Boss kept sabotaging overworked employee's promotion — they responded by executing the perfect exit strategy

Employees who go above and beyond and are a general asset to the company should be appreciated and rewarded duly. Unfortunately, a user who goes by u/SwitchSCEtoAux shared about how their boss made them hustle and work multiple tasks because they were an excellent employee back in the 90s. He even went as far as sabotaging their bonus and promotions when they were commended for their work. Having had enough with the selfish and ruthless leadership, the employee decided to quit, and that itself cost the boss big time.

The employee mentioned that they were a junior associate who had been working for three years with a financial firm. Work was hectic, but they had five weeks of leave promised along with a promotion after 5 years, which had great perks. Keeping these in mind, the employee stuck with the job, working under a director. However, keeping work-life balance in mind, they ensured they took at least two weeks off out of the 5. Their boss finally rewarded them with a promotion in a different location. “I really had no interest in working in/living in the Southeast, but I wanted to advance my career,” they wrote.

They moved and reported to their new boss, and even missed the regular two weeks’ leave that they usually took, with the motive to get settled. The new superior then informed the employee that they wouldn’t be promoting them as director but “were being given the responsibilities of the role.” The boss mentioned that the associate was “too young” and assured that if they worked hard enough, they would receive the role the next year. “I was pissed but didn’t have a choice other than moving back home and starting from scratch, so I agreed to it,” they wrote.

The new boss they had was reckless in all senses. He misused his perks, had no skill or concern for his job, and dumped everything on hardworking employees. He even refused to hire new employees when understaffed and made the employee work for two people. Despite being told they wouldn’t manage their own role efficiently if this happened, their caveat was not heeded. In the hope of excelling, the worker did everything from cashing out their own money for equipment to getting a few hours of sleep. They earned important clients, landed deals, and more, all while missing weeks of vacation again. 

The New Year came, and when it was time for their review, they were expecting something grand since they had really worked for it. Instead, the boss showed them “a number that was almost 90% less than I was expecting for my bonus.” “He proceeded to tell me how proud he was of me, but that since I wasn’t a Director, the bonus that I received was the maximum amount he would give me,” they said. The feedback received was that they didn’t do well in the team atmosphere, but they immediately pointed out that they had no one else, and they were the team alone. Enraged, they decided to take their vacation time and forward all important client calls to their boss.

With many vacations piling up, they managed to pull up a schedule that involved more days off frequently. Instead of being the employee who said “yes” to everything, they took a backseat and let the boss handle things. As expected, things were taking a toll, and the employee received warnings about “poor performance.” “ I would just shrug my shoulders and tell him that maybe he was right not to promote me to Director since I was such a disappointment,” they remarked. After putting up with it for a few months, they finally quit, leaving the superior in a helpless position.

Wharton management professor Peter Cappelli did a study on how workplace mistreatment affects employee productivity, Penn Today revealed. He noted that even something as simple as failing to deliver birthday greetings on time resulted in 50% absenteeism and lower working hours for employees. He mentioned that no matter how big or small the insult, it “leaves a mark” on workers. Seth Spain, associate professor of management at Concordia University, highlighted that recognition is far more important than managers believe, according to Canadian HR Reporter. 

He mentioned how “a negative interpersonal interaction” can affect an employee’s satisfaction as well as their attitude towards their jobs. And the case was no different for this worker, due to which the internet was impressed with how much damage their simple response held. u/Poodogmillionaire wrote, “It’s unfortunate when a bad manager sucks the life out of the company’s top performers.” u/Duke-Kickass added, “Great job leveraging that awful experience to eventually strike out on your own.”

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