Hardworking employee left baffled after being fired for rejecting a promotion
'I look at the payslip, and it looks exactly like mine, tax deductions, insurance, etc. I look at the name, it's hers.'
Every employee eyes a good promotion, and they put in hard work and a whole lot of determination for it. After going through all of that, receiving a promotion without a pay raise feels like a betrayal and an unfair 'reward.' An employee who goes by u/tbag_oznolik on Reddit revealed that after working nearly 4 years as a supervisor, he was finally given a promotion. Unfortunately, there was no pay raise, and he realized his salary was far less than those in his rank. When he rejected the new title, his boss fired him within an hour. Sharing his story on December 3, the user points out the gaslighting many employees experience.
The man revealed that he was first a control room attendant and had worked hard to get the position of a supervisor in 2020. He didn’t think much about his pay or his role until his junior employee with a much lower rank showed him her salary slip. Since she had some issues with the latter, she brought it up with the supervisor, who was interacting with HR to get it fixed. That’s when he realized something unbelievable. “I look at the payslip, and it looks exactly like mine, tax deductions, insurance, etc. I look at the name, it's hers. But the salary is mine,” he noted. The man decided to stay silent and sort out his junior’s issue.
A month later, they received an increase. It was to “adjust to inflation” and was barely a few dollars. At that time, the employee received his promotion as 'Regional Supervisor.' However, there was no hike. The few dollars he received for the inflation adjustment were the “raise.” “Because my department was risk control, we were not actively making money for the company. But one mess up would mean like 5000 dollars worth of losses for our company,” he noted. Still, he realized his fellow employees were receiving around $200 more than he was. That’s when the employee took a stand.
He denied the promotion and explained to his superior that he didn’t want the higher position if it only meant more work at the pay of a junior. The boss mentioned that he couldn’t give him a raise until after two years. “He said that the recent increments were final and there was a clause in the contract that salary adjustments would happen guaranteed only after two years working with the company,” the employee wrote. An hour later, his boss fired him for denying the promotion. The man was now financially stuck and in debt.
That’s how many employees are struggling despite giving it their all at their workplaces. Known as a “dry promotion,” bosses are easily putting the workload hidden under titles with no compensation. Ray Smith wrote a report in the Wall Street Journal stating that employees should negotiate and discuss a raise in such cases. 13% of employers revealed they use job titles as rewards when raises are not feasible. “They should reply by negotiating — negotiating and negotiating. They can say, 'Okay, I'd like to take this on, but can we talk about a salary increase?" Smith told CBS News. Ken Coleman, a bestselling author, noted that such promotions should be an immediate no. “If your boss tries to get you to agree to something without additional compensation, it’s okay to take time to think and walk away. The answer should be a clear no," he said.
The man added that through this assertiveness, "they’ll either realize what they were doing was manipulative, or they’ll give you a sign that it’s time for you to think about moving on." In this man’s case, it was clear that no promotion would be given any sooner, in addition to the unjust paycheck he was receiving. There was no doubt about whether he’d made the right decision in denying the title. u/Background-Fly4740 said, "You did the right thing, you shouldn’t let yourself get treated that way.” u/mommawicks added. In any case, that’s a shitty company. If there’s one silver lining, when you’ve hit rock bottom, the only direction left is up.”
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