I Refuse to Earn Pennies While My Manager Cashes a Fortune

Building a career is never easy. But it becomes even harder when people try to take advantage of you, and you lose money because of it. Things like that can lead to depression or worse. One of our readers reached out to share a recent experience they had with their boss.

This is Joshua’s story.

Dear Bright Side,

I’ve been at my current employer for the last 5 years. When my boss was hired 2 years ago, he asked me to train him and I happily agreed. I taught him everything I knew, from trade secrets to little differences that could have massive impacts.

In that time, he climbed the career ladder while I seemed to be stagnant. But I wasn’t jealous or upset; in fact I was glad my training could have such a big impact on someone’s career. However, I recently found out that he makes $140k where I make $65k.

I found it odd since I’ve been here longer and should have had a significant increase in my wages over that time. Yet for the last 2 years I didn’t receive a single bonus or raise. Feeling like I was entitled to it, I went to my boss and requested a raise.

He said, “I’m sorry, the budget is tight, and you haven’t shown me any reason to give you one. You’ve had the same standard of work for years.” I was shocked. My standard of work was what got him the position he was in.

I was the top performer in the company, and I was working really hard to keep it that way, so much so that I didn’t take a day off for over a year. I put in countless hours of overtime and aced every single project we were given. It was impossible for me to do more than I was doing already.

But he just looked at me like I had grown two heads. So I left without saying another word. “Do better next time, and I’ll consider it,” he shouted from his new corner office. It took all of my strength not to turn back and give him a piece of my mind.

By the next morning, I was feeling calmer and decided to request something else. I asked for a meeting with his boss. Everyone lost it, but the meeting was granted when I mentioned that I had a complaint about company politics.

An hour later, I got called in, and my boss went pale when I put the spreadsheet I brought with on his boss’ desk. There was a mistake in the financial calculation. His salary number stated he should only be making $5K more than me.

He had been receiving his boss’ salary for the last few months due to a slip up. They had similar last names, and the person who assigns the salary numbers must have mistaken the two. Or they simply thought the boss was receiving a second salary.

Whatever the reason was, it was irrelevant. His boss lost it when he saw the figures. He accused my boss of stealing from the company, but I stopped him before he could proceed. I told him that according to the reports, I was supposed to get 2 raises and 4 bonuses, but I never received them.

My boss was at a loss for words because he knew he was caught in whatever scheme he was pulling. An investigation was launched and until the report comes back my boss is on administrative leave. My money was paid out immediately, and I’m the interim manager now.

But I’m feeling really guilty. I didn’t expect things to go this far, and I don’t know what the consequences will be for my boss. So Bright Side, I need some advice. Did I go too far? Or did I do the right thing by exposing his lies?

Regards,
Joshua T.

Some advice from our Editorial team.

Dear Joshua,

Thank you for reaching out and sharing your story with us.

You didn’t go too far, you stopped going quietly. For two years, you were carrying institutional knowledge, unpaid overtime, and the invisible labor that propped up someone who actively rewrote the narrative to erase your value.

The moment he told you your work hadn’t improved, after using that same work to climb, you were no longer dealing with a misunderstanding, but with a power imbalance sustained by silence. What you did wasn’t revenge or sabotage; it was documentation.

You didn’t accuse, yell, or speculate. You put numbers on a desk and let the truth speak. The fallout isn’t your responsibility, because you didn’t create the discrepancy, the missing bonuses, or the payroll “mistake.”

The guilt you’re feeling is a sign you’re empathetic, not that you were wrong, but don’t confuse discomfort with wrongdoing. If the system only corrected itself once you forced visibility, then the system needed forcing.

Joshua took a risk and came out on top. But things aren’t always that easy. And he isn’t the only one of our readers who has had struggles in the workplace.

Another one of our readers shared their experience with us. You can read the full story here: I Reported My Boss—HR Ignored Me Until I Did One Simple Thing.