'My manager was shocked!': Employee quits engineering job after company's "cost of living" increase kept him at minimum wage

Author image for Ben Weiss
Ben Weiss • Writer and Editor
Nov 30, 2025 2:00 PM EST

It's always amusing when bosses act surprised when their employees call then out on their nonsense.

In this instance, we have an employee at an engineering job who was already earning significantly less than the average worker at his level. Still, he was relatively new to the workforce and needed the experience, so he stayed at the company. At the end of each year, he received a standard raise that tended to reflect the rising cost of living in his area and then some.

This year, however, the company decided to manipulate their standard cost of living increase and keep the author's salary at what was technically minimum wage. That was the final straw for this guy, who proceeded to march right into his boss's office to confront him on his lack of an expected raise.

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  • The best part of this anecdote? The boss's fake reaction. This dude vastly underestimated the intelligence and autonomy of his employees. At this point, the author knew he was less than valuable in the eyes of his supervisor, so he put in his two weeks' notice. This, of course, was not well-received, but clearly this guy's boss completely was not expecting his employees to rightfully stand up for themselves. 

  • "My company's 'cost of living' increase put me at minimum wage. I quit, and my manager was shocked."

    I worked on the process engineering team at a large industrial plant. In 2023, my salary was slightly above the minimum wage. It wasn't a great salary, but it covered my expenses and I was gaining good experience.
    via meld_scares2f
  • So when the minimum wage increased this year, I expected to get a small raise to keep my salary above the new figure, just like they did the year before. But no. All they did was 'adjust' my salary to match the new minimum wage exactly.
    via meld_scares2f
  • I have an engineering degree in a specialized field, and even though I knew from the start that the pay wasn't the highest, I never imagined my real income could decrease.
    via meld_scares2f
  • Anyway, I went in and gave my two weeks' notice, which is the standard procedure in my contract. My manager was completely shocked and acted
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  • surprised, saying it would be nearly impossible for them to find a replacement for me in that timeframe. I mean, honestly, what did he expect?
    via meld_scares2f
  • An employee holds a cardboard box.
    via Unsplash+ (Curated Lifestyle)

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

  • DaylonPhoto • 2h ago "You know, if I'm so rare, maybe you should give me what it would cost to search, find, hire and train my replacement."
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  • xpxsquirrel • 1h ago Name and shame no engineering role with an engineering degree should be making minimum wage ever
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  • BabadookOfEarl • 31m ago No reason to give two weeks for a minimum wage job.
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  • BigMax 31m ago "Minimum wage is the legal minimum you can pay anyone. Meaning that's what's fit for literally anyone walking off the street without skills or experience. or even a good work ethic.
    via meld_scares2f
  • So if that's what you think of my job, you should be able to replace me by the end of the day!"
    via meld_scares2f
  • Demented-Alpaca • 18m ago Isn't it funny how you're a "key employee" and they "can't replace you" but somehow can't afford to pay you a decent wage?
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  • If I was so important to the company perhaps y'all should have made that clear in my paychecks?
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  • Odd_Welcome7940 • 2h ago Give him your consulting rate... 40/hr or more. Then start job hunting.
    via meld_scares2f
  • Think-notlikedash... • 1h ago Now, did you find another job? If not, this is not a good story. You're unemployed and not in a good place.
    via meld_scares2f
  • You gave up your power in the job market as a passive candidate.
    via meld_scares2f

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workplace-stories employee work stories toxic-workplace manager job work underpaid company quitting toxic-work-environment
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