Software developer accidentally cuts his salary in half: 'Always unavailable, always underperforming'

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Remy Millisky • Writer and Editor
Feb 15, 2024 5:00 PM EST

If you ever find yourself making a six-figure salary, you'd better try your hardest not to lose that job. 

Many people never progress past salaries of 30k-48k per year. These salaries are livable, but if you want to have kids or own a house? You can forget about things like that on such a low wage. You find yourself shopping at the dollar store, trying to find clearance foods, and super-gluing your shoes together when they start to inevitably fall apart. I just know that if I made 100k-200k per year, I would be better at spending it than these people. I'd never mess up at such a job. But it seems like this person flew too close to the sun as an over-employed worker. 

Over-employment is the term for having two or more jobs that you work at the same time. It's not quite the same as having a 9-5 and then a 5-9 situation. Instead, it means working two different jobs at the same time from 9-5 every day. There's an entire subreddit for the cause, with people explaining how they manage to work two or three roles. However, one of the key tenets is that you're not going to be very good at any of your jobs. As the boss of this story, u/Bob_the_peasant, tells it, they could tell that their employee was over-employed pretty quickly. This guy was never available to talk, and when he did show up to meetings, he could never get people's names right. What a giveaway! It's a miracle this guy managed to keep the job so long in the first place. I mean, have you ever had a boss who didn't care what you did all day or how you performed at your job? Most of us probably have not… but if you ever get one of these magical high-paying low-responsibility jobs, don't ever forget how lucky you are. 

Up next, these unlucky diners decided to have some steaks at a fancy restaurant, but they didn't account for some rainy weather. 

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  • 01
    You want the job? Approved, it's yours! (120k pay cut)
    via Luke Peters on Unsplash
  • 02
    You want the job? Approved, it's yours! (120k pay cut)
    via u/Bob_the_peasant
  • 03
    <Trigger warning for people that have multiple remote work jobs> Had an employee paid roughly 240k per year as a high grade level software developer for the last year or so. They're always unavailable, always
    via u/Bob_the_peasant
  • 04
    underperforming. When they do attend meetings, they slip up and call people by names that we don't have in our org at all. Pretty obvious what is going on.
    via u/Bob_the_peasant
  • 05
    Anyway, our big software company owns dozens of small software company subsidiaries. Our friend here applied as an external candidate to one of our subsidiaries for a scrum master position. He went through the interview process, they chose to extend him an offer. They were surprised to find out he was already in the system, and contacted me about it. I
    via u/Bob_the_peasant
  • 06
    explained that he seemed very distracted and unenthusiastic about his current role, and that I fully support his career change if it is what will make him happy. Transfer approved!
    via u/Bob_the_peasant
  • 07
    The gymnastics involved trying to explain how it was a mistake to people he interviewed with for several hours is amazing.
    via u/Bob_the_peasant
  • 08
    For what it is worth, I don't care if you have multiple jobs as long as your work gets done.
    via u/Bob_the_peasant
  • 09
    InteractionNo9110. When a side hustle becomes your only hustle. That's no hustle.
    via u/InteractionNo9110
  • 10
    goddesspromise. Correct me if I'm wrong but, what I hopefully understand is he applied to have a second job at the small software company, but instead got transferred? So he wanted to have 2 jobs 1 paying 240k and the other paying 120k, so instead of gaining 120k a year he lost 120k?
    via u/goddesspromise
  • 11
    tapemeasured My money is that he wanted to have 3 jobs, 1 paying 240k, the third paying 120k, and a second job that caused them to "slip up and call people by names that we don't have in our org at all" in the first job.
    via u/tapemeasured
  • 12
    grumblyoldman. Either that or he got canned from the second job (for whatever reason) and didn't pay enough attention to where he was applying while trying to replace it.
    via u/grumblyoldman
  • 13
    Stabbmaster Clearly he didn't pay attention to who owns what, especially since many companies own other companies. Sounds like he didn't do his research. So did he get stuck with the new job, or get let go from both?
    via u/Stabbmaster
  • 14
    Bob_the_peasant OP. Currently stuck with the new job, but it won't last. The subsidiary already tapped our legal team (they don't have their own) to let him go
    via u/Bob_the_peasant
  • 15
    Ouch, him. But also really dumb on his part to stretch himself that thin. If you guys want, I'll take his old position and promise to be at for
    via r/MaliciousCompliance
  • 16
    least as competent as he was pretending to be for only half the payment
    via r/MaliciousCompliance
  • 17
    MrZJones ... I don't understand how someone can even get a $240k per year job despite being incompetent and underperforming. I can't even get a £20k bottom-rung entry- level software developer job, while complete bumblers are out there making over $200k.
    via u/MrZJones
  • 18
    Bear_Cliff The beauty of it is that he is probably on reddit instead of working and will see this!
    via u/Bear_Cliff

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