Boss Gives Worker 1% Raise & Tells Him To Find A New Job If He's Unhappy, So He Did
Don't ever settle for less, especially in the workplace.
SeventyFour / Shutterstock A man revealed why he decided to quit his job and find somewhere better to work after receiving a lackluster raise from his boss.
Posting to the subreddit "r/MaliciousCompliance," he shared that after spending a couple of years working for a company, he didn't think twice about handing in his resignation letter once he realized he wasn't being appreciated.
The employee quit and found a better job after his boss gave him a 1% raise.
In his Reddit post, he explained that he'd worked as a customer service representative for a big health insurance company, which was his first job out of college. During the pandemic, he hit his one-year mark at the company, which is when multiple things began to go awry.
"Parts of the company go on hiring freezes and the roles available get snatched up very quick and it is super competitive," he recalled. "I apply to multiple positions and don’t even make it to the interview stage. It’s alright because I’m thankful for my current role providing me job security even though the pay is abysmal."
Photo: Olena Yakobchuk / Shutterstock
For his 2021 annual review, he admitted to being "mentally checked out" of his role but still had impressive statistics and metrics. Before the review with his manager, he expressed anticipation of being given an overall high score, which would hopefully be accompanied by a pretty big raise.
"I am super pumped that I got a 4 and am expecting a big raise and finally towards the end of my review we discuss the raise. My manager states that my 4 (which again is rare and super good) nets me a 1% raise," he continued. Without getting into too much detail, he acknowledged that the 1% pay raise from his boss would barely make a difference from the paychecks he was receiving before the review.
His boss told him that if he didn't appreciate the raise, he could find a better job somewhere else.
When he tried to inquire with his boss why he was getting such a small raise after putting in so much hard work and even scoring high on his review, his boss simply informed him that the company budget could only allow for 1% and that, if he didn't like it, he could quit and find something else.
"I have to admit I was slacking on the job search but that really kicked me into overdrive. Two weeks after that I was in the interviewing stages for 3 different roles at the same company of our sister company and after a month of that I got an offer I couldn’t refuse," he admitted in his post.
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His new position was offering a 32% increase in salary, which was all he'd wanted from his previous position. Once he told his boss that he had found and accepted a new role, his boss was shocked.
"It was also very inconvenient because I was the most experienced person on the team so a lot of coworkers would come to me for questions/advice. I also had been assigned to special projects that I was an expert in and now they would need to find someone else for that in a short period, the employee added"
For many working-class adults, feeling underappreciated and undervalued at work are major factors in deciding to switch jobs.
According to data acquired by the Pew Research Center, it was found that low pay, a lack of opportunities for advancement, and feeling disrespected at work are the top reasons why Americans quit their jobs in 2021.
Sixty-three percent of workers who quit a job in 2021 cited low pay, while 63% claimed that they found another job after a lack of opportunity for growth, and 57% admitted to feeling disrespected at work.
People are no longer willing to settle for a job that isn't serving them anymore, especially in times when inflation is on the rise and making a livable wage is becoming more of a need. Employers should recognize that there will be serious repercussions that can affect their companies if they neglect to listen to unhappy employees.
Nia Tipton is a Chicago-based entertainment, news, and lifestyle writer whose work delves into modern-day issues and experiences.