Our Pet-Friendly Office Turned Into a Warzone

I've founded a company that doesn't encourage overtime shifts, pays everyone on time, and doesn't impose performance evaluations on the employees at all.

My employees are free to bring their pets to work. All of their applications for leave will be approved immediately. Heck, they have unlimited leave as well.

I originally think that my employees will like me a lot thanks to these benefits. But I never expect my company to be featured on the Internet one day. It even gets labeled as a sweatshop, much to my shock.

"Guys, I can't believe I got hired by a sweatshop company. The boss is extremely stingy who pays us low wages while pretending to be a nice guy this whole time!"

My company is then shown in the video. The narrator's voice has been edited, so I can't tell whose voice it is.

As I stare at the tranquil office scene in real-time, I find myself falling into deep thought.

Meanwhile, the video is still going on.

"Let me tell you how evil my boss is. Every other company tends to distribute gifts during the holidays that like food and luxury items. But my boss doesn't bother giving us any of the gifts. He uses the excuse that our company is a very flexible and humane company, so we don't do any gift-giving at all. As if!

"He also claims that we don't have to undergo any performance evaluation. In other words, that means our wages aren't transparent at all. Maybe he's been secretly docking our pay behind our backs this whole time!

"Being paid thousands of dollars for this job is already bad enough! To make things worse, I'm forced to listen to my boss boast about everything in the world! Do I look like I have that much time on my hands to listen to him blabber? I'm not his mom, for crying out loud!"

Everyone in the comment section doesn't hesitate to lash out at me.

"Holy shit, I can't believe such soul-sucking companies still exist! Poor you!"

"Why are you still staying in that stupid company? Hurry up and leave! If I were you, I wouldn't be able to stay there for a minute longer!"

"That's right! That boss of yours is an evil capitalist! He deserves to die!"

The video looped over and over again. Seeing how the facts had been twisted made me laugh in anger.

I didn't distribute any gifts for the holidays because I always took my employees on overseas trips during the holidays and even covered all the expenses.

Even if an employee asked to opt out, I'd still convert the full cost of the trip into a bonus and give it to them.

And I decided not to do performance evaluations because I didn't want to stress them out. We were just a small company, so we didn't make that much profit annually.

Besides, I didn't count on them to make a killing. And every employee's salary was more than double the local average.

I never expected they would see my lenient policies as exploitation.

Well, if that was how they saw it, then there was no need for me to be so kind anymore.

Since they liked performance evaluations and wanted the company to operate like other companies, I might as well give them exactly what they wanted.

I immediately drafted a brand-new company policy handbook and had my assistant, Jacob Merritt, distribute it.

As soon as Jacob sent it out, gasps of disbelief came from outside my office. "What? We're only getting a day off for Christmas this year? And no free vacation anymore?"

"We have performance evaluations starting today?"

"We can't bring our pets to the office anymore?"

An employee barged into my office immediately. "Mr. Pearson, are the new company policies Jacob just sent out real?"

Then a second and third person rushed in. "Yeah, Mr. Pearson. It isn't even April Fool's today. Are you pranking us?"

I looked at them, making sure to scan every single face. Anyone in this room could be the one trashing me online.

I clenched my fists. "It's not a prank. Starting today, our company is going to model itself after other corporations. Everyone should have no objections, right?"

For a moment, my office went dead silent. Some people looked conflicted, others stayed silent, but ultimately, none of them could change my decision.

Barely a moment later, that account made another post. "I have no idea what set my dumb boss off, but he suddenly canceled our days off and free vacations.

"We work our butts off all year for peanuts and still get treated like cattle. Now he wants to cancel our 30 days of annual leave? How are we bottom-feeders supposed to live? Is he trying to drive us to our deaths? Just wait. Once I get dirt on him, I'm going to ruin him."

Moments after the post went up, several comments appeared. "Seriously? How can there be such a horrible boss? And I thought the one I dealt with was bad."

"Bestie, you should collect the evidence and take him down!"

"People like him need to be taught a lesson. Does he think we're as uneducated and helpless as people from the older generations? How dare he cut your annual leave? You can sue him under the labor law at any time. By then, his company won't even survive."

Amidst the sea of condemnation, there were a handful of voices that dared to differ.

"Am I the only one who thinks the original poster is a bit off? How is 30 days of annual leave a bad thing? Most companies don't give nearly as much as that.

"Normally, getting ten days is already considered a good thing. And didn't this person's last post say there were no holiday benefits? So why are there suddenly free vacations being mentioned?"

"Are they just making stuff up?"

"I think so too. Is there even a company that doesn't do performance evaluations nowadays? If what the original poster says is true, then there's no work pressure, full salary is paid regularly, plus they get annual leave and even free vacations. And yet they're still complaining? Unbelievable."

As soon as those comments were posted, dozens of insults followed.

"Are you serious? Have you been bending over backward for so long that you can't stand up straight anymore?"

"This is my first time seeing someone sympathize with a capitalist. I'm speechless. Is the capitalist your dad or what?"

"How pathetic can you be?"