Employee Quits and Persuades Entire Department to Follow Suit After CEO Disrespected Him

Have you ever worked for a company that made you feel like you were nothing more than a small cog in a large machine? That's how the author of a recent Reddit post felt when they worked for a REIT (real estate investment trust) valued at roughly $10 billion.

They worked in a niche M&A shop that was considered the black sheep of the company, and it felt like no one appreciated the deals they were closing. Even though the original poster (OP) and their two colleagues closed over 60 deals a year and had 45 to 50 active deals at any given time, they were making just $52,000 per year while working 80-hour weeks. That amounts to just $12.50 per hour in gross pay!

After a year of working under these conditions, OP asked their VP for a 20% raise. Unfortunately, they were given a 2% cost-of-living adjustment and told that it was due to inflation.

Meanwhile, the same VP who denied OP's raise ended up receiving a $2 million bonus. This was just the icing on the cake for OP, who had already missed their grandfather's 88th birthday party due to a last-minute PowerPoint presentation that wasn't even used.

It was around this time that the company held its annual meeting, where employees were allowed to submit anonymous questions to the CEO. OP decided to ask how the company planned to retain talent when other companies were offering double the salary for half the workload.

The CEO laughed and told the author to take the job if they found it.

That was the final straw for OP, who decided to leave the company and start looking for a new job. They spoke to one of their recently resigned coworkers, who had almost doubled their salary at their new job, and a recruiter from that company reached out to them.

But it doesn't end there, as OP's manager, along with another coworker, also decided it was time to find a new job, and they joined OP at the new company, leaving the old company scrambling to replace them.

Sweet Revenge

u/DepartmentKiller

OP's Old Company Was a Large REIT Worth Roughly $10B

u/DepartmentKiller

OP Was Part of a Small Team That Was Doing Great Work

u/DepartmentKiller

OP Was Working 80-Hour Weeks for Just $52K a Year

u/DepartmentKiller

During a Big Meeting with the Entire Company, OP Asked the CEO an Anonymous Question

u/DepartmentKiller

OP Asked the CEO How He Plans to Keep His Workers from Leaving

u/DepartmentKiller

This Was the Last Straw for OP, and He Quit His Job and Joined a New Company

u/DepartmentKiller

When OP's Manager Found Out About His Situation, She Quickly Followed After Him

u/DepartmentKiller

And Just Like That, the Entire Team Left the Old Company and Joined OP

u/DepartmentKiller

OP Is Now Loving His Job

u/DepartmentKiller

When Will Employers Realize This?

u/modernwunder

This Post Might Be the Motivation for Many People to Find Something Better

u/Possible-Magazine917

Time for Another Letter

u/Zoreb1

Hoping Some Employers Read This

u/Aer0uAntG3alach

OP can't help but wonder what would have happened if they had been given that 20% raise they requested. Maybe they would still be working at the same company, still feeling unappreciated and overworked.

Instead, they took a chance on a new job and ended up with a brighter future.