'I shouldn't have to go out and get a competing offer letter every time I want a decent raise': Boss denied loyal employee's retention offers, shocked when he quits

Author image for Isabella Penn
Isabella Penn
Mar 8, 2024 7:00 AM EST

As an employee, growth within the company is expected. No one accepts a job offer with the hope of staying in the same role until retirement. Even if growth is only in salary, that's enough for a lot of workers out there. On the other hand, employers want employee retention to avoid high turnover rates. They want to keep the hiring and training process to a minimum. To satisfy both needs, employers need to treat their employees well.

In this story, an employee worked for his company for about three years. He was feeling stagnet, so he proposed four ways to his bosses to retain him as an employee. These proposals included a raise, a title change, a change in responsibilities, or support in his educational journey. However, his boss turned down all four proposals. Only to take it all back when the employee received a counteroffer elsewhere. But it was too late.

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  • 01
    Posted by u/warpg8 21 hours ago I gave them options to retain me, they passed on all of them... and were shocked that their actions had consequences.
    via u/warpg8
  • 02
    About 8 years ago now, I started a job that I really enjoyed. After nearly 3 years of standard 3% raises and glowing reviews, I had a talk with my boss and boss's boss at the same time.
    via u/warpg8
  • 03
    I provided 4 options, 3 of which would result in retaining me as an employee: 1. Give me a 30% raise, based on the fact that my job used to be the job of 2 people before I automated over 1 full
    via u/warpg8
  • 04
    job away and took on additional responsibilities without an increase in pay, 2. Promote me to manager of a department I was more than qualified to run (whose
    via u/warpg8
  • 05
    manager had recently retired) and then backfill me with someone junior, 3. Allow me to work at the company doing a split of my normal duties and do company-owned
    via u/warpg8
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    research to support me getting my PhD, 4. I would seek work elsewhere. I was told that no one working "only" 45-50 hours per week deserved the amount of money I
    via u/warpg8
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    was looking for (my boss loved to refer to the "Invisible Hand of Mr. Market") and was rejected for both the promotion and the PhD research funding.
    via u/warpg8
  • 08
    One month later, I asked for another meeting and included HR. At that meeting, I reviewed the notes our last meeting, and for everyone to agree that's what had been discussed. I then handed
    via u/warpg8
  • 09
    them the offer letter showing that I had been offered the 30% raise and was capped at 40 hours per week without prior authorization because the position I moved into had a mandatory overtime
    via u/warpg8
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    stipulation even for exempt employees (we called it "time and fries" because it wasn't time and a half, but it was time + an hourly premium). I told them I would not be entertaining any
    via u/warpg8
  • 11
    counteroffers, as their opportunity to retain me expired when they rejected me. The HR person asked me to reconsider, and I said "I shouldn't have to go out and get a competing offer letter every time I want a decent raise. I should be
    via u/warpg8
  • 12
    contribution and given raises based on merit. If I have to threaten to quit every time I want to be fairly compensated, I may as well just take the competitive offer and save myself the stress.".
    via u/warpg8
  • 13
    Then I looked at my boss and said "I guess you were wrong about what Mr. Market thought about the value of my time" and asked if there were any questions before we concluded the meeting.
    via u/warpg8
  • 14
    After about 15 seconds of stunned silence, I left the room. My boss made no attempt to speak to me again until 2.5 weeks later when he asked me what my transition plan was for my work. I told him I had been
    via u/warpg8
  • 15
    awaiting his transition plan for my work, and had no intention of cramming weeks of work into my final 3 days. I sent an email to HR saying I wasn't feeling well, and was "sick" my final 3 working days,
    via u/warpg8
  • 16
    then cashed out my vacation. Oh, and my final day was the first of the month so hooray for a free month of insurance benefits.
    via u/warpg8
  • 17
    Bad managers really end up going full on sour grapes when their best employees leave.
    via u/warpg8
  • 18
    SnooBunnies7461 21 hr. ago Good job. Love how they thought you had a transition plan for your work. No you had a transition plan for yourself. Transitioned yourself right on to another job. lol
    via u/SnooBunnies7461
  • 19
    bottomlless · 21 hr. ago They give lip service to wanting to have smart people on their "team" but are scared of people who are actually smarter than them.
    via u/bottomlless
  • 20
    ejrhonda79 21 hr. ago Amazing job. It was executed very well and professionally. I guarantee they will not learn and will continue with their I loved how they assumed you'd create a transition plan during your wind-down period. That's their problem what are they going to do fire you?
    via u/ejrhonda79
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    Cheezburger Image 9890815744
    via nappy

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worker employee toxic-workplace retention rate malicious compliance work i quit satisfying quitting story retain bad bosses Reddit
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