One has to wonder if this was actually a covert message about bad breath. If your manager wanted to reward you for hard work, there are so many better ways in which they could pull this off in a non-humiliating manner. For instance, they could give you a raise (ha! wishful thinking). They could give you some sort of employment perk (ha! also wishful thinking). Ok, well, they don't have to write a handwritten note and a pack of gum! In fact, the handwritten note on its own might have been a perf…