'I was stunned [it was only] a 1% raise': Outstanding employee gets a offered a pathetic raise after years of dedication, finds a new job with a 32% salary increase

Jesse Kessenheimer • Writer and Editor

Oct 23, 2023 7:00 AM EDT

When we're in preschool, kids are taught that hard work and dedication gets rewarded. If you take your nap, eat your snack, and listen to the teacher, you get to go to recess. As adults, our equivalent of 'recess' is a stiff paycheck at the end of the month, ideally with as many digits as possible. Unfortunately as we get older it becomes more painfully clear that real life isn't as simple as the saying, 'if you work hard, it'll pay off'. In fact, as many hardworking members of the workforce can attest, it seems like it's quite the opposite and for some reason, loyalty to a company often gets punished with measly pay, dwindling benefits, and 10 days of PTO per year.

But what if your year-end review was met with flying colors and exemplary results? You'd think that an outstanding employee would be invaluable to a company and therefore compensated fairly, right? Well apparently u/PGoonn's manager didn't go to the same preschool as we did, because according to him, hard work was only worth a 1% raise– pathetic. Scroll for the full details of how a top-tier salesman was offered an insultingly low raise then followed his boss's advice. "Don't like the raise you got? Go somewhere else". Okay!

Next up on the reading list, here's another titillating tale of salaries gone awry where a recruiter had the audacity to imply that money shouldn't be a factor when considering a new job.