Essential employee resigns during meeting with "huge" client after being denied a raise and getting another job offer mid-meeting, client cancels contract: 'I accepted their offer, contract in my email within 5 minutes, digitally signed it within 10'

I'm sure at some point, all of us have imagined quitting a job in dramatic fashion for one reason or another. Either from mounting frustration at watching everything around you slowly get worse, or a sudden change in leadership, or some other change that has led to worsened working conditions. Whether sudden or gradual, most of us have also suppressed these desires for the sake of earning an income or maintaining a reputation. While stating your truth and calling your employer out for years of mistreatment might feel good, it's almost always better to quietly keep doing your work while you look for other options.

But with certainty, if you're an employer, a little recognition goes a long way. That could be, but it isn't always through increased compensation to match effort and achievement, but can also be little things like commendation and recognition on a personal level for going above and beyond.

Sure, we're all the heroes of our own stories and may have a tendency to overestimate our contributions due to the sheer bias of our own perspectives, but if you're someone who suffers from imposter syndrome, you are probably actually understating your contribution and performance. And, at the same time, there's the fact that your boss is probably also underestimating your efforts. Go one or two more steps up the chain from there, and no one has any idea how much work you're doing—or just how effective you are at doing that work–either.

The employee had had a long and growing frustration with the fact that they had been repeatedly denied raises. While the employer could have prevented this with a little (genuine) recognition and a fair discussion about increased compensation, they had a strategy and they were sticking to it, likely thinking themselves secure in their position. But their overconfidence was met with consequence when the employee finally handed in their notice during an important meeting with a client that eventually would see the loss of that client and the company floundering as a result.

"I resigned during a meeting with a huge client"

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