Employee quits their job after realizing the pay disparity among new hires: 'Won't be coming in'

Editor's note: This article was originally published on July 17, 2023. It has since been updated.

Within the competitive job market, a disheartening reality of unfairness exists. The relentless struggle for equal opportunity and just compensation has become an enduring challenge for many professionals. Reddit user u/PmZ_Xtyh shared a post that unveils yet another tale of workplace injustice as an employee faces the harsh reality of disparate pay. The post begins with the person revealing, "I'm just here to have a little bit of a rant as I don't really have anyone to talk to." They detail how their organization has been looking to hire someone for the post the employee currently occupies. Once the new hire came in, they would get promoted.

Until the new hire showed up, the employee and his manager shared the responsibilities of the job they promised he would be promoted to. They commented on the situation: "Being understaffed, both of us were absolutely swamped. I never complained." The post goes on to reveal how there were some disagreements between two people sharing responsibilities. Still, the employee did not care, attributing it to the stress of the job. They believe that the pay is satisfactory and their manager is reasonable.

At the same organization, the only other person who receives the same amount as this employee is an individual who works in the warehouse. The person expresses some concern over this, but they go on to say, "But seeing the work he does and all the overtime he puts in, I honestly was okay with that. He's also usually the first one to come in and when needed, the last one to go."

Unfortunately, to their dismay, they found that the warehouse guy made slightly more than them sometime later. They shared, "That kinda stung. But again, dude works hard and puts in a lot of overtime and it wasn't a huge number, so I decided it wasn't a big deal."

The employee then reveals that they "overheard" a conversation about someone who would replace them in their post once they got promoted. This conversation was severely upsetting as they found out that the new hire would be getting paid a much higher salary for the same designation without any added responsibilities. The manager, who they considered to be fair, did nothing to acknowledge the unfair practices that were taking place.

Feeling cheated, the employee decided to confront them, to which the manager responded, "You have to buy people these days. And if you want to talk about this right now, then you'll be disappointed with the end result." Hearing this, the employee told him, "Told him not to worry and to keep the ad for the open position up as I won't be coming in anymore." They reflected that they needed a backup plan but would not continue in the same position with the kind of treatment they were getting.

Reddit users rallied around the employee and appreciated them for taking the right step. "This is unfortunately very common. Companies don't give current employees raises, but have to hire at an increased rate to the staff at least to the bare minimum," commented u/reala728. "You will always make more money starting a new job than getting a raise at your current one. Best of luck in your search!" noted u/No-Tap2373.