"If You Can't Perform, Your Pay Will Be Cut. If You Don't Like It, Leave": CEO's New Year's Address Starts by Demoralizing Staff [What Do You Think?]
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- 2026-01-04 05:00:00
- Updated
- 2026-01-04 05:00:00
[The Financial News] A message sent by the CEO of a small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) to employees for the New Year has been made public online, sparking significant controversy.
"Last Year Was Empty and Meaningless," Complains SME CEO
On the first day of the year, a post titled "An SME CEO Writes to Employees for the New Year" appeared on several online communities.
The SME CEO, referred to as Mr. A, began by saying, "Everyone worked hard over the past year, but it was a year without any sense of accomplishment—completely meaningless." He continued, "There was no progress or growth, and it feels like we’re stuck in the same place. Personally, I only suffered losses and accumulated mental stress throughout the year," openly expressing his dissatisfaction from the start.
He went on, "Working hard isn’t enough. What matters is doing well. Does anyone here think they haven’t been working hard?" He warned, "From this New Year, I will judge everyone strictly and professionally, without personal consideration or emotion."
Mr. A stated, "We will implement rigorous performance evaluations, and based on the results, demotions and salary reductions will be applied." He added, "Conversely, those who perform well will be promoted at an accelerated pace."
He emphasized that if losses or damages occur, they will be offset immediately, saying, "Even if your salary goes negative, we will respond legally."
He concluded, "If you don’t like it, you are free to leave the company. Anyone who leaves simply isn’t capable, and I don’t want to work with such people. The company will be completely different from this New Year. Happy New Year."
Netizens: "He Wrote a Long Post Just to Admit His Own Incompetence"
Readers who saw the post commented, "He wrote a long post just to admit his own incompetence," "Is he trying to demoralize employees from the start of the year?" "I wouldn’t want to work under a boss with that kind of mindset," and "A boss who values people is the one who succeeds," among other criticisms.
gaa1003@fnnews.com Ahn Ga-eul Reporter