Employee gets offered another job with higher pay, leaves new job after only two weeks, manager gets offended: ‘I laughed and explained what I was offered’

Author image for Bar Mor Hazut
Bar Mor Hazut • Senior Editor
Nov 15, 2025 8:00 PM EST

Finding the perfect job for you is a personal process, but hardly anything about it is personal toward other people. It's not personal that you would rather go for the higher-paying job, or the one that offers three work-from-home days a week. Your boss can be the nicest person ever, but if they can't offer you what you think is best for you, then sorry, boss – it's not personal.

If you ask the employee in the story below, they would say the same thing. When they started their job two weeks ago, they settled for a lower salary than what they wanted, because that was the only option they had. Now, however, another company offered them a job that pays $20k more, so a decision had to be made.

So yes, personally, the best course of action for this employee was to leave their current workplace for the higher-paying job, but it wasn't personal. It was simply what was best for the employee and their career…

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    Cheezburger Image 10575460352
    via charliepix

    Image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

  • Should a manager take offense if an employee leaves them for a better job? Scroll down to read how the manager in the story below reacted to the same situation…

  • 02

    Left new job for more money... Old boss offended

    I started a new job recently. I asked for $55K starting salary as the minimum. They only offered me $50K and said that was the max they could do (I took it because I had no other offers, but was not happy with that salary).
    via Old_Tie5365
  • 03
    2 weeks later and I get another job offer. This one is 100% remote (the other position I accepted was in person and a 40 minute commute each way).
    via Old_Tie5365
  • 04
    And this one offered me $70K to start. Of course I took it! When I let my boss know I was leaving for the other job, after only two weeks working there, she starts saying "Well I would like to retain you, I can see if I can get approval for a $55K salary for you.
    via Old_Tie5365
  • 05
    I laughed and explained what I was offered ($20K more & remote) and that I know it would be impossible for them to offer me that.
    via Old_Tie5365
  • 06
    She said, you're right, we can't match that. Then she gets all upset and starts lecturing me about how they invested so much time and training into me and now I'm leaving them in a bind.
    via Old_Tie5365
  • 07
    A month later I see her stalking my LinkedIn profile (because I didn't mention the new company name when I quit).
    via Old_Tie5365
  • 08
    Lol can you believe the nerve of these people? Absolutely clueless!
    via Old_Tie5365
  • 09
    Business man sending resignation letter and packing Stuff Resign
    via charliepix

    Image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

  • 10
    Epiphone56 What did they think would. happen when they made you a low ball offer? I'm guessing the salary was advertised as "competitive" and they're also underpaying their existing staff.
    via Epiphone56
  • 11
    OP Old Tie5365 Yes. That's another reason I knew they couldn't match the $70K offer. Because my coworkers and even a few above me were being paid less than $60K.
    via Old_Tie5365
  • 12
    Mangos28 I always stalk the profiles of my former coworkers to see where they go. It's not personal - I don't care enough to ask in person. If the answer can be found on the interner, I'm curious enough to go there to find out. After all, my coworkers and I are in the same industry.....
    via Mangos28
  • 13
    OP Old Tie5365 But she was my boss & I only knew her for 2 weeks. It's none of her business because we weren't that aquanted.
    via Old_Tie5365
  • 14
    One-Rip2593 I don't get what she did that was wrong? The nerve of looking someone up on LinkedIn? Honestly she doesn't sound that bad. Even being upset that you were leaving kinda points to the fact that she looked forward to working with you. I mean, she even wanted to match your offer. I mean, she could have said good luck I guess, but none of this sounds particularly bad.
    via One-Rip2593
  • 15
    OP Old Tie5365 She could have seen my new company on LinkedIn and tried to contact them to trash me for all I know. If I left, I left, why try to stalk me a month later? What was she looking for exactly?
    via Old_Tie5365
  • 16
    Unpopularbelief1x Why did you feel compelled to say ANYTHING about your new job, ESPECIALLY that it was remote and MORE highly paid. People sometimes don't mean any harm, but their loose tongues get them into ALL kinds of trouble. ALL that Company was owed was a resignation letter, thinking them for the opportunity.
    via Unpopularbelief1x
  • 17
    OP Old Tie5365 Because it was the truth. Plus they needed to know they were not competitive. How would they know if it wasn't brought to their attention?
    via Old_Tie5365
  • 18
    StrangeBuilder You owe an employer nothing. They aren't you spouse, or you parents, or your family. This new job valued you more, plain and simple.
    via StrangeBuilder
  • 19
    Realistic_Salt7109 If you were to get fired, and told them "you're really putting me in a bind", do you think your boss would let you keep your job?
    via Realistic_Salt7109
  • 20
    funkyspleen Bad management. I've had employees very nervously come into my office after i just hire them to tell me they got a new job, apologizing etc. I always stand up shake their hand say i wish you the best of luck always do what's best for you. Send them a farewell email tell them if they ever need me for anything to let me know and stay in touch. Your manager sucks
    via funkyspleen
  • 21
    regassert6 If you leaving them in a "bind" is so bad, perhaps they should have paid you enough from the jump. They didn't lose you over $20k today. They lost you over a difference of $5k 2 weeks ago. Move on and congrats on the better job!
    via regassert6
  • 22
    ShogunFirebeard You've been there 2 weeks. They haven't spent that much training you. It's just a guilt trip.
    via ShogunFirebeard
  • 23
    Calgary_Calico You wanted more money for your job, not a lot more either, an extra $5000 a year is a drop in the hat for many companies, they denied it. So you went somewhere else that offered you MUCH more money. It's their own fault you left, let them be offended
    via Calgary_Calico

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job offer salary boss workplace-stories employee manager job tales-from-the-workplace new hire ceo pay workplace company funny quitting
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