'Have fun working overtime': Manager denies senior employee a promotion after completing project, so employee quits, leaving manager to meet deadlines on their own

Author image for Eleonora Bader
Eleonora Bader
Jan 1, 2024 10:00 AM EST

The budget for employee retention vs the budget for new hires is simply not on the same scale, and it's a pity because that's a huge reason for high turnover rates. This employee was denied a well-deserved promotion, which led them to quit, leaving the company in the dust, and management working overtime to meet deadlines.

In this case, the budget was less of a problem, and the work method was what got this employee. OP had given their all to their employer, but we all know how that goes… You think your boss will appreciate you. Then you're met with a cold stare and a 'We can't promote you right now', or worse, and you're left with no motivation at all to continue working.

The work method that OP was using benefited the company's client, and the project that OP was working on was a success… But of course, management didn't care about all that. They just wanted a soldier to do their bidding. Who's laughing now?

Next, a customer got his card frozen after messing with the wrong employee. From now on, maybe he'll think twice before he enters a store with someone else's credit card…

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  • 01
    "I snapped. After years of carrying my entire team, they refused to promote me." 2 11
    via Canva
  • 02
    You won't promote me? Fine, have it your way. Sorry for the formatting, on mobile. This happened a few years back but I still laugh about it whenever I remember.
    via u/DaddyMommyShark
  • 03
    After graduation, I was hired by this small family business. They told me the training would be tough but that they only wanted me to succeed because "we are like a family here." That should have been the first red flag but it was my first job and I didn't know any better.
    via u/DaddyMommyShark
  • 04
    When I was starting, I barely slept. I constantly had to do unpaid overtime. On some occasions, I was even required to stay overnight at the office just to meet unreasonable deadlines. However, I loved my field and I managed to find joy in my work.
    via u/DaddyMommyShark
  • 05
    Management, however, was a different story. I was assigned to a manager, "Chelsea". Working for her was an absolute nightmare. She meddled in my personal life. At first, I was very candid with her and I even opened up about the people I
    via u/DaddyMommyShark
  • 06
    dated. I found out later that she was gossiping about me with another manager, "Rita", and they were stalking my social media to get more dirt. I ended up deactivating my accounts or blocking them just to get some peace.
    via u/DaddyMommyShark
  • 07
    Chelsea and Rita also didn't care that this was my first job and I was still learning the ropes. They would shame me for asking questions. They expected me, the newbie, to come up with solutions to our clients' problems. They refused to do any actual training and I had to figure things out on my own most of the
    via u/DaddyMommyShark
  • 08
    time. Despite this, they would get mad if I wasn't able to deliver the exact output they wanted. Chelsea was also a notorious procrastinator. She would wait until the last minute to go over my drafts. This would result in so much unnecessary overtime for me and the rest of the team.
    via u/DaddyMommyShark
  • 09
    I was also constantly gaslit: "I know we said this but that's not what we meant." (I clarified 3 times) "You never reported that." (I did) "This is not how we do it here." (It was) "Why are you doing it this way? It's wrong!" (I just followed her instructions)
    via u/DaddyMommyShark
  • 10
    My fault was my fault. Her fault was my fault. The client's fault was my fault. I just could not catch a break. I tried to talk to senior management but they refused to do anything about Chelsea. The fact that she has been with the company a while made her untouchable.
    via u/DaddyMommyShark
  • 11
    I wanted to quit multiple times but my family thought it was a great opportunity and wanted me to keep working there. I eventually got promoted and received a huge pay bump. The golden handcuffs made it even harder to leave.
    via u/DaddyMommyShark
  • 12
    But with the promotion, the work also got heavier. I was in charge of managing and training new hires. I was also expected to take over their work in case they were unable to deliver on time. I had to facilitate meetings with clients, which should have been Chelsea's job. I had to
    via u/DaddyMommyShark
  • 13
    manage our team and ensure that everyone was using their time efficiently. I was expected to remind Chelsea of our team deadlines as she often forgot about them. It got to the point where I was already doing the work of the whole team - Chelsea, my juniors, and my own. The unpaid overtime and office sleepovers
    via u/DaddyMommyShark
  • 14
    continued. Unsurprisingly, my health seriously suffered. The straw that finally broke the camel's back was during my last annual review. To sum it up, I was in charge of this one project. Our client wanted a particular result. Senior management
    via u/DaddyMommyShark
  • 15
    said we could achieve that but it could only be done a certain way. They eventually delegated the project to me. I was able to deliver the result the client wanted but without using the method management suggested. Take note, my way did not affect the project. If anything, I felt my method saved the client time and money.
    via u/DaddyMommyShark
  • 16
    When management found out, they made it appear I did nothing right. I tried to reason out but they didn't care. They eventually used this during my annual review and said that they couldn't promote me since I didn't know how to follow instructions.
    via u/DaddyMommyShark
  • 17
    During this time, I found out Chelsea threw me under the bus. I won't go into details but she made it appear that I was the reason our team wasn't efficient. I was quiet the entire time and let them speak. I didn't say a single word in my defense. Inside though, I had snapped. After years of carrying my
    via u/DaddyMommyShark
  • 18
    entire team, this was how they justified not promoting me. My revenge was the only way I knew how: I resigned. I knew Chelsea would have to deal with the work I left behind since it wasn't something they could just delegate to the new hires. I found so
    via u/DaddyMommyShark
  • 19
    much joy knowing that Chelsea would have to bear the brunt of the overtime. I heard years later that some of my team members resigned a few months after I left. Chelsea had to take over their work too.
    via u/DaddyMommyShark
  • 20
    As for me, after some trial and error, I am finally with a great boss and work life balance. Life is good. Edit: Some commenters pointed out that there was no petty revenge in my story. I can't divulge too many details but my line of work requires a certain
    via u/DaddyMommyShark
  • 21
    level of experience to work independently. As I mentioned in the comments, my company insists on hiring new grads. Before I entered the company and at the start of my employment, Chelsea had to do a lot of overtime since the newbies couldn't be left alone. When I started gaining experience, I was able to
    via u/DaddyMommyShark
  • 22
    work independently and she also began to delegate her work to me. It got to the point where she had nothing on her plate since I was the one managing her whole workload. She finally had some free time.
    via u/DaddyMommyShark
  • 23
    She had to kiss that freedom goodbye after I left. My revenge is sleeping comfortably at home while she is most likely still at the office trying to meet her deadlines lol
    via u/DaddyMommyShark

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promotion grad work boss manager turnover rates workplace stories reddit new hire client working family business project promote quitting work overtime quitting deadlines
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