Boss Tells Employee Who Asked For A Raise That 'Money Is Not Everything'
Money might not be everything, but not having enough of it certainly makes life a lot harder.
Andrea Piacquadio / Pexels A disgruntled employee took to Reddit to vent after his boss refused to give him a raise because "money is not everything."
“I’m feeling sick,” a Reddit user wrote in the subreddit r/antiwork, a section of Reddit described as existing “for those who want to end work, are curious about ending work, want to get the most out of a work-free life, want more information on anti-work ideas and want personal help with their own jobs/work-related struggles.” The person posted their work woes to the forum after asking their boss for a raise and being shocked by his response.
When the employee asked for a raise, their boss said that ‘money is not everything.’
The employee qualified his story by explaining that his boss is in his 60s, therefore, he established his career during a drastically different economic environment.
“I just asked my boss for a raise, with all the expected arguments,” the employee explains in the post, writing that “His answer was: ‘You know? As I realized in my time… money is not everything.”
Photo : Oladimeji Ajegbile / Pexels
The employee said that their boss told them that “There was a point where I decided myself not to pursue more money, because I saw I had enough to live and to provide sustenance to my family. You should do the same.”
The employee appeared truly taken aback by their boss’s invalidating response, asking Reddit, “What the actual F is that for an answer?”
Their tale of workplace inequity garnered hundreds of responses, calling out the boss for being stuck in a past world that no longer exists.
“If he's not pursuing money anymore, tell him to give you his salary then,” stated someone in the comments.
“You are right, boss,” read another comment. “I look forward to the day where I earn enough to provide sufficient sustenance for my family and I don’t need to ask for an increase to get me closer to that goal.”
“If they're not willing to pay you enough, they don't value you,” noted someone else. “He is completely out of touch,” said another person.
It’s an undeniable fact that the cost of living is significantly higher in 2023 than it’s ever been before. The price of food, childcare, and basic daily resources has skyrocketed, while incomes haven’t caught up. In fact, the Economic Policy Institute estimates that despite worker productivity increasing by almost 65% since the 1970s, wages have only seen a 17% increase. In comparison, while productivity increased 118% percent between 1948 to 1979, wages were relatively comparable with a 107% increase,
Photo: Economic Policy Institute
To ask for a raise is perfectly understandable; the way in which the employee was denied a raise showed just how disconnected their boss is from the current reality.
While the employee explained that they initially made their post just to vent their frustration, they edited the post to add that all the comments from fellow Redditors made them realize that they needed to find a different job.
“I just came to the conclusion that [my] boss is just delusional,” they wrote. “Resume is updated and already sent several applications. It’s time to go. Wish me luck!”
That the boss denied his employee a raise while also extolling the virtues of having “enough” money highlights the extreme dissonance privileged people are able to maintain in the face of what appears to be a major and continuous economic downturn.
Alexandra Blogier is a writer on YourTango's news and entertainment team. She covers celebrity gossip, pop culture analysis and all things to do with the entertainment industry.