In a bizarre workplace incident that feels straight out of a
school detention room, a CEO allegedly punished an employee by making them write
"I will not call you by your name" 100 times—simply for
addressing her without the title "Ma’am."
The incident, which surfaced on Reddit, quickly went
viral, sparking widespread criticism of the CEO's authoritarian leadership
style.
What Exactly Happened?
A Reddit user shared the story, recounting how their friend,
who works at the company, was shocked by what happened to their senior
colleague. The friend had messaged, “You won’t believe what happened with my
senior today,” before revealing the CEO’s unusual punishment.
According to the post, the employee had been calling the
CEO by her name for over a year without any issue. But out of nowhere, the
CEO decided that this was unacceptable. Instead of a simple private
conversation or a verbal warning, she forced the employee to handwrite
an apology 100 times—a punishment most people haven’t seen since school
days!
To make matters worse, the CEO allegedly demanded that
the handwritten lines be submitted by the end of the day and shared in the
company’s group chat, making the punishment public and humiliating.
Backlash and Online Reactions
The incident sparked outrage online, with users
slamming the CEO for her unprofessional behavior. Many people questioned
why the CEO suddenly decided to enforce this rule after a year of tolerating
it. Others argued that even if she preferred being called
"Ma’am," the punishment was completely unnecessary and childish.
Here are some of the top reactions from Reddit users:
💬 "I would have
written ‘I Quit’ once."
💬 "If he had to
write something 100 times, he should’ve made a list of '100 reasons to leave
this company' and posted it on LinkedIn!"
💬 "The CEO
treated the employee like a schoolkid, but why did the senior keep calling her
by name if they already knew she disliked it?"
💬 "Losers who
can’t even stand up for themselves deserve this."
While some users pointed out that employees should respect
workplace etiquette, most agreed that the CEO’s response was extreme and
humiliating.
Professionalism or Power Trip?
This incident raises a bigger question—how should
workplace hierarchy and respect be enforced? While it’s understandable that
some leaders prefer being addressed formally, respect should be mutual, not
enforced through public humiliation.
Instead of resorting to school-style punishments, the
CEO could have handled the situation with a simple conversation,
explaining her preference professionally. After all, a healthy work environment
is built on mutual respect, communication, and professionalism—not fear and
punishment.
What do you think? Was the CEO justified, or did she take
things too far?