Handshake deal between boss and employee for a bonus in exchange for doing the boss's work goes sideways when the boss suddenly leaves and the new boss refuses to uphold it: 'I was successfully fulfilling my role and extra work'

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Brad Dickson • Managing Editor
Jan 20, 2026 12:00 PM EST

This employee discovered the hard way that vague promises of long-term reward in exchange for immediate contribution don't always eventuate when their boss left before seeing the deal through.

It's always said that a bird in the hand is better than two in the bush. If you haven't got something yet, it, simply put, isn't yours and isn't guaranteed to be yours.

In any situation its best to ensure that you have something concrete, or at least some written obligation that holds someone to a promise. Otherwise, all it is is some theoretical idea up there somewhere floating around in ethereal space, no more real than the memories of the two parties who agreed upon it. And especially in the workplace, regardless of what your boss's memory might be or what their intentions were, as soon as some resistance is met from their own superiors, they will likely go back on their word. Since going back on their word to you, their subordinate, is easier than changing the mind of their superior, as almost always will be the case.

Beyond that, a promise made by one person is very unlikely to be upheld by another, and a handshake agreement made between you and a supervisor is just that, it's reliant entirely on the working relationship between the pair of you to be constant and unchanged until it is seen through. And, let's be honest, that is very risky because nothing in this life ever remains unchanged or constant for very long.

Speaking of resistance, organizational management will always follow the path of least resistance; this means the things that are easiest to measure and track will be measured and tracked. And that these things, along with other initiatives and KPIs that are being prioritized by the organization as a whole, will be the things that result in "performance." Everything else will be pushed to the side in favor of concise, clean, and quantifiable things that constitute a job well done.  

As a result, performance reviews can be narrow-minded. Covering gaps, preventing failures, and possibly contributing to a myriad of areas and an abundance of situations goes almost entirely overlooked.
While you've been busy patching holes and keeping the ship floating, you've actually been losing "points" in the things that matter and are tracked when it comes to performance.

And there is the clear recency bias to be considered, too. Anything that has happened in close proximity to the performance evaluation, good or bad, is going to carry much more weight, regardless of whether it is deserved.

This employee works at an international corporation where performance evaluations directly affect the bonuses they receive. With a good working relationship with their current boss, they were able to take on some of their boss's responsibilities, and in exchange, they received solid growth in their role and excellent performance reviews that offered them additional compensation. But when a new manager took over, he wasn't ready to buy the agreement and gave the employee only a satisfactory review, which meant that the employee didn't receive a bonus. Ironically, the employee had still been doing tasks that were the boss's own since the boss had joined the company.

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  • I work in an international corporation, our performance is rated yearly on a scale that goes: bad, average, good, high, outstanding.
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  • Two men dressed in business attire shake hands as they close a deal
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  • The last two give you a yearly bonus and there is literally no difference in the amounts you get paid but an extra minor non monetary recognition for the last.
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  • With my previous boss I had an agreement: I would do my job and cover for him as a deputy for vacations, simultaneous meetings, etc.
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  • And he would do his best so I got the HIGH performance rating every year. Be aware that I have never missed a deadline, and covered all tasks.
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  • I did earn the high performance every year for 4 years. My boss left on August and I was foisted on a new guy, I showed new guy what I was doing (my job and deputy tasks), he agreed that I should continue doing those.
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  • On December 2025 for the yearly performance this guy rates me GOOD, so no bonus, I told him that I was successfully fulfilling my role and extra work, that is our internal metric of high performance.
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  • His reply was that he had not seem me work, and he had higher expectations therefore he couldn't rate me
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  • Very well, immediately after that I cancelled every meeting that had me as a my former boss replacement and sent several mails to HR and other stakeholders forfeiting the extra responsibilities, HR replied confirming that those tasks were not part of my role.
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  • Nothing much happened given that the holidays were upon us. New boss will start his day tomorrow Monday with his plate full of stuff that my former boss did and I covered for, and other team's request for guidance on what to do that my ex-boss and I occasionally answered.
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  • When he asks for those things, I will reply that since the extra activities did not allow me time to fulfill his expectations, I had taken to heart his words and (with HR blessing) immediately started releasing my schedule from things that were clearly not in my scope.
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  • EDIT 1: I am not in the USA. Here CYA works if you can show malicious intent on dismissal.
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  • Malicious could be "retaliating for not doing tasks that this role does not cover". EDIT 2: New boss had requested vacations until Wednesday, I will not see him until then.
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  • I have already gotten questions from many people, my replies can be summed up as: "Dunno, this seems beyond my scope".
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  • EDIT 3: New boss and I are in different timezones, due to this he had to deal with stuff until my day started.
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  • He asked for two urgent meetings, we already had the first, the next one is later today for me.
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  • Against my expectations, he seems to have taken (some of) the task as his own, not even asking for a how-to, and he has asked HR and other people, to own the rest.
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  • However he is asking me and my team, to increase our workload, as we had personnel reductions last month.
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  • Message from all of us is that we are stretched thin, if we push our people, something has to give: some tasks lower in priority, or some people will leave due to exhaustion.
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  • brandthedwarf asshole will try to fire you.
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  • WantToVent Original Poster's Reply That's why I have the HR replies. And of course, he is free to try. But the tasks I do officially have no overlap with my former boss role. I am essentially overqualified for my job, but to replace my ex boss and me it would require two people.
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  • Jamespio Amazing how the Americans in this group are going on and on about how you've ruined your "relationship" with your boss, that you're going to get mistreated, you should look for a job, and how you shouldn't do what you just did. These same asshats will likely spout bullshit about how America is great, and they couldn't stand living in a "socialist" country where job rights are protected. This whole thread is a lesson in how much Americans have to suck up to people in authority, all while
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  • WantToVent Original Poster's Reply Agreed. I will amend the post indicating that I am not in the USA.
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  • FuckStummies I agree with you on principle, but I hope you're prepared for what's likely to come. The relationship with your employer is now going sour and if you're not already actively looking for other jobs, you probably should start. I've had this happen and I've done basically what you've done, and the result is that they (your managers) will NOT be happy with you and they're going to deem you a "problem" employee pretty quickly. Good luck!
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  • WantToVent Original Poster's Reply It doesn't work that way here. I have amended my original post indicating that I am not in the USA, quite a lot of the things people allow there are simply not feasible here. To your point, he and anyone higher in the company, are well within their rights to dismiss me for whatever reason they consider applicable; conversely, I am within my rights to sue showing it was retaliation for this. This is not a pissing contest, this is setting boundaries for non contr
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  • SmarmyThatGuy That was the point of the email. When the shit hits the fan, there is a paper trail that points to the boss' poor review of OP as the cause. Did you CYA like that, because it makes all the difference?
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  • WantToVent Original Poster's Reply Thanks. That's why I involved HR, so I can claim if it happens, that the dismissal is retaliatory. I forgot to mention that I am not in the USA, so labour laws are more egalitarian.
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  • ceallachdon No, the relationship went sour as soon as the new manager unilaterally changed the agreement. And yes, those types of managers consider anyone who doesn't "roll over and take it" as problem employees.
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  • WantToVent Original Poster's Reply Agreed. According to my new manager, everything is easy. Well, man if it is so easy, you doing and teach me, that way we both win: you show us your skills, asserting dominance, and I learn how to do it better, so I have never to call you again.
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  • anarkyinducer 100% You've basically announced to everyone that you have one foot out the door. Start looking for a new job immediately. It fucking sucks but that's the way it is. For anyone considering doing the same, there are 3 alternatives: - * quiet quit new boss told you he's gonna give you the minimum, so return the favor and start looking for new work. * transfer to a different team, if possible and org is large enough. NEVER Kiss ass of someone who short changes you right out the gate, b
    via WantToVent
  • WantToVent Original Poster's Reply It doesn't work that way here. I have amended my original post indicating that I am not in the USA, quite a lot of the things people allow there are simply not feasible here. To your point, he and anyone higher in the company, are well within their rights to dismiss me for whatever reason they consider applicable; conversely, I am within my rights to sue showing it was retaliation for this. This is not a pissing contest, this is setting boundaries for non contr
    via WantToVent
  • Vaqu3ra13 I'm American and here's how I approach it: Always have an exit plan, even if you're feeling "safe" or content in your job. In a matter of 6 months, I went from receiving the best performance review of my career with a sizable bonus to being laid off right before the holidays with zero severance. Lesson learned. In my final two weeks, I made sure to use all of my remaining sick leave. I did zero turnover, and for shits and giggles, I wrapped my company laptop and equipment in wrapping p
    via WantToVent
  • WantToVent Original Poster's Reply Not from the USA, but I understand the sentiment. I do have an emergency fund. My wife has her own. And we own our home (paid last year thankfully). I am not irreplaceable nor unique, but I will not keep doing more work for free.
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  • DrippyMagoo This whole post is about how the one they hired isn't doing the job he was hired for, as OP has been doing part of it. OP is saying maybe they could hire someone else to handle the strict responsibilities assigned to OP in their current job, but then we still have no one performing the tasks that OP was handling that were not in scope of their actual responsibilities.
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  • WantToVent Original Poster's Reply Yes, thank you.
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  • Thisisafrog Take his role, and the $$, when he cries foul and fights you. You have been doing his role very capably. Godspeed!
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  • WantToVent Original Poster's Reply Unlikely to happen. New boss is actually one level above my old boss in the hierarchy, but new guy seems a micromanager. I told him our area needs a replacement for my former boss, I told him something along the lines: I want it to be me, but you need to pick someone, ANYONE to replace him, you can not do your own role and his at the same time.
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  • Thisisafrog He'll probably fight you to try to expand your role. I'd wait till your micromanager lashes out. Be the bigger guy and think of the company! ;) Good luck!
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  • WantToVent Original Poster's Reply I have no problem expanding my role, if he expands my salary. Or if he gives me the HIGH performance and its concomitant bonus. The problem has never been whether I can do the tasks, it is the compensation. Old boss understood perfectly that I work for money.
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