As the holiday season approached, I drafted the year-end bonuses based on each employee’s title and overall contribution to the company. Once I confirmed the numbers were flawless, I prepared to issue the payouts. Just then, our newest intern, Chloe, walked into my office and said: “Ms. Davis, I deeply admire how you always treat everyone in this company like family. Since we are a family, we should all be treated equally. Therefore, regardless of whether someone is a senior employee or a new intern, the year-end bonus should be exactly the same for everyone.” I treated it as a joke and dismissed her request. To my utter surprise, right before closing time, Chloe returned. This time, she was flanked by the managers of the HR, Sales, and Accounting departments. She presented a petition signed by nearly every employee in the company, demanding I agree to her terms. I remained silent for a moment before looking at the three department managers. “So, you’re demanding that all year-end bonuses be exactly the same? Even if that means your bonus is zero, just like this intern’s?” Chapter 1 The color drained from the three managers’ faces. The office was dead silent for a moment before the HR Manager broke the tension. “Ms. Davis, as the head of HR, I believe that the most critical factor in a company’s growth is employee cohesion. And making the year-end bonus equal across the board is the best way to boost that cohesion.” The Sales Manager immediately followed, his tone serious. “Ms. Davis, you built this company from the ground up. You’ve been in the trenches; you know how hard the hustle is. The interns are a part of this company too. Some of them have even generated more profit than our senior staff. Not giving them a bonus would really discourage them.” The Accounting Manager quickly chimed in. “The company’s profit margins are excellent this year. Both the senior staff and the new interns have contributed to that success. It’s just one year’s bonus, Ms. Davis. Why stubbornly cling to outdated company policies? I say we make it equal this year, and we can discuss a more structured system for next year.” I remained silent. Chloe slammed her hand down on the stack of signed petitions on my desk, staring right at me. “Ms. Davis, what are you hesitating for? Do you really want to go against the wishes of your entire staff?” I looked at her, gripping the fountain pen in my hand until my knuckles turned white. Right after graduating college, I threw myself into entrepreneurship. For ten grueling years, I poured blood, sweat, and tears into building this company until it finally got on track. I truly treated my employees like family, offering them top-tier benefits. Paid weekends off, generous holidays, catered afternoon tea, monthly birthday parties, an on-site gym, a breakroom with a pool table and gaming consoles… Anything other companies offered, we had. Things other companies didn’t offer, we had too. But I never, in my wildest dreams, imagined that the very employees who had weathered the storms with me would allow a brand-new intern to lead a mutiny against me with their signatures. My heart ached. It took five full minutes before I finally released my grip on the pen. I looked up, locking eyes with Chloe, tapped the petition on my desk, and asked deadpan: “If I refuse, are you going to lead all of them to resign en masse?” Chloe’s face shifted. She clearly hadn’t expected me to refuse to back down. The three managers beside her panicked and hurriedly interjected. “Ms. Davis, you’ve misunderstood! We aren’t threatening you with resignation.” “Right, right! We just want to improve morale so the company can thrive.” “Ms. Davis, we’ve been with you for years. How could we ever stage a mutiny against you?” You wouldn’t? Then what exactly are you doing right now? I gave a tight, sarcastic smile, picked up the petition, and walked toward the door. “Since this is the demand of the entire staff, let’s gather everyone together and hash this out before clocking out.” I used to say this company was a home for all its employees, and that every employee was family. But now, they were the ones rejecting this home, refusing to treat me like family. Since there were pests in the house, it was time to exterminate them. Chapter 2 Half an hour later, the entire staff was assembled in the first-floor lobby. Acting as if she owned the place, Chloe stood in front of me and addressed the crowd. “Earlier, the three managers and I asked Ms. Davis to make the year-end bonuses equal for everyone. She accused us of staging a mutiny. Now is the time to speak up. Let Ms. Davis hear whether this is a mutiny, or if we’re genuinely doing this for the good of the company.” The moment she finished speaking, a voice called out from the crowd. “Ms. Davis, how could you think that? I started here right out of college, and I’ve been with you for seven years. I generate millions in profit for this company every single year. I am absolutely doing this for the good of the company.” With the ice broken, others quickly chimed in. “Ms. Davis, you’ve really hurt my feelings.” “Ms. Davis, you call us family, but is this how you doubt your own family?” “Sigh, Ms. Davis, you are really making a massive mistake here.” … I didn’t say a word. I just looked at my employees, one by one. There were veterans who had been with me for years, and there were interns who had joined in the same cohort as Chloe. I understood the latter perfectly well. They wanted a bonus, which is why they banded together with Chloe. But the veterans? Why? I had never once shortchanged them. The voices kept buzzing in my ears. “Ms. Davis, we aren’t forcing your hand. We really just want what’s best for the company.” “Exactly! Think about it: if everyone’s bonus is identical, there won’t be any jealousy or comparison. We’ll truly become one big, united family.” “Ms. Davis, whether it’s us senior employees or the new interns, we all work our tails off for you. You can’t just slap everyone in the face like this.” “…” I looked at Chloe. The corners of her mouth were turned up in a smug, provocative smirk. “Did you hear that, Ms. Davis? You can’t fight the will of the people!” The three managers beside her nodded in agreement. “The law is the law, and company policy is policy, but neither can go against the will of the people. Ms. Davis, just agree to it.” “Ms. Davis, I’m going to be blunt. If you don’t agree today, these people might not quit, but their motivation will absolutely tank. Ultimately, the company’s bottom line will suffer.” “Ms. Davis, it took you ten years to build this company. Can you really bear to see it damaged over something so trivial?” I pressed my lips tightly together. Just as I was about to speak, a lone voice cut through the crowd. “Ms. Davis, I absolutely disagree with making the year-end bonuses equal!” I looked toward the voice. It was Leo. He had joined the company a year ago, and due to his exceptional performance, he had already been promoted to department supervisor. Chloe glared at him furiously. “Leo, I am fighting for benefits for all employees, including you. What do you mean you disagree? Are you trying to make yourself the enemy of the entire staff?” Leo looked at her with pure disdain. “Chloe, I have two hands, two feet, and a functioning brain. I can earn my own money. I don’t need you to ‘fight’ for anything on my behalf.” Chloe’s face turned ugly. Leo turned to me. “Ms. Davis, I’ve always believed that you earn what you work for. You shouldn’t take what you haven’t earned. If you compromise today, tomorrow they’ll start demanding ‘equal’ monthly salaries regardless of performance. That is a recipe for absolute disaster.” I felt a surge of relief. Thank God there was still one person with a functioning brain in the room. However, Leo had effectively made himself public enemy number one. The entire staff immediately began verbally attacking him. Chloe turned back to me. “Ms. Davis, I strongly suggest you terminate Leo immediately. A toxic employee who actively undermines team unity has no place in this company.” Before I could answer, she added, “Furthermore, I propose the company establish a new department exclusively for managing and distributing year-end bonuses. I volunteer to serve as the manager.” I laughed out loud. The fox was finally showing its tail. “Quiet!” I clapped my hands loudly. Facing the stares of every single employee, I spoke with absolute calm. “Since you all unanimously demand that the year-end bonuses be equal across the board, starting this year, your bonuses will be exactly the same as Chloe’s.” “And since Chloe is an intern and does not qualify for a year-end bonus, none of you will be receiving one either.” “Oh, except for Leo, of course!” The moment the words left my mouth, every single face in the room—except Leo’s—drained of color. Chapter 3 After two seconds of stunned silence, Chloe’s voice rang out. “Ms. Davis, are you threatening us?” I looked at her, genuinely amused. “Threatening? How so? You demanded equal bonuses across the board, and I agreed to your terms.” Chloe’s face darkened, glaring at me. “If this isn’t a threat, then why aren’t the bonuses equal to the highest earner’s standard, instead of zero?” “Ha!” I let out a dry laugh. “Chloe, are you the CEO, or am I the CEO? I have agreed to your demand: the distribution of the bonus is completely equal. Don’t push your luck.” “Yes, you agreed, but our demand is that the bonus be distributed according to the maximum standard. Everyone gets the highest possible bonus.” Hearing Chloe speak with such staggering entitlement, I literally laughed out of sheer anger. They want a bonus, they want it to be equal, and they want it set at the absolute maximum payout tier. Do they think I’m running a charity printing press in the basement? Nothing in this world works like that! I gave them respect, but that didn’t mean they could walk all over me. I was the boss. They were the employees. I had heard of employees walking on eggshells around the boss, but I had never heard of a boss having to cater to the whims of the employees. I looked at the crowd of employees and asked coldly, “Is this what all of you think, too?” They looked at me, then at Chloe, and guiltily lowered their heads one by one. My voice grew colder. “Many of you have been with me for six or seven years. You know exactly how I’ve treated you. Have I ever once shortchanged your salaries or your commissions? I can understand wanting a bigger bonus, but actually listening to a brand-new intern and demanding an ‘equal’ payout? You’d be laughed out of any other corporate building in this city.” Hearing that, many heads dropped even lower, and expressions of shame began to ripple through the crowd. Just as I suspected. I had been too soft on them. It made them think I was a pushover they could easily manipulate. “Ms. Davis, don’t change the subject,” Chloe’s irritated voice cut in. “I am an intern, but interns are a part of this company too. As long as it’s for the good of the company, I have every right to voice my opinion.” I gave her a long, hard look. “You are merely an intern. You are not an official, permanent member of this corporate family. Therefore, you do not have the right to voice any demands.” With that, I turned my gaze back to the rest of the staff. “I am only going to say this once. If you continue to insist on equal bonuses across the board, you will get absolutely nothing. If you regret this stunt, come to my office before 10:00 PM tonight, and I will personally issue your original, performance-based bonus.” No one spoke, but hesitation flickered across almost every face. I didn’t wait for an answer. I turned and walked away. I had given them an out. If they couldn’t grasp it, they couldn’t blame me for being ruthless. But I truly didn’t expect that not a single person would show up. Actually, no—Leo showed up. He pulled out his phone, opened a voice recording, and hit play. Chloe’s voice echoed through my office. “Don’t let her scare you! I guarantee you she doesn’t have the guts to fire all of us!” Chapter 4 The recording was chaotic and loud, painting a vivid picture of the frenzy that erupted in the lobby after I left. “It’s easy for you to say! What if she’s serious? Are you going to cover our financial losses?” “Yeah, are you going to pay us?” “Chloe, we only backed you up as a favor. I don’t care about anyone else, but my bonus was supposed to be around $3,000. If Ms. Davis doesn’t pay out, you owe me that $3,000.” “And mine!” “Mine too!” “…” “You guys…” Chloe sounded exasperated and frantic. “Can you grow a spine?! She said one sentence and you’re all terrified!” “Hmph, so what’s your brilliant plan then?” “Yeah, what do we do now?” “It’s simple. Tomorrow morning when she gets to the office, we’ll all be waiting by the front doors. We will hand in our resignations, one by one. I refuse to believe she’ll actually accept them.” “But what if…” “There is no ‘what if.’ Unless she literally wants to bankrupt her own company, she will cave.” The recording ended. Leo looked at me. “Ms. Davis, I hope you won’t compromise. If you yield now, it’ll set a disastrous precedent. They won’t appreciate your leniency; they’ll only see you as weak and easily exploitable.” I smiled and asked, “Do you honestly think I’m going to compromise?” Leo didn’t answer. I knew exactly what he was thinking. It was true. I had poured ten years of my life into this company. I absolutely did not want to see it damaged. Even if only half the staff quit—let alone everyone except Leo—it would severely impact operations. But Chloe, and the people blindly following her, were no longer the pillars supporting this company. They were termites eating it from the inside out. Keeping them around would only allow the rot to spread. Conversely, purging them would hurt the company, but the pain would be temporary. A brief, sharp pain is always better than chronic agony. The next morning, as soon as I stepped out of my car, I saw Chloe leading a massive crowd of employees outside the main entrance. Before I could even get close, they started speaking up one by one. “Ms. Davis, I’m resigning.” “Ms. Davis, I’m so sorry, but I have a family emergency. I’ve already printed my resignation letter, please sign it.” “Ms. Davis, thank you for the opportunity, but I don’t think this company is the right fit for me anymore.” “…” Chloe watched me, a sickeningly smug smile on her face. “Ms. Davis, I tried so hard to talk them out of it, but they just won’t listen.” I smiled back and asked, “Aren’t you resigning too?” Chloe’s expression faltered. Realizing everyone was looking at her, she quickly replied, “Of course I am. But I really don’t think it needs to come to this. There’s a solution to every problem. Right, Ms. Davis?” Before I could answer, she pressed on. “Ms. Davis, if we all quit, the company will completely halt operations. Can you really bear to watch ten years of your hard work go down the drain over something like this?” I nodded thoughtfully. “You’re right. I can’t bear to see that.” A look of victorious joy flashed across Chloe’s face, but my next sentence wiped it out instantly. “But since you all insist, I have no choice but to accept.” Chloe froze perfectly still. It took her several agonizing moments to stammer out, “M-Ms. Davis… what do you mean?” “Nothing complicated. I’m just granting your requests.” I started walking toward the building doors. “Follow me inside. Line up outside my office, and I’ll sign your resignation letters, one by one.”
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