Underpaid director hits all targets only to be told bonus was canceled — he found the perfect reply and a $53,000 raise
Despite promotions and showcasing promising work, the author only received a meager raise of 8%.
Every employee deserves to get paid as per their work; when one is underpaid, it certainly demotivates them. Reddit user u/laser38tallies had been working for a company for over six years, but despite promotions, the author never received a raise and even had their bonus cancelled. However, when they received a better opportunity elsewhere, they decided to let their manager realize their mistake. Sharing the story on December 31, their post gained more than 450 upvotes from online users.
u/lasers38tallies worked in a company for over six years and had been promoted to several positions during the course of their work. Despite promotions and showcasing promising work, the author had only received a meager raise of 8%. "This brought me to an $82,000/year salary for a Director position," they wrote. However, as the author was awaiting his bonus, they learnt the shocking truth. "Just one week before I was supposed to receive my $12,000 annual bonus for hitting all my targets, the company announced that all bonuses for the year were canceled. That was the moment I knew I had to leave," they wrote.
Fortunately, they received a call from another company who were ready to offer them $135,000 per annum for the same position. "Literally the same job, but for an extra $53,000 over what I'm making now," they wrote. Although the author loved their job and their co-workers, they knew they were being underpaid and had to make a choice that would benefit their career. They contacted their manager to inform him about the offer they had received. While their manager tried convincing them to stay, offering pay that could match the other company, they only had one question. They asked the manager if they would give 'back pay' for the salary discrepancy since they still held the position of a director, but the manager refused this request. Nonetheless, the author's manager understood them, and they decided to part ways on a good note.
Concluding their post, the author emphasized the importance of consistently looking for new opportunities and never being comfortable in one place. "It sucks, but it feels like leaving for another company is the only way to get paid what you're worth on the market," they wrote. According to a 2011 study published by P Butterworth et al., noted that overworked and underpaid jobs can be more damaging to one's mental health than unemployment. The study surveyed 7,155 respondents from the working-class population and observed their mental health. The findings revealed that there was a greater decline in mental health among employees whose work lacked job satisfaction. "Work of poor psychosocial quality does not bestow the same mental health benefits as employment in jobs with high psychosocial quality," the study noted. By choosing to look for a better opportunity that pays for the work they do, the Reddit user chose to honor their skills and time over loyalty towards their company.
Soon after the post gained attention, many users chimed in on the discussion. u/Organic-Class-8537 wrote, "One year I got screwed on a bonus by about 15k. I bitched to high heaven and got a 25% raise the next day." u/RevolutionarySky6143 shared, "Some advice. Now that you are probably the top of the food chain in terms of title alone, it will be really hard for you to get hired for roles with a junior title, if you get laid off, for example. If you aren't saving any money — start now. The roles of that level don't always come in abundance. You should prepare yourself for this - but most importantly, congratulations on earning more cash, you are worth it :) (and yes, you should move jobs every 2 years max. Loyalty is overrated)." u/Dating_Again49 wrote, "Great advice. Sometimes we get comfortable at our current jobs because we like the work and the people, but end up getting screwed on pay. If they valued you all along, they would have been paying you fairly each step along the way. Leave and don't look back."
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