Bosses want their employees to be diligent, get excellent results, and go the extra mile. Meanwhile, workers expect fair pay and wage growth, a decent work-life balance, as well as advancement. Unfortunately, even excellent results don’t always guarantee moving up in the company. How you deny that promotion, however, can mean the difference between a loyal worker who stays and someone who feels insulted enough to look for another job. And that costs the company tons of money.

That’s what happened to Reddit user u/A-Wise-Cobbler. They shared how they finally worked up the will to look for a better-paying job when their former director told them they wouldn’t get promoted… and he phrased it in possibly the worst way possible. Scroll down for the full story.

Employees who get excellent results naturally assume that they’ll be promoted, sooner or later

Image credits:  Elina Fairytale (not the actual photo)

Being denied a promotion can sting, and the way this is phrased can make some workers consider new job opportunities. Here’s what happened with one specialist

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Image credits:  Thirdman (not the actual photo)

Image credits: A-Wise-Cobbler

Image credits: Andrea Piacquadio (not the actual photo)

It’s never easy to work up the courage to look for employment elsewhere

Redditor u/A-Wise-Cobbler was perfectly content with the job, the company, and even his superiors. However, what really ticked him off was the way his former director phrased why the promotion to Senior Business Analyst wasn’t going to happen.

“He needs to prove himself,” is not something you want to say about an employee who’s always going above-and-beyond expectations and gets consistently good results. Any other expectation would have been fine. And the OP admitted that he’d been okay with that decision. But that phrasing inspired him to start job-hunting.

It took a while, but he found a position at another company with a generous 25% bump in the base pay, as well as double the annual bonus he was getting before. It’s proof that there are always good opportunities for quality specialists… so long as they have the courage to apply elsewhere. And even if the new job doesn’t work out (toxic workplace culture is a real thing, Pandas), you now have the ambition and urge to apply elsewhere.

It might be easy for some to scoff about some people who might stay in their current positions when there are better opportunities elsewhere but don’t forget that human beings are creatures of habit. You get used to your workflow, your colleagues, your office, and even the type of coffee in the kitchen. Jumping ship is scary, no matter how green those other pastures might look. So it can take something drastic to make someone from being cozy and complacent to energetic and ambitious. In this case, it was a few rude words said by an otherwise excellent higher-up.

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It costs companies far more to replace workers who quit than to give them a raise

The thing is, these sorts of words have a far deeper negative effect than some managers might realize. Gallup points out that in the United States alone, businesses lose around a trillion dollars (yes, that’s ‘trillion’ with a ‘t’) every single year due to voluntary turnover. The sad thing is, most of these costs are actually entirely avoidable.

Replacing an employee who decides to quit—no matter if they’re looking for new challenges or disillusioned with the company’s culture—is expensive. The costs of hiring and training quickly add up. Gallup estimates that a replacement will cost the business from one-half to two times the employee’s annual salary.

Now imagine if it’s several specialists who decide that they’ve had enough. Suddenly, stable wage raises and promotions for good results don’t sound like such bad ideas, do they?

Image credits: Jordan Bergendahl (not the actual photo)

Knowing your true value in the job market is half the battle

Meanwhile, Indeed points out that employees ought to do some research on their market value. They could look at what other companies pay for their positions, as well as speak to other professionals in the field to get a firm grip on whether they’re being underpaid or paid fairly.

You should also document how great your performance is before asking for a raise or a promotion. And above all, stay calm, cool, and collected. Even if the negotiations go sour, the more professional and optimistic you stay, the better off you’ll be in the long-run.

However, if you’re constantly denied growth at the company and you find that the reasons are poor excuses, it might be best to update your resume and look for other opportunities. Especially if you know for a fact that you’re not being compensated fairly for your time, effort, and achievements. Depending on how much savings you have and how burned out you might feel, you may need to stay at your current job while looking for other positions. Alternatively, consider taking a few months off to recharge and learn new skills. It’s a very personal decision.

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