Company fired its oldest worker over a tiny profit slump. His 'cheaper' substitute taught them a brutal lesson

The number of people getting laid off during recent years has reached a record high. An employee with 12 years of experience, who goes by the username u/annuli-amperes04 on Reddit, shared the story of how they got laid off at their company with no warning, and were later asked to come back since no one else could do their job. Posting it on May 4, the story found resonance among several readers who have also borne the brunt of an ungrateful employer.

Fired the only experienced staff

The author's role was to form and finish specialty alloy components for the main assembly line. Only one other employee knew how to do the job, and he had 15 years of experience under his belt. However, he got fired the same day the author posted the story. After firing them both, the company offered a few lame jobs to make it up, but they both declined. The author was polite about it, but the other employee simply told them to "get lost."

Since both of them were laid off, the company had no one else to finish the components, which meant there were no final products. In a desperate attempt, they asked the other employee to come back, but at a lower pay. He refused and rightfully told them to get lost again. 

Old job comes calling

The company had no other choice but to reach out to the author and offer them the old job. Even though they wanted to do what the co-worker did, they had kids and needed the money. At the moment, they were waiting for another offer, but were also considering accepting their former company's offer. They eventually planned to accept the job, get at least two months of pay, find another job, and ghost the company. However, for the author to go back, they have to offer him "an unconditional cash bonus of around 30% of [his] gross salary."

"I’d also expect an immediate raise to match the other person's salary, along with a contract that guarantees a five-month payout if I choose to leave or my employment is terminated," the author wrote. All of this was just because the company's profits dropped 1.5% in one quarter. The author is waiting for the perfect time to make a counteroffer and set professional boundaries with the company, hitting two birds with one stone. 

Surge in the number of layoffs

The job market was bleak in 2025, although it is slightly getting better this year. According to a report by Challenger, Gray & Christmas, more than 1.2 million Americans were fired from their jobs, the highest it has been since the pandemic layoffs. This was 58% higher than in 2024. Not just that, another report stated that 55% of Americans were afraid of losing their jobs in 2025. It makes sense why the author is bargaining with the company, since his job and livelihood are not really safe.

Several people in the comments advised the author to ask for more money or bargain for more benefits, since the company is desperate to find someone who knows how to do the job. u/DIYITGuy commented, "I would ask for more money. If you’re considering telling them no, then you seem to have the option to wait for bargaining. If you still want to leave after that, find something better and go." u/Both_Painter2466 pointed out, "Remember: you’ll be doing the work of two people, so pay better match."

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