Boss offers employee their job back after firing them, employee refuses when they discover the pay is lower: ‘I was making [more] when I started five years ago’

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Bar Mor Hazut • Senior Editor
Aug 28, 2026 7:15 AM EDT

Do you have a place of work you would return to in a heartbeat?

While we all like to complain about work, our hope is always to find somewhere that truly makes us happy. We imagine that if we were to find a place of work that truly brings us joy, we would never leave it, but that is not always the case for many who have managed to do so. Sometimes, people find themselves leaving jobs they really like for reasons they can't control.

The main reason would be, and you might have guessed it, if the workplace itself decides it's time for you to leave, aka you get fired. Even if you really love a job, that doesn't mean you will necessarily get to keep it. Perhaps your boss doesn't think you're doing a good enough job, you might get replaced by AI, and maybe you are simply a victim of some inner politics you cannot control.

Either way, you find yourself without the job you liked so much, having to somehow find a workplace that will bring you the same amount of joy.

Which leads us to the question: if your old boss were to offer you the job back, would you take it, and on what terms? How much are you willing to sacrifice for a job you really like?

The employee below found themselves facing this decision, and it wasn't an easy one to make. They were fired two years ago due to business beyond their control, but recently, their old boss reached out to offer them the job back. Even though they liked the job, they weren't quick to accept the offer, especially after they asked about the pay. Apparently, all their old workplace is willing to offer is pay lower than what they got when they first started the job five years ago. As much as they might have wanted to return, this doesn't seem like a fair offer.

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  • Young employee in an office.
    via Ziga Plahutar

    Young employee in an office.

    Recreated scenario included to enhance reader understanding.  

  • Got offered my old job back after they laid me off.

    So, two and a half years ago I got la d off because they were closing the maintenance department for my company, despite
    via Telekinendo
  • us having 12 or 13 houses with people with SMI, so they got damaged alot. I assumed it was because one of the C-suites husband was a contractor
    via Telekinendo
  • and she figured she could double dip. This kind of sh happened constantly.
    via Telekinendo
  • It was all but confirmed today when I get a call from my old bosses boss, and he says yeah so everyone knows you were
    via Telekinendo
  • let go for interoffice politics, but everyone is either gone or in a different position. And I'm
    via Telekinendo
  • interested in going back, I enjoyed it. When I asked what the compensation was, he said $21.
    via Telekinendo
  • I was making $22 when I started there almost five years ago.
    via Telekinendo
  • A young man in an office.
    via Getty Images

    A young man in an office.

    Model portrayal.

  • I pointed it out and that I hadn't gotten a raise in the two years I was there and he basically said I know but thats the posted rate, and I
    via Telekinendo
  • mean, I know he can't do anything about it because he's just a maintenance supervisor, but din man, what the h_l?
    via Telekinendo
  • Felt good that they called me, though. I liked my boss and bosses boss.
    via Telekinendo
  • LadyRedNeckMacGyver You should be coming in at $25 minimum. You have very specific job knowledge of THEIR site that spans 5 years.
    via LadyRedNeckMacGyver
  • If they tried to replace those very skills you have, it would cost them. You could also offer to do consulting work at $50-60.
    via LadyRedNeckMacGyver
  • Telekinendo OP They just won't hire me. This company truly doesn't care, its just a few good people trying to hold a horrible sinking ship together for the good of the people in the program, because they dont deserve it to fail.
    via Telekinendo
  • consultybob Don't be fooled, your boss and bosses boss can definitely do "something" about your pay. At the very least they could advocate on your behalf to someone who makes the rates
    via consultybob
  • graywailer id say- "i'll come back for $25 a hour, full health benefits, christmas bonus of 1 months full pay every year, 8 weeks paid
    via graywailer
  • vacation plus holidays, and all back pay from time of unfair layoff for vindictive financial hardship."
    via graywailer
  • boxfullofpasta "Would you rather hire a new guy at $21 that you have to train from scratch and might not work out, or do you want a model
    via boxfullofpasta
  • employee that knows exactly how to do the job because I've done it before. That guy costs $25. I'm the one taking the risk here as you've let me go before."
    via boxfullofpasta

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Tags

job offer boss workplace-stories employee fired manager job tales-from-the-workplace workplace company money low pay
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