Raise for Staying Afloat
Corporate self-congratulation turns a visibly inadequate raise into a PR stunt, exposing how companies frame bare-minimum adjustments as generosity while workers are literally drowning in rising costs.
A sleek corporate lobby has been transformed into a flooded room. At center, two smiling executives in suits stand bone-dry atop a platform built from neatly stacked blocks labeled 'Record Profits,' 'Buybacks,' and 'Bonuses.' They ceremonially present an oversized check reading 'COST OF LIVING ADJUSTMENT' to a rank-and-file worker standing waist-deep in murky water below. On the wall behind the worker is a marked waterline chart labeled with rising costs—'Rent,' 'Groceries,' 'Utilities,' 'Healthcare'—showing the current level far above the amount of the raise. A corporate banner overhead reads, 'Helping Employees Stay Afloat!' while the worker’s expression makes clear the raise is nowhere near enough to keep from sinking.