Company Gambles Away $3 Million After Refusing To Pay Employee What They're Worth

It’s something that’s been carved into our brains since we were children: “hard work pays off.” If we focus and put our noses to the grindstone, we’ll be rewarded for our efforts.

Unfortunately, as many of us have come to realize, that’s not always true. Hard work can’t pay off if someone takes advantage of you or if you don’t fully understand what your time, knowledge, and effort are worth (hint: it’s more than you probably think).

With the rise of business owners who would rather pocket the profits from your work than give you a raise, touting experience as being worth more than a raise, things can go downhill pretty quickly. Sometimes, the best course of action is to cut your losses and move on, putting that experience to work for someone who WILL honor your worth, no matter how long you may have been with the company.

Actions speak louder than words, right? So if the actions aren’t aligning with the words, take some time to consider what’s next.

Recently, a Redditor, u/tcrambo, went viral for sharing how he quit a job he loved. He started from square one with a company as a general contractor and worked his way up for six years, learning the trade and gaining customers' trust and business.

When he realized it was time for him to move on from his company, he was working on a three-million-dollar contract with a client who was there because of him and only wanted to do business with the company BECAUSE of him. Finally recognizing his skill set and how much money he was bringing to the company, he did what anyone would do—he asked for a raise.

Obviously, that didn’t go as planned. He was denied a well-earned raise because all the experience he was gaining was “far more valuable.”

If that doesn’t get your blood boiling, you should see what else happened. Keep scrolling to read the full story for yourself!

It is beyond frustrating when your hard work is unrecognized despite the promises otherwise

Viktor Hanacek

An exemplary worker shares his unbelievable story about why he decided to quit his job and how it affected the company

tcrambo

Redditor Dr. Michele Gelfand, cultural psychologist, emphasizes the importance of recognizing employee contributions, stating, "When organizations fail to value their employees, they risk losing not only talent but also the trust and loyalty that drive success." The story of u/tcrambo on r/antiwork has garnered significant attention, with over 80.6k upvotes in just two days, highlighting a growing sentiment about fair compensation in the workplace. Although u/tcrambo was new to the industry, he demonstrated a strong work ethic and a commitment to learning, which is crucial for success, as noted by James Clear, author, who states, "Success is the product of daily habits—not once-in-a-lifetime transformations."

tcrambo

A small project done so well brought in bigger and better business

Thanks to his professionalism, work ethic, and ability to finish the job on time and under budget, he was remembered fondly by the Board of Directors for an HOA. This led to acquiring a larger project.

tcrambo

Three years later, he's doing the job of three people

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And those three jobs have a LOT of tasks that need to be completed

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The Board of Directors committed to the company he worked for BECAUSE of him

tcrambo

With his confidence boosted, he asked for a raise he was promised a year ago.

tcrambo

Taking them at their word, he turned his valuable experience over to a headhunter

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The owners of his company sound insufferable

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They wouldn't match his offer, and he made sure to let the HOA President know he was leaving

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His departure from the company and project is a BIG deal to the HOA Board

tcrambo

Kicking them where it hurts felt good in the moment

tcrambo

He ended up updating his story twice—once because he noticed comments accusing him of exaggerating or lying about his story.

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The first edit is when he revealed that he is engaged to the daughter of one of the business owners, and their relationship is ultimately what led to his future father-in-law being in control of his earnings.

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What a gross dynamic to be marrying into

tcrambo

The fear of the unknown is what kept him there longer than he should have stayed

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His new position, with all the major perks and salary bump, is for ASSISTANT Project Manager

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A few days later, he provided another update

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A real-life happy ending

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u/tcrambo was more than happy to engage with the influx of commenters

CaptainEasypants

Reddit users had a LOT to comment on about the situation.

royalblue1982

"That has to be the dumbest thing I've read in this sub..."

oskarege

"Penny wise and pound foolish"

Jaboh

u/tcrambo busted his butt for not a lot

waitwutok

The actual *best* comeback moment

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I hope the company gains some valuable experience from this whole ordeal

shiny0suicune

"No one wants to work anymore"

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What would you have done if you were in u/tcrambo’s position? Would you have pushed harder for a raise or compromised on the benefits and salary increase offered by the new company to stay with what you know?

We’d love to know what you think, so be sure to share in the comments below.