AITA for telling my boss he basically admitted to underpaying me?

David Beckham Hours
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Picture a cramped office, buzzing with the hum of ambition, where a young professional drops a bombshell: a new job with a 50% pay hike. For this 25-year-old, the decision to leap was easy—until their boss’s counteroffer revealed a stingy truth. At a tense desk-side showdown, the OP uncovered their boss’s game of lowballing pay, sparking a fiery exchange about fairness. What started as a routine resignation turned into a bold stand for workplace worth.

This Reddit saga unfolds in a world where salary secrets and tight budgets clash with personal value. The OP’s confrontation, laced with righteous frustration, invites us to sip the tea on corporate gamesmanship. With a new job on the horizon, their story of standing tall against underpayment sets the stage for a juicy debate about loyalty, trust, and the art of the deal.

‘AITA for telling my boss he basically admitted to underpaying me?’

I recently got a job offer at another company that will pay me about 50% more than I currently make, so I accepted it. The commute will be longer and there are a couple of disadvantages, but the pay will more than makeup for it in my opinion.

When telling my boss the news, he asked how much I would be making and I told him. He got real quiet and thought about it for a moment. He then told me that he could pay me $5/hr more than I currently make and would be willing to let me work remotely 2 days a week if I stayed in the company. Which, to be honest, isn't an awful deal. But still, I wasn't biting.

I asked him if he thought I was worth that $5/hr raise and he said I was because I am a useful part of the team. At that, I asked him this. 'If I am worth that much, how come you gave me a $1/hr raise at my last review two months ago? You're basically admitting that you have been underpaying me and only want to pay me what I'm worth now because I'm leaving the company?'

He somewhat fumed and you could see him get red in the face despite him not raising his voice. He said something about me not understanding how pay works, how it isn't just his decision, and how negotiations like this are a normal part of the business.

I stood my ground and told him that if he had given me these benefits to begin with, he might have gotten to keep me. I told him that I wouldn't be able to trust that I was ever being paid fairly going forward.

Well, I put my two weeks in and that's that. I was telling this story to my parents and my mom suggested that my boss had a point. That these negotiations are normal and that I should have just politely declined the offer instead of making a scene.. AITA?

Edit: I did ask for more at my review and argued I'm worth more, but he said he couldn't offer more and that covid has slashed funding all around. I forgot to bring it up when talking to my boss. But yeah, it means he also lied to me.

Calling out a boss for underpaying feels like airing dirty laundry at a company picnic—awkward but necessary. The OP’s clash reveals a classic workplace tug-of-war: employees craving fair pay versus employers pinching pennies. Their boss’s $5/hr counteroffer, after a measly $1/hr raise, reeks of reactive desperation. As Dr. Linda Hill, a Harvard Business School professor, notes, “Transparency in compensation builds trust; secrecy breeds resentment.” The boss’s fumbling defense exposes a flawed system.

The OP’s situation reflects a broader issue: 62% of U.S. workers feel underpaid, per a 2023 Pew Research study, often discovering discrepancies only when leaving. The boss’s claim of “normal negotiations” holds water—companies budget conservatively—but OP’s edit reveals a lie about COVID cuts, eroding trust. Hill advises, “Employees should benchmark their worth via market research.” OP’s confrontation, though heated, was a valid push for accountability.

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Zooming out, this story underscores the taboo around salary transparency. Open pay discussions, as seen in unionized settings like Belgium, empower workers. OP’s bold move highlights how secrecy lets employers lowball talent. For solutions, OP did right by leaving—trust is hard to rebuild. Future workers can negotiate proactively, using tools like Glassdoor for leverage. Employers should prioritize fair pay to retain talent, as Hill suggests, fostering loyalty over resentment. OP’s stand invites us to champion workplace candor.

See what others had to share with OP:

Reddit’s posse saddled up for this workplace rodeo, tossing out cheers and cautions with gusto. Here’s the raw scoop from the crowd, served with a side of sass:

Citychic88 − NAH your boss is right. These type of negotiations are normal and you could have asked for more than$1 at your review. You're not an a**hole for pointing ot out but be mindful of burning bridges because you never know when you paths will cross again

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Cry_Original − NTA you're right, if you were paid fairly in the first place, you would stay. Unfortunately, not all places think like that and it takes someone to leave to make them realise their importance and worth. I agree with your folks though, I get why you are mad, but you should have politely declined and leave your employment on good terms. You never know, you could end up needing a recommendation from them for a future employer.

perhapsnew − NAH. Negotiations are normal. That $5 raise might have been a temporary measure to keep you long enough in order to find a cheaper substitute.

Maladict33 − NTA These are indeed normal business practices, but normal isn't the same as fair, or good. If their compensation and negotiation practices are part of what motivated you to leave, than they should value the feedback as an opportunity to improve retainment.

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[Reddit User] − NTA, but I don't see what you get for hammering home this sort of point. You got the new job with better pay, why even entertain this conversation?

zane910 − NTA You are right in feeling that you were screwed over by him all this time. The problem is that pay negotiations are quite common practices as it allows employers to pay below the expected amount for a position. They further take advantage by creating an environment that looks down on people telling each other how much they are paid for their positions.

Consider this a learning experience and move on. If anything, society should be more open with people telling each other how much they are being paid for their jobs rather than keeping it to themselves. This gives the people more power to demand a fair and equal pay instead of letting their employers possibly s**ew them out of what they rightfully deserve.

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Frittzy1960 − NTA. A good employer pays what the employee is worth. Quite a few decades ago I was made an offer to jump ship. I had worked for my then employer for 7 years, the last 3 of which were in a sales role. I single handedly took that company from an annual UK750K to 2.5Mil pounds in those 3 years.

I had not had a rise in 4 years so when I got the offer, I asked my employer about a rise and was told they couldn't do it. Next day I handed in my resignation and my shocked boss then told me maybe they could they could find a small increase. He was not happy when I told him that I was moving to a 50% increase and had already accepted.

His following years slumped back to just over 750K. Later in life as a business owner, I'd benchmark local positions quarterly to see if what I was paying my people was fair and adjust upwards if relevant. Wages were also automatically increased to allow for inflation.

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They were also given opportunities to increase their skill sets by external training and received a wage increment if they did. Never had a staff member leave until I decided to move country and I helped them find good positions. Still in touch with most of them.

classic_plon09 − No way dude. Unfortunately we live in a Society that business' like to be cheap for people who will quietly go about their work without making a scene. Negotiating your salary and benefits is the one basic skill nobody has and nobody wants to teach, because of cheap assholes.

krugle_ − A company strives to make us much while spending as little as possible. And employee strives to make as much as possible while minimizing load. It's always a dance between the two, learn the moves and you'll do well.

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[Reddit User] − And that is why I oppose such things I Belgium. Union is still strong here. But they want to weaken it and for example, you have to negotiate about your pay instead of the Union that does it nationally... See that doesn't work

These Redditors split on OP’s mic-drop moment—some hailed their guts, others warned of burned bridges. But do these hot takes nail the workplace vibe, or just fan the drama flames?

This tale of cubicle courage leaves us pondering the price of fairness. The OP’s showdown with their boss wasn’t just about dollars—it was a stand for self-worth in a world of corporate chess. By walking away, they bet on a future where pay matches value. Yet, the debate lingers: was their bold call-out a power move or a bridge too far? Have you ever faced a pay gap that made you speak up? Drop your story below!

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