Employee denied raise and told they're replaceable after becoming sole engineer on a project, costs the company big when they quit: '$500,000 and two years of productivity over a $40,000/yr raise'

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Brad Dickson • Managing Editor
Oct 25, 2024 12:00 PM EDT

The proverb "A bird in the hand is better than two in the bush" postulates that you're better off with what you have or are able to get now rather than what you might be able to get in the future. The reason being here is that certainty is everything, and things that might happen also just might not. When it comes to compensation at work, the same rule applies. Why agree to take on increased responsibility with the promise of more pay on delivery of the project when it's probably more likely you'll be laid off at the end of the project than actually paid fairly?

While working for an emergency telecommunications company, this worker fell into the all-too-common trap of taking on additional work with the promise that it would eventually lead to more pay. Spoiler alert: It didn't. With the proverbial carrot dangling indefinitely in front of them, they took on more work, becoming the sole engineer on an important project after the other engineer working with them left the company. With their increased responsibility in hand, they approached the CEO of the company asking for a $40,000 raise and were told they would receive it once the project had been delivered.

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    Cheezburger Image 10420403456
    via Getty Images For Unsplash+
  • 02
    I cost my ex-employer $500,000 and two years of productivity over a $40,000/yr raise Years ago, I worked for a small (30 employee) emergency telecommunications company in Western Michigan for $80,000/yr. This company hired me to help make a new embedded Linux product with an IP camera. For a year or so,
    via [deleted]
  • 03
    all was going well until a co- worker's dad had a stroke, and he had to resign during the middle of the project. The co- worker also happens to be my longest-lasting friend. Upper management's first reaction when they heard about my friend's dad's stroke wasn't, "Is his dad OK?" It was: "Can you finish the project without him?"
    via [deleted]
  • 04
    Mistake 1: I should have quit right then and there, but I was young and naive. Instead of quitting, I asked for a $40,000 raise to cover the added responsibility of being the sole engineer on an entire project that could have made the company millions.
    via [deleted]
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    Mistake 2: The CEO (David) told me he would give me the raise once the product was released. (I did not get this in writing. Good god, I was dumb.)
    via [deleted]
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    Mistake 3: I continued to work longer and longer hours. For over six months, I worked 80+ hours a week. I was there at 04:30, and I left at or later than 20:00. My marriage suffered, and I became a zombie and depressed, but I was naive enough to try and "climb the corporate ladder."
    via [deleted]
  • 07
    I had enough at the 6~ month mark, and I went to the CEO and demanded my raise right then and there. He looked at me and said, "what raise? I never promised you a raise. We are trying to cut costs to increase their EBITDA! I could replace you in 2 weeks." (I'm not too fond of the very sound of that acronym now.)
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    I immediately started to look for new jobs and found one within three days that was fully remote and paid $120,000 a year. I put in my two-week notice, and in my resignation email, I specifically stated that this is more than enough time as David said he could replace me in 2 weeks. The panic that ensued was fantastic. Immediately they
    via [deleted]
  • 09
    had to hire a 3rd party engineering company to finish the project, which ran around $500,000. After that, it took them over a year to find a replacement for me, and he left within a year. I later messaged him on LinkedIn, and he said the company had gone to , and they continually blamed me for
    via [deleted]
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    the failure of the product. The company hasn't made a single post on social media in almost a year, and they haven't pushed any updates to any of their products in about the same amount of time.
    via [deleted]
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    Bonus things about my insane time at the company: • The CEO looked at me once and said, "The owner understands sacrifice. He had to sell his summer home." • The CEO also went from a fairly reasonable guy to a straight-up lumberjack looking crazy born-again ranting mad-man with a huge beard.
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    Know your worth, and quit early. Raises are a scam, and companies would much rather cut off their nose to spite their face. If you are doing extra work you will be noticed, but not for a promotion. You taught the employer that you will do extra work for nothing. No job is worth your health or your family.
    via [deleted]
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    Friends dad edit: He lived. The tough-as-nails b rd spent three days on the floor before a neighbor found him on the brink of death. My friend moved to the Bay Area for a year and took care of his house, finances, and physical needs while he recovered. He still has trouble fully forming sentences and doesn't have fine motor skills anymore, but he can walk, talk, dress and bathe himself now!
    via [deleted]
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    My friends dad having the stroke made my friend re- evaluate how hard he had been working and decided that famiglia should always come first.
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    Yung_Hung_ You were VERY gracious by giving them a 2 weeks notice.
    via [deleted]
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    Thus_Spoke The moral of the story is never, ever work for a promise. That promise could be a promotion, a raise, a discretionary bonus, or an equity grant. If you don't have it in hand, on paper, and contractually guaranteed, it's not worth a cent.
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    Businesses function on the basis of contracts. The reason you don't get a contract for any given promise is because they intend not to fulfill it.
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    [deleted] You didn't cost your employer that your up employer cost your employer that.
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    T There promise of the raise AFTER the release of the product was always bogus... The real plan was always to have you finish i the project andthen replace you.
    via [deleted]
  • 20
    JKal515 When will employers learn to not expect more work responsibilities for the same pay...? Hopefully your former company (and CEO) learned from this experience.
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    impressionist... If the absence of a single person ruins your company, they didn't ruin your company. The company ruined themselves and that single person can only be credited with making it succeed. Good on you for showing them your worth!
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    [deleted] If an entire corporation is depending on one guy to make their entire operation work, they have a really business model Imao
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  • 23
    Vegetable-Fix... Op has it spot on. Get off your rear and find an employer worthy of you. I love this story
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  • 24
    [deleted] I've had similar experiences in software dev. You never get a raise by working hard. You get a raise by walking around looking really confident and being liked. Putting all your energy into a project and no energy into politics is a waste of time.
    via [deleted]

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