Woman decides to quit job without prior notice because of pay disparity at work

In today's economy, people are looking for careers that are mentally and financially fulfilling. Although it is difficult to have both, being secure financially will at least allow most people to remain carefree about paying their bills. One such story was shared by Reddit user u/Disastrous_Ollie, who refused to continue at their poorly paying job. The story resonated with many people, having gained over 1.6K upvotes. The woman begins by saying that she and her male coworker had been contemplating leaving their job for something better. Seeing they were upset, their manager offered to discuss their issues. During the meeting, the woman broke down and shared her woes about the job.

Upon hearing this, their manager told them they should not leave and pleaded for them to stay. Wanting to retain the two employees, she even asked them what they wanted, to which they requested a raise, and the manager surprisingly agreed. However, their joy was short-lived as their payslip came in and they found out that they got a very miniscule raise in salary. The woman says, "I am now making 65 cents more and my male coworker is making 70 cents more." The user then mentions that both have the same job and work timings, but the boss somehow chose to give her male coworker an additional 5 cents. She reflects on the abysmal raise and says, "I know it's only a difference of 5 cents, but that just solidifies the fact that they've always valued him more over me."

Frustrated with their situation, the co-workers are thinking about leaving the job without even giving prior notice. She concludes, "We both feel so disrespected and just want to quit already." People on the platform stood with the employee's decision to leave and expressed their thoughts in the comments section. u/Srhomelessperson commented, "You're absolutely in your rights to do that. Don't look back. You are the victim, not the aggressor." Another individual, u/parkesc, was quick to point out: "They don't value either of you if, after all that, your raises were 65 cents and 70 cents per hour. That's $26-28 per week. A pittance. Clearly, your manager doesn't know how to beg."

Employees leaving because of poor pay seems to be a rising trend across the country. Many individuals do it out of desperation as they rely on their jobs to provide them with health care, retirement savings and more. According to a survey conducted by Zippia, 37% of Americans said they left their job, citing poor pay as the significant reason. 

Other reasons for individuals leaving their jobs were lack of advancement opportunities and feeling disrespected at work. This number is reflected in many industries, as 3.98 million people quit their jobs every single month in the year 2021. The highest number of 4.5 million people resigning was witnessed during November. While the pandemic has played a part, a lot of it is due to corporations wanting to retain profits, stated the survey. 

This article originally appeared on 9.02.23.