Celebrating a work milestone should be a happy occasion for all involved. But some employers don’t seem to know how to show their appreciation to workers who have years and years on the job.
Recently, a Burger King employee shared an apparently lackluster gift he got after working for 27 years at the same place. It’s had the internet in a real tizzy.
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This week, a video surfaced online, showing a man opening a gift in a Burger King.
Kevin Ford, a 54-year-old cook/cashier for a Burger King in the Las Vegas airport, recently celebrated his 27th anniversary working for the restaurant chain .
But the reward he got was nothing more than a goodie bag.
The video, which has been uploaded to Reddit and Twitter, shows Ford taking the contents of the bag out, which included pens, keychains, a single movie ticket, a lanyard, and some candy.
Though Ford remained appreciative in the video, viewers were outraged.
Some commented on how this is why so many young people don’t want to work in industries like fast food, while others felt anger on behalf of Ford, who definitely deserves better.
This Burger King does its hiring through HMS Host.
As some commenters on Reddit and Twitter point out, Ford technically works for HMS Host, who are the ones that gave him such a strange and seemingly disrespectful gift in the first place.
But even still, Ford did not want to come across as ungrateful.
Though he told TMZ that it seemed like HMS Host sent him ” what felt like stuff they had lying around the office ,” he wanted to make sure they knew he was grateful for the gift nonetheless.
On that, Ford and the internet were in agreement.
One Reddit commenter wrote, “You can get all of those [expletive] for free in booths or conventions. While CEOs and Management get millions in bonuses for doing the bare minimum of what is required of them.”
His daughter started a GoFundMe so that Ford could visit his grandkids.
Originally, Seryna Ford, Kevin’s daughter, set the goal to $3000 so that he could take a day off. But in the past two days since the fundraiser was created, the family has raised over $34,000 .
Which is excellent news for Ford!
The fact that it took a public fundraiser to give Ford the milestone bonus he deserved, as opposed to his employer doing what’s right, is not great, but this still shows that the internet is on his side.
A spokesperson from Burger King sent a statement to TMZ.
They said, “The Burger King brand and its many franchisees nationwide are committed to recognizing and celebrating the achievements of the thousands of people serving across a wide range of roles — all dedicated to providing our Guests a world-class experience.”
Meanwhile, HMS Host has not commented on the video.
All I can say is, employees in all industries need to be treated with respect. Here’s hoping that Ford’s story can help to create positive change for employees, especially those in fast food.
What do you think? Let us know in the comments!
h/t: TMZ
