Underpaid master's graduate resigns after being forced to absorb multiple coworkers' responsibilities, then discovers her "temporary" workload was actually 3 separate jobs: 'Why not just pay me more?'

When does being a team player turn into being taken advantage of?

A recent master's graduate accepted a low-paying job to gain experience, only to be assigned the responsibilities of multiple coworkers without additional compensation. After being asked to take on sales duties without commission, she resigned immediately. Shortly after that, she discovered her employer had posted three separate job openings to replace the work she had been handling alone.

When I come across stories like this, it really helps me to put into perspective that some companies tend to exploit their employees. How can a manager expect a new hire to do the work of three separate people? Without increasing their salary. I don't know what was on their minds when they asked that.

What stands out the most to me is that the employee was actually nice and accepted the workload that was put in front of her. Of course, she demanded the compensation she thought was appropriate for her experience and amount of work, but before resigning, she did not complain and fulfilled her responsibilities. And, instead of rewarding that flexibility, management seemed to view it as an opportunity to keep adding more work without increasing her salary.

Now, imagine being this employee and, after quitting, realizing that the company posted three different positions for all the work she was doing, essentially confirming that the workload she had been carrying was never meant for one person in the first place. At this point, it becomes difficult to argue that they underestimate the amount of work involved. Sometimes the fastest way for a company to learn an employee's value is to watch them walk out the door.