Employee reveals the 'powerful language' he'll use with boss after getting no incentives in 18 months

It is natural for people to look for growth opportunities in their careers. Incentives, big or small, can be a huge motivational factor for employees to perform better and stay with their company in the long run. Some companies, however, outright refuse to provide such incentives, which can be deeply frustrating for the employees. Kenneth Maxwell - who goes by @kenmaxborn on TikTok - recently shared a video ranting about how he had been working at a company for 18 months and did not receive any additional perks. The video has received nearly 429K views and 46K likes on the platform.

Maxwell begins the video by stating he has been working at the company for 18 months and receives no cost of living adjustments, merit increases, or promotions. He says, "I have gotten zero changes to my compensation. I have no growth plan. I have no idea what's going on." The man decided to do something about it and talked with his boss over the week to share his frustrations and see if anything could be done. He also adds he feels that the company should give him an incentive to stay even if the job market is very harsh at the moment.

He was going to talk with his boss in a "pretty powerful language." He would say, "You do not accept zero percent growth for our clients. Why are you asking me to accept zero percent growth for myself?" He concluded the video by sharing how he did not know what to expect from such a conversation and encouraged viewers to use his same strategy to ask for incentives at their jobs. People on the platform seemed very curious to know the outcome of Maxwell's approach. @ael02370 said, "Algorithm better bring me back for an update on this."

Maxwell posted a follow-up video sharing that he did have an update on the situation. He shares how he did have the conversation with his boss. He listened to some comments on the previous video, which pointed out that his language was "combative." So, he took a calm approach with his boss and stated facts, pointing out how he performed well and then inquiring why he had not received a raise of any kind.

The boss bluntly stated that the company did not go all out on providing incentives to their employees. Moreover, he shared how the company had "business needs" and how funds were "frozen." The boss was empathetic to Maxwell's request and stated he hoped to have a more "positive conversation" with him in March next year. Even though he ultimately was denied a promotion, Maxwell was happy that he stood firm and asserted his demands to his boss, making it evident that he expected to be compensated fairly in the long term.

He concluded the video by encouraging others to be assertive with their employers and not to let them get away with "ripping" their employees off. People loved that Maxwell had the conversation with his boss and put down their thoughts in the comment section. @pinkingridcooper said, "Now you know you can pull back and do the job at the level they're willing to compensate you for without feeling guilt. Good luck on the job search." @user373647483 pointed out, "You articulated yourself so well! This is such a good example of how to stand up for what you deserve!"