses, including those given to employees who joined in 2023.
He immediately downloaded the document out of confusion and was stunned by what he saw.
I was shocked because the document showed that an employee who joined in 2023 got a RM2,300 bonus. I’ve been here for seven years and only got RM2,000.
“During my first two years, my bonus was only RM500,” he shared on Threads.
To make matters worse, the man said HR scolded him for viewing the “confidential” document — even though it was them who accidentally sent it in the first place.
The discovery made him feel demotivated and unappreciated, sparking a wider conversation online about how companies determine bonuses.
‘Bonus is based on KPI, not just seniority’
His post drew mixed reactions, with many netizens stepping in to explain that bonuses are usually tied to performance indicators rather than years of service.
‘Isn’t bonus based on KPI?’
‘I’ve worked at my company for almost 13 years. When a new staff joined, her salary was higher than mine. But I see it as her sustenance. Why? She has more experience and takes on more responsibility. So it’s fair.’
‘Huh? Why is the OP even angry? If you report it, she’ll be the one in trouble. You can get fired over things like this. My office is super strict about code of conduct and confidentiality. You can really get a warning letter or even get terminated.’
A netizen with a HR background also chimed in and shared their experience handling cases like this.
