Internet hails grocery worker who quit to be rehired to get a raise

A former grocery store worker shared in a viral post on the Malicious Compliance Reddit forum how he managed to get a raise from his job just days after being fired.

u/tpb772000 said in his post, which has garnered more than 16,000 votes since it was published on Thursday, that he worked at a grocery store while he was in school and was making $10.50 an hour, but the company he worked for offered a Promotional salary for new hires of 11.25 per hour.

After asking to be paid the same amount as the new hires, 11.25 an hour, he said his manager was refusing a raise.

He decided to resign but shortly afterwards reapplied for the same position and managed to get hired at the new pay rate and received a referral bonus.

When a new employee earns more than an existing employee

According to Indeed, there are a few ways an employee can address the issue of a new hire earning more than an existing employee.

They should keep track of what they have contributed as employees and report that information to a manager.

Employees may also consider researching fair earnings and honing their skills.

“Skilled workers tend to earn more than unskilled workers,” according to the article published by Indeed. “Also, taking the time to strengthen your skills is likely to increase your motivation and engagement at work, and it can help demonstrate your commitment to growth and learning in your field.”

Malicious Compliance

In his post, u/tpb772000 said cashiers were needed after many of them resigned.

“Our general manager ran a promotion that paid every hired cashier $11.25 an hour,” he said. “So I’m talking to my manager like hey can I get that raise?”

However, his manager said he would not get a raise and that the pay rate was reserved for new hires.

As the only employee with the experience to keep the registers, u/tpb772000 was expected to train the new employees who were earning more than he was.

He wrote to news week that the other employees working at the tills were not hired as cashiers but had other job titles and worked at the tills when needed.

With less than a month to go until the end of the promotion, u/tpb772000 said he decided to quit at a time he knew his manager would “struggle” with many of his colleagues taking time off from the took work.

Although his manager tried to talk to u/tpb772000 about quitting, he stood his ground and left the office.

“I enjoyed the weekend off and hung out with friends more than usual, didn’t work at all that week and on Friday (a week and a day later) I went to the website and applied again,” he said.

He said his manager was relieved he was coming back, but u/tpb772000 made sure he asked about the new hire bonus. He also asked about a referral bonus that another colleague had told him about.

“I could see he was very unhappy but in the end I got both,” said u/tpb772000.

u/tpb772000 said news week He believes his manager thought he realized he made a mistake and his reinstatement was a “graceful and merciful” favour. However, his manager initially tried to reinstate him at his previous salary.

“This interaction completely changed the way I see bosses and managers,” he said. “It has made me more confident and less likely to get run over. It made me realize how much respect I have for myself and I want other people to be accommodating to me, even if they are above me.”

Reddit responds

Other Redditors praised u/tpb772000 for how he handled the matter, and some criticized his manager.

“What’s going through your mind when you think it’s acceptable to pay new people with fewer work responsibilities more money than a currently employed workhorse?” asked a Reddit user.

“It always blows my mind when a manager risks their entire operation to collect a penny,” commented another Redditor.

“Nice. You ended up costing them more than if they gave you the raise when you asked for it,” said one Reddit user.

Other stories of malicious compliance

Other Reddit users have submitted their stories to the Malicious Compliance forum.

One Redditor detailed how he got revenge on his former boss more than a decade after he quit.

A woman went viral for dealing with a “sexist” car dealer, while another post discussed how an employee quit a job and took his entire department to a new job.