I Refuse to Get a Smaller Salary Just Because Our Company Is Growing

Workplace restructuring, salary cuts, and employee rights are becoming hot topics as companies grow and change. Many professionals today are questioning loyalty, fairness, and whether staying silent is worth the cost. Recently, a reader sent a letter to Bright Side sharing her experience with a company decision that forced her to rethink everything.

The letter:

Dear Bright Side,

Our firm is “restructuring” and hiring more people. 5 new employees joined us a month ago.

On Monday, HR announced that salaries would be cut by 20% to fund the new staff. I protested.

She replied, “You always complain about the workload. This way, you’ll work less. So you’ll earn less too. It’s logic!”

The funny part is that they expect us to train the new employees by “sharing our knowledge with them.”

I smiled.

The next day, everybody froze when they discovered that, over the past month, I had been teaching the new hires the bare minimum. Yes, I let them shadow me, but I didn’t walk them through the full workflow or explain the complete “how we really do this” process.

Then HR turned pale when I sent an email to everyone. It said, “To my fellow more experienced colleagues: Since our company seems to love logic, it isn’t logical for us to keep working for a company that takes advantage of our expertise while paying us less over time.
The company wants to grow while shrinking our rights. That’s why I’m resigning. I hope you do the same.”

I simply said what everyone was thinking but didn’t dare to say. Then I handed HR my resignation letter and reminded her that the training of the new hires was not complete.

I was called “unprofessional”.

It’s been two months since I left. I’ve been searching, but it’s hard to find a job.

Did I make the wrong decision by leaving after 7 years?

Should I have been more patient instead?

— Sally

Thank you for sharing your powerful story, Sally. Your experience with workplace restructuring, salary cuts, and standing up for employee rights resonated deeply with many readers navigating toxic work environments.

We’ve gathered thoughtful advice to help you reflect on your decision and move forward with clarity and confidence.

Reframe the “mistake” timeline.

You didn’t quit over emotions; you quit over a pay cut disguised as logic after 7 years of value. The regret you feel now is about timing, not judgment. Treat this as a delayed-cost decision: the financial pain is upfront, but staying would have slowly normalized exploitation.

Write down what would have happened had you stayed six more months. Compare that reality, not the fantasy of patience.

Turn the resignation into leverage.

Right now, your story sounds like “I left and struggled.” Repackage it as “I exited during unethical restructuring.” In interviews, anchor it to the 20% cut, forced unpaid knowledge transfer, and unfinished training they demanded.

This shows backbone and seniority, not impulsiveness. Your resignation email wasn’t unprofessional; it was whistleblowing-lite. Own that narrative confidently.

Monetize what they devalued.

They cut pay while demanding your expertise. That expertise still exists. Stop job-hunting only as an employee and test short-term consulting, contract training, or workflow documentation for smaller firms that need institutional knowledge.

You already proved companies rely on “how we really do this.” Even temporary income here reduces pressure and restores confidence while you search.

Separate courage from outcome.

Your courage and the job market’s cruelty are two different variables. A bad outcome doesn’t retroactively make a decision wrong. You acted with integrity under unfair conditions; the market just hasn’t caught up yet.

Don’t let short-term unemployment rewrite your values. The goal now isn’t patience—it’s alignment between your standards and your next employer.

Another reader recently shared a story with us about a tense workplace situation. The supervisor who had unfairly fired her from a previous job is now joining her new company. She refused to work with him, and things unfolded in an unexpected way.