Posting to TikTok on September 1, Kae Coe (@hoodrivercabin) called the supplies “demeaning” and said she has since quit the company. The video has garnered over 280,000 views and thousands of comments while highlighting one reason why some economists urge employers to increase their workers’ pay.

“I want to show you some of the things that corporate America is doing,” Coe said at the beginning of her video. “For everything we’ve been through with our mental health, they’re sending us a box…with [a] random assortment of papers…and a ton of art supplies and one shoe that you’re supposed to paint.”

In the video’s text overlay, Coe said the entire company received these boxes instead of pay raises, “adequate medical insurance,” a 401(k) or “any sort of mental health support.” She added that the company is owned by a “billionaire.”

“I’m going to give [my supplies] to a local elementary school because I know that they will appreciate these things a lot more than I will,” Coe said.

She concluded the video by showing off the coloring book she received. On one of the pages, she drew a photo of herself flipping off the company, and underneath it, she completed a fill-in-the-blank prompt.

“Sometimes I feel [that] this company sucks, and that feels like I’ve made poor life decisions,” Coe wrote.

Coe later commented on her post to tell viewers that she’d quit.

Increasing Workers’ Pay

Last year, over 47 million Americans quit their jobs in an exodus known as the Great Resignation. A survey conducted by the Pew Research Center revealed that 63 percent of workers left their jobs during that period due to low pay. Further, those who found employment after quitting were “more likely than not to say their [new] job has better pay, more opportunities for advancement and more work-life balance and flexibility.”

Economists have long urged employers to increase workers’ pay, as research suggests higher wages can reduce turnover, motivate employees to work harder, attract more “high-quality” applicants and reduce absenteeism.

In addition to offering raises, some experts encourage employers to dole out spot bonuses—bonuses paid “on the spot” for a “specific behavior, action or result.”

Speaking to the Society of Human Resource Management (SHRM), Lauren Sejen, Watson Wyatt’s practice director for strategic rewards, called spot bonuses “one of the most underutilized forms of rewards, given how well employees respond to them.”

Viewers React

Unfortunately, many viewers could relate to Coe and said their companies also gave them odd “gifts” instead of pay raises or bonuses.

“When I worked for The Walking Co. our CEO took away the Christmas bonuses and [sent] us cards with his family’s pics on vacations and at ringside Lakers seats,” banana&mayosammiches said.

“Reminds me of the time I won a Kindle at work, and then they deducted its cost out of my next paycheck,” Joanna Marie Art wrote.

“As a nurse who worked throughout the entire pandemic, we got a lifesaver candy and a box of doughnuts instead of hazard pay,” lynetteRAD commented.

Jewoula added: “Our company sent us corn seeds…like are we supposed to be growing our own food because you don’t pay us enough to eat?”

Newsweek reached out to Kae Coe for comment.