Employee 'Slacks' At Work After Asking For A Raise & Being Told He Needs To Start 'Over-Performing' & 'Overachieving'
He says he's an extremely hard worker and is being paid significantly less than all of his other coworkers.
Vadym Pastukh / Shutterstock / Tumisu / pixabay via CanvaPro After learning that they wouldn't be given a pay raise at work, an employee decided to stop putting in any effort at all after feeling as if they aren't being treated fairly.
Posting to the subreddit r/antiwork — an online forum where users are able to share job/work-related struggles they may be experiencing — he explained that out of all his other coworkers, he is being paid the lowest amount.
"I found out that I was paid lower than my colleagues who have the exact same job title and experience [as] me," he shared, adding that it's an almost £2000 ($2505.90) yearly difference.
He decided to ask his boss for a pay raise but was told he needed to start 'over-performing' and 'overachieving' to get it.
In his Reddit post, he pointed out that he's been an extremely hard worker since being hired, and is often someone who will offer to help and relieve the workload of his other colleagues.
He decided to ask his employer for a pay raise, arguing that he is "more than entitled" to it considering how much energy he puts into his job every single day, especially after being asked to train one of his coworkers who was making significantly more than he was.
"I'm not happy about training someone who is paid more than me," he continued. At first, when he inquired about a higher pay raise, his employer questioned why he was suddenly bringing up his pay, and that he "shouldn't be talking about pay" at work.
"I calmly responded something along the lines of 'nowhere in company policy or the employment law states I am not allowed to discuss salary with my colleagues,' to which I got a silent response and a quick change of subject."
He was told by his employer that if he wanted to get higher pay, he needed to start "over-performing" and "overachieving." When he tried bringing up the fact that out of everyone at the company he works for, he's paid the least, and is essentially at the "bottom of the barrel," that didn't seem to change their mind.
"I want a simple life, I'm not career driven, I just want to be paid so I can live my life. I don't want to be dying for my job in order to get a measly pay rise," he admitted.
After being denied a pay raise, he has started 'slacking' on his work.
Once he realized that his employer wouldn't be giving him a significant pay raise anytime soon, he revealed that he began applying and looking around for other jobs.
"I am currently looking and applying for new jobs and don't plan on being here then so I've really just given up caring," he wrote, adding that he's started doing the "bare minimum" at his job, and only doing enough work so that he can still receive his paycheck.
Now, he's started feeling concerned that soon his employer will call him out on his lack of enthusiasm at work since he's someone who's previously been the first to help a colleague out if their workload is too stressful and they need an extra hand.
"Now I have no incentive and just want to get by without stress and additional workload," he added. "What is the best thing to say in this situation if I were to be pulled up on this?"
Unfortunately, the writer of this post isn't the first employee to start rethinking their current place of employment because of a severe lack of pay. Roughly 1 in 20 workers will quit if they find out they’re making less than their coworkers, according to a November 2022 ResumeBuilder survey of 1,200 American workers.
The survey also found that 85% of workers say they’re more likely to apply for a job that lists a salary.
"As more folks understand what their positions are being paid by their organizations, it’s going to have ramifications for people already working at the company,” Stacie Haller, a career expert told CNBC. “Our survey also found that 63% of those folks will demand a raise for equal pay, and I think a lot of employers will take notice.”
Reddit users pointed out that the employee's job seems like one big 'red flag.'
One Reddit user wrote that his employer not wanting to talk about his pay, and the possibility of getting a raise is a bit shady.
"They’re aware that they’re taking advantage of you and don’t want you [to know] it. You’re already overperforming and overachieving too," they remarked.
Another user offered a solution, writing, "Tell management you are feeling a bit burnt out by the fact you have put in the extra effort to get a raise/promotion BUT STILL PAID LESS than colleagues that do the same job."
A third user encouraged him to keep seeking out another place of employment. "It's time for you to move on. Update your resume and start looking."
"If your present company offers you a raise to stay when you give notice, decline, and then point out that if they'd offered you the same raise before you'd gone and found a new job, you'd have saved yourself all the trouble of finding yourself a new job."
Nia Tipton is a writer living in Brooklyn. She covers pop culture, social justice issues, and trending topics.