As a boss and as a leader, you want to make your staff feel genuinely valued for their time and efforts. If someone from management is brazen about how much they and the company are raking in, but at least part of that wealth doesn’t trickle down, it’s bound to lead to friction and tons of frustration.
Redditor u/Zach2741 went viral after venting about their minuscule raise. Meanwhile, the company they work for made $5 billion in profit. This feels deeply unfair. And it would make practically anyone want to switch jobs. Scroll down for the full story and to see how the r/antiwork community reacted to the situation.
Bored Panda reached out to the author of the post, u/Zach2741, and they were kind enough to tell us more about what happened and shared their thoughts on corporate greed. You'll find our full interview with the OP as you read on.
If employees don't feel like their time and efforts are valued, they're bound to look for better pay elsewhere
Image credits: Umut Sarıalan (not the actual photo)
A retail worker vented their frustrations after they got a tiny raise even though the company raked in billions in profit
Image credits: AndLikeThings (not the actual photo)
Image credits: u/Zach2741
Wage growth has finally outpaced inflation again in the US in 2023
Image credits: EVG Kowalievska (not the actual photo)
According to the OP, they got the raise after a recent performance review. Their manager thought that their efforts met expectations. The reward? A raise of 18 cents per hour. Meanwhile, one of their colleagues at the retail store got a 28-cent raise because they ‘exceeded expectations.’
Frustrated by the unfairness of it all, the redditor couldn’t help but vent to the r/antiwork online community. They also opened up about how they’ve been job-hunting for four months now. Unfortunately, the search for a position somewhere in IT hasn’t been going as well as they’d hoped.
They said that they’ve applied to “hundreds or so jobs” so far. However, only five places have responded to them. Meanwhile, they’re staying at the retail job because it pays the bills. Until they find something better. Hopefully, that’ll happen soon. Staying at a job where you’re undervalued and feel no purpose can be demotivating and utterly draining.
Finally, after a long while, wage growth is again outpacing inflation in the United States. Statista notes that the rate of inflation started being greater than wage growth in April 2021 (4.2 percent inflation vs. 3.2 percent wage growth). Wages began outpacing inflation again only in February 2023.
What this means, essentially, is that the situation is slowly getting better for workers in the US. However, it might still take some time until more businesses react to the changes in the economy. And, of course, a lot depends on each company’s philosophy on wages.
"Corporate greed is very real"
Image credits: Tima Miroshnichenko (not the actual photo)
We were curious what went through the redditor's mind when they learned about the massive profit the company they work at raked in last year. "My immediate reaction was, 'That’s good for the company but where is that all going?'" they told Bored Panda.
"Later on in, the CEO talks about how the company, globally, made $50 billion in sales, and as I already stated $5 billion in profit. But my question for them is how do they invest that $5 billion into the company? Especially their labor force. The bread and butter of their company," they mused.
According to the retail employee, their manager was actually on their side. "My store manager explained he had no control over the raise I got and agreed that it isn’t much. He was pointing fingers at HR, saying that corporate HR looks at our performance reviews and determines the raises," u/Zach2741 shared. "The sad part of it all is that 18 cent raise is not even one percent of what I make."
The author of the post was happy to share some pointers for someone who might be on the fence about switching jobs. "As frustrating and time-consuming job searching can be, it’s very small in comparison to staying years at a job you absolutely hate. Do what makes you happy and whatever you’re passionate about," they urged workers.
The redditor pointed out that, in their experience, corporate greed is very real. "It’s been a slow process but it’s getting to a point where it’s affecting a lot of us. For example, 20-30 years ago it was common for folks to have a pension at a company they’ve been with for years and years. Now, most people do not know what a pension even is," the OP told Bored Panda.
"Corporations have learned they can cut costs by discontinuing pension benefits for employees, regardless of their tenure. To get ahead of corporate greed and as much as it frustrates me, you have to find a way to bring in multiple streams of income. Luckily, in today's world of AI and smartphones there are a lot of things people can do to make that happen."
The OP revealed to Bored Panda that while they're continuing to search for jobs in IT, they've been learning how to do real estate wholesaling. "Until corporations are more regulated and workers have more rights this is the new norm many of us have to accept and learn how to live with."
It's important to be aware of one's market value and achievements before asking for a raise
Image credits: Nataliya Vaitkevich (not the actual photo)
Before asking for a raise, it’s best to lay the groundwork first. To put it bluntly, you want to show just how much progress you’ve been making recently and how awesome your achievements are. So you want to document at least some of that.
You might think that management is aware of all of your efforts, but it’s impossible to keep track of so much information among so many workers. So you have to be responsible for tooting your own horn—in a professional way, of course.
Meanwhile, check out what the competition has been paying their staff. Ideally, you want to research your market value. If you’re underpaid, you need to make it clear that the market rates are very different. Then, set up a meeting with your manager.
No matter what happens, stay calm and collected. The odds are that you won’t be offered the raise you envisioned, so don’t be surprised if you have to do some negotiating, Indeed warns.
You want your wage to be as high as possible. Management wants to keep additional costs down. You’ll likely meet somewhere in the middle. Hopefully, during those negotiations, you’ll be able to figure out how your wage and benefits will change over the coming few years. You need to be realistic but also honest with yourself if everything meets your expectations.
And if not… well, it might be time to look for greener pastures elsewhere. If you don’t have savings to fall back on, stay at your day job while you’re sending out resumes and going on job interviews. But if you’re not seeing much success, you may want to consider taking some classes to learn new skills, possibly after work.
There are lots of well-paid alternatives, but it takes a lot of effort to apply
While some leaders are happy to share the wealth if they’ve been making more profit than usual, others like to play things more conservatively and limit raises to symbolic growth (read: for show). Offering good pay and benefits can be a fantastic way to retain talented employees and draw in new, highly-motivated, and skilled workers.
One recent story that has caught many Americans’ attention is that UPS drivers will earn an average of $170,000 per year in pay and benefits at the end of a five-year contract. That’s up from $145,000 before. This comes after a deal between UPS and the Teamsters Union following negotiations that lasted weeks.
Not only that but UPS employees will no longer have mandatory overtime. And part-time workers’ salaries are growing to at least $25.75 per hour, according to CBS News.
The author shared that they've been job-hunting for quite a while now
Here's how the rest of the internet reacted when they learned about the company's profits and the small raises they give out
