‘Everything collapsed bit by bit’: All-star tech developer denied a raise after years of taking on more work, so he sticks to his job description as revenge, ends up getting promoted

Author image for Jesse Kessenheimer
Jesse Kessenheimer • Writer and Editor
May 24, 2025 10:00 AM EDT

Sometimes you gotta teach your employer a lesson with a blunt—but fair—message. Without me, this whole place would burn down! 

Oftentimes, a manager will deny this simple truth, especially when it comes to the all-stars of the workplace, but when a bona fide irreplaceable employee realizes their worth, they've got some negotiation power in the finance department. This tech developer was doing the jobs of three employees, working tirelessly to get ahead in the workplace. However, he realized that his hard work was severely misplaced because his boss simply denounced his extras, denied his raise, and told him that he shouldn't be doing more work outside of his job description. 

Alrighty then, let's see how this plays out when the star in the workplace stops doing the work of three job positions… 

Keep scrolling for the malicious compliance that earned this employee a promotion and a raise overnight. 

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  • Cheezburger Image 10509309440
    via EvgeniyShkolenko

    The image does not depict the actual subjects of the story. Subjects are models.

  • Stopped doing what I wasn't paid for I worked in a big compagny. I did the developer (tech lead) job, project manager's job and a big part of team leader's job.
    via Kirjavs
  • I asked multiple times to have a raise and also less work. That didn't work. When I said I did all of that, my manager just answered "Yes, you do a spectacular work.
    via Kirjavs
  • But we don't ask you to do all of this. So I don't know why you should get paid more than other people."
    via Kirjavs
  • Well... I stopped doing extras and focused on my job for 3 months. Everything collapsed bit by bit expect the projects I kept working
    via Kirjavs
  • Cheezburger Image 10509310464
    via EvgeniyShkolenko

    The image does not depict the actual subjects of the story. Subjects are models.

  • on. When I was asked by the clients, I just answered:" oh, I'm not in charge of that. You should contact X or the manager, not me.
    via Kirjavs
  • I was asked to come into the manager's office: "why is everything falling apart?! You need to do something!"
    via Kirjavs
  • Me "it's not my job. For years, you didn't asked yourself how it happened that everything worked so fine. So I stopped doing what was not in my contract. Now you ask why it's not working anymore.
    via Kirjavs
  • The answer is just that I let things fall down. And I'm glad it did because only now you notice the work I did.". He was really confused. Got a raise pretty fast.
    via Kirjavs
  • raceulfson ⚫ I had a cross stitch in my office that said "No one knows what I do until I don't do it."
    via raceulfson
  • mordeumafoca I started working in a restaurant in its first month, and I really like it because it was kind of an upper class place.
    via mordeumafoca
  • I usually was there at around 10 am, to have time to have my breakfast (20 minutes, give or take) and take care of my area without being in a rush. We were 3 employees
    via mordeumafoca
  • for lunch and 4 for dinner, and the boss was there as well doing like 30% waiter job and 70% HR/marketing. Every day I messaged my gf
    via mordeumafoca
  • when I arrived to the restaurant and when I got home. This is important because as it was the first month and lots of people helped setting the place up,
    via mordeumafoca
  • those same people had lots of freebies during those first weeks (stuff like a couple of bottles of wine for free, desserts and a whisky here and a gin there), as a thank
    via mordeumafoca
  • you for that help. But those same people usually stayed a lot longer than what would be acceptable - there were several days in which I didn't leave to go home and rest a
    via mordeumafoca
  • bit during the afternoon because they left their table at around 5pm, and dinner service started at 7-ish. Even worse were the dinners,
    via mordeumafoca
  • where there was one single table occupied until around midnight or a bit later, without ordering anything for 2hrs plus, and me and one of the other waiters being there leaning to the bar as our boss sat in the table chatting with the customers.
    via mordeumafoca
  • At the end of that first month, I got home at like 2am and went looking at the time of every single message I sent to my gf, to make a rough estimate of how many hours I worked - it came to around 320 hours in that month.
    via mordeumafoca
  • The next day I came to my boss and said that I didn't feel that what I got paid was right (it was around 1,5 euros/hour). I said I did around 300 hours, he was surprised and asked
    via mordeumafoca
  • how was that possible, and I said that I usually was at the restaurant every day at 10am to which he replied something like "you come at that time because you want to". That day I quit.
    via mordeumafoca
  • No hard feelings tho, I still go as a customer to that place and am happy to do so, but the funny thing is that now there are at least 5 permanent employees plus the boss.
    via mordeumafoca
  • TrippTrappTrinn · Another "I stopped doing things outside my job and everything fell apart"....
    via TrippTrappTrinn

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