Coworkers quits and management refuses to find a replacement, dumps their work onto existing team with no pay bump: 'Adding another person's work to our already tough workload isn't feasible at all'

Author image for JR Atkinson
JR Atkinson • Writer and Editor
Dec 18, 2025 10:00 AM EST

It can be a scramble when an employee leaves the company. Even with two weeks ' notice, it can leave the company searching for temporary solutions. What would happen in an ideal world is that everyone would be prepared for an employee to leave, and therefore not place undue stress on their remaining coworkers. This is rarely what happens, though. When left in a lurch, it's often an opportunity for companies to rely on the ones who haven't abandoned the ship. 

That's what happened in this story, where one analyst on a team of analysts decided to move on in their careers. This is not a crazy, out-of-left-field thing to do. People leave their jobs all the time. But instead of trying to find a replacement, the boss saw some room to save a little money and instead shoved all of their work onto their coworkers. This might sound like a cost-cutting idea, and it is, but it ends up putting way too much pressure on a team that you should be valuing. Then it starts giving everyone else the idea that they should leave, too.

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  • A woman looks stressed out at her computer
    via Vitaly Gariev

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

  • There are simply not enough hours in the day to do your coworker's entire suite of tasks. Presumably, it was taking them 8 hours a day, just like yours were. To combine those is to make huge compromises. Read on to see how that worked out in this story. 

  • Coworker quit, management expecting the other two employees to do the work, and they might not backfill!

    Just like the title mentions, I work in a department where there are usually just 3 analysts. One analyst quit and now management is expecting the other analyst and myself to do all of the other person's work with no plan to backfill his position! Our jobs are very time consuming enough so
    via u/TotalBlackberry9658
  • adding another person's work to our already tough workload isn't feasible at all. We've expressed our concern and let our manager know that some things might not get done and in fact, some things might fall through the cracks because it's hard to do our job and someone else's job too.
    via u/TotalBlackberry9658
  • Our company announced RTO in May 2026 so I've already been planning to leave because I would have to commute an hour each way and they have no plan to give us commuter benefits or raise our salaries to offset the cost of extra gas, wear and tear on cars, etc.
    via u/TotalBlackberry9658
  • What would you do in this situation? Do my work and continue to let the manager know that I can only do so much or just gracefully do the other person's work and shut up since I'm leaving soon?
    via u/TotalBlackberry9658
  • I'm already frustrated with RTO but in addition to that, knowing they might not backfill a position is frustrating me even more because that means they are trying to get two employees to do another person's work without paying us to do so! Thoughts?
    via u/TotalBlackberry9658

  • Commenters gave their ideas on how to handle this.

    nsa_k Ask for prioritization. Make a manager prioritize for you, so they get the blame when certain tasks remain unfinished. "I was already swamped with work before, and you just doubled my workload. So which tasks would yoh like finished before I start on new ones."
    via u/nsa_k
  • A woman in a green jacket looks stressed at her laptop
    via Adam Satria

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

  • Don't let them convince you that extra work can be completed. Unless then guy that quit did literally nothing all day, there's no way to make it happen. I like to explain everything to my boss as project hours. I spent 4 doing task A, 2 doing task B, and 2 on task C. I can't fit more than 8 hours in a day. Thats why we used to hire another guy. That other guy could have handled an extra 8 hours.
    via u/nsa_k
  • BETHVD I also had an old job where one analyst quit and I was expected to just automatically pick up the work until they backfilled the position. Then they went on a hiring freeze....so no plan to fill the job anytime soon. I worked my ass off, took work home
    via u/BETHVD
  • after hours to keep up. I played the role and did a great job keeping things afloat. Remember after 6 months I met with my manager and asked for a raise and I automatically got told they couldn't do that for me. It was that same afternoon I started spending my afternoons job hunting
    via u/BETHVD
  • instead of keeping things afloat. No more working after hours, things getting further and further behind. People complained, my manager had another 1:1 with me 3 months later after things were worse. What happened, things aren't getting done. I was in the final
    via u/BETHVD
  • stages of interviewing for my next job. I told my boss I was doing my best, but I was just burnt out and kept it at that. 2 weeks later I turned in my notice once I accepted another job. They had nothing lined up to fill my workload and I left and stopped caring what they did once I left.
    via u/BETHVD
  • Vaeon Could be wrong, but it sounds like they don't have a lot of leverage. They're already down 33% on staffing, WTF are they going to do? Fire you? That will just result in them spending X time looking for a replacement, then Y time training that person, all the while hoping they don't just bail forcing the company to start the whole process over.
    via u/Vaeon
  • StolenWishes Never work for free. You've already told your manager you can't do your work plus someone else's; don't make yourself a liar. Do the work in order of priority; if manager won't tell you what that is, use your own judgment. What doesn't get done proves the need for backfill.
    via u/StolenWishes
  • ysername11 Say nothing and do nothing. Focus on finding a new job. They can't let you go anyway.
    via u/ysername11
  • Jarrus_Kanan_Jar... Don't pick up the slack, even if you can, especially after RTO.
    via u/Jarrus_Kanan_Jarrus
  • Ok-Willow-9145 If you are already planning to leave, focus on minimizing your stress. Do your work and look like you are trying to do the additional work, but let most of that stuff fall through the cracks. Don't work late, don't start early, take lunches and breaks.
    via u/Ok-Willow-9145
  • They don't give a damn about you or the work. Look out for yourself because you don't own the company.
    via u/Ok-Willow-9145
  • umassmza Do your work, sign off at 5pm. They are already short handed, what are they going to do fire you Hell there are two of you, talk to each other, go to management together and
    via u/umassmza
  • demand a 30% raise effective immediately, have your resignation letter in hand and don't be afraid to hand it to them then walk away. Almost guarantee they'll cave if they need you two. What would it cost in the time it'd take to hire and train your replacements without you?
    via u/umassmza
  • uu_... i would try to get out of there sooner rather than later. let them reap the consequences of what they've sowed
    via u/uu_xx_me
  • Ok-Finger-733 Only get your own work done, when they bring up the extra work just say that there isn't time to do more work in the regular work day. With WFH, make sure you are logging your hours, and don't work over-time for free. If you are putting in an extra 1-2 hours a
    via u/Ok-Finger-733
  • day to get the extra workload done, make sure you are getting paid overtime or that the hours are being tracked for PTO later. When they say that it must get done, insist that your manager set the priorities on what is done first, in writing.
    via u/Ok-Finger-733
  • Finish what they set as the priority first, and leave the other tasks for tomorrow, only completing what would be your regular amount of work in your regular working hours. Every time they bring up the extra work not being completed, bring up that your paycheck didn't get bigger either.
    via u/Ok-Finger-733
  • ShinePretend3772 Keep quietly doing your job like a good little cog & look for something else. Guaranteed whoever is left between you & your other current coworker is gonna get boned with all three positions. You know they're looking too. What would really br sweet is you both find a new gig @ the same time. Test to see if anyone in management actually knows what you do.
    via u/ShinePretend3772
  • Bronzeshadow Work at a comfortable pace and whatever doesn't get done doesn't get done. It's not your company.
    via u/Bronzeshadow
  • Linkcott18 Make sure stuff does not get done. Otherwise they definitely will not hire someone else, just push you to do more and more.
    via u/Linkcott18
  • maydayvoter11 start with politely inquiring as to what your compensation increase will be due to this increased workload. Watch them squirm.
    via u/maydayvoter11

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antiwork employee career workplace quitting story analyst quitting
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