20 Employees Who Went The Extra Mile Just To Be Taken Advantage Of

What do you think about the employer-employee relationship? If you're a new grad looking for your first job, you may see HR at many companies saying, "you're still young, so devote yourself to work, and don't overthink about the salary." Consider this, it may be right because the thing you need for now is an opportunity to work and gain experience. It'll take around two years before you can apply for a better job with a better resume.
Still, it's just gatekeeping. Companies often use it to lower the paycheck of new grads. Employers pay them less while motivating them to work more to 'gain experience.' Like, doesn't their work bring any profit for the company? Is their effort worth just that? No, it's not. All of this is about greed. Companies will try everything to make the most of every single employee so that they'll earn more money.
Work ethic is a thing. But it seems like this is only for employees, not employers. It feels great to be a skilled employee, a contributor to your company, and get an appreciation for that. Still, not that all companies are willing to pay you if you do a great job. A case in point is a woman who recently shared her story on Reddit. Her story told about how she got fired from a bakery after asking for a raise, as she accidentally found out that everyone else was paid higher than her.
Quickly, people flooded the comment section of this post with similar experiences. In the list down below, we have selected some of the most frustrating stories for your reading pleasure. Perhaps, after reading this post, you may reconsider your job and your pay. So, we tell you here, don't be afraid to ask for a raise if you feel it's right. Employees work for money, not just random appreciation.

#1 I have a high school friend who owns 15 franchises of a business. He brags regularly that he personally makes about 5 million dollars a year

Source: Purple1829,pexels

The other week he was complaining to me about how he would go out of business if he had to raise the minimum wage pay from $8 an hour to $15.
I asked how many total employees he has, and he said 120. He could give every single employee a raise or 25,000 a year and still make a million bucks yearly without even affecting the actual business profits

#2 I was working a full commission paid job, no hourly. After two years, I asked for a 10% raise because I found out I was paying the entire rent and bills for the business

Source: ZeroIQmoves,pexels

My boss threatened to Lower my percentage from 55% to 50% if I brought it up again. I quit the same night, brought in 6 of my friends, and took everything I had.
Almost all of my clients followed me to my next Job, which humbly offered me 60% at the door and another 5% for every two years I worked up to 75%. The few clients that we're unable to make it to my new location still didn't go back to my old job, just went to another place closer than where I had moved.
Business went under a year after I left because he wasn't good enough to keep it open by himself [and whatever clowns he hired after me]
10 years later I still send my ex-boss Photos and Updates of his building. He usually gets two updates a year, every 6 months. It's now a small clothing store. They're doing very well, even launched their own in-house brand in the last year

#3 "Don't you know you were supposed to be grateful just to be there?"

Source: One_Ad_4420,pexels

I'm a baker. The only way I got a raise was from leaving to work at a place paying me almost twice as much. This was the ONLY way my boss understood that I was worth more than 9 an hour.

#4 I keep telling people. Get up go to work, be on time leave on time. Be decent/ good at what your specific job is

Source: gabynew1,pexels

Do not "take one for the team" unless you are able to do so without discomfort and if you are helping a colleague who is likely to help back. Your real-life and friends take priority always.

#5 I worked at a NYC-style pizza place in the small suburban town I grew up in

Source: autumnaki2,pexels

When it was bought back by the original owner he belittled my 4-year degree after I JUST graduated, the same degree his daughter said she wanted to pursue, and asked me to deep clean a deep fryer w/o eye protection or skin protection.
I read the label on the junk I was handed to use and it was a big fat OSHA violation to NOT HAVE SKIN PROTECTION. I asked if gloves or safety glasses were available. I was told no, so I left and never looked back.

#6 When I worked at McDonald’s in 2018 I was hired at 7.25 an hour, I got really good at the job really fast, was one of the fastest order takers and McCafé makers, and eventually they let me learn grill too

Source: Tama_Breeder,unsplash

After 13 months working there, I got 2 raises and was now making $7.70 LMFAO. I found out that the owner's wife was doing interviews and hiring new people at $8 an hour. So I was training new people who were making more than me after I’d already had 2 raises just because they were hired by someone different than me.
Eventually, they made me a crew trainer which would’ve upped my pay to $8 an hour and they had me working the position for months and never gave me the raise so I quit. Now at my new job, I make $18.50 an hour

#7 I took a university job to advance my career. The position wasn't approved but I was overly enthusiastic and did the work regardless

Source: jagulto,unsplash

I did this for 2 years; took the department to the next level of division 1. My boss and I agreed to have a conversation about permanent employment at the end of one summer after I took 4 athletes to the Olympic games.
My boss had advocated for the position to be full time and we finally had the talk; he had offered the job to someone else and expected me to continue my "unpaid" position indefinitely because it was "good for the university." I left on the spot and never worked in the field again.
Never ever ever ever give even the slightest of f*cks about your job.

#8 I worked somewhere similar and the owner stopped coming into the shop, except to drop off groceries

Source: chesti_larue,pexels

I was the only cook during shifts with one dishwasher and I only made 13.50 an hour in a very high-priced state....when I knew I had to quit for my kids and husband's school schedules, I gave her TWO MONTHS notice... find someone to replace me and I'll step down after training before my notice was over.
She started snubbing me in the restaurant so I ditched out. Good luck with finding someone before the 2 months are over

#9 My wife got a job at DVF a few years ago

Source: LooseLeaf24,pexels

She was top sales in her store, district, state, and region within her first 3 months. She continued to just kill it quarter after quarter.
She got a new coworker and was training him (she liked him as a person but said he was a terrible employee who could barely follow simple instructions.) She gave him a ride home and learned that he was making 3.50 more an hour since hire compared to what she was currently making (before commission)
She called her boss right after dropping him off, quit on the spot, and mailed the key back to corporate. They blew up her phone for 3 days offering her more money, store management, a better schedule, etc. She told them straight up she isn't an afterthought.

#10 I used to believe that if you scratch their back, they scratch yours

Source: badassmamojamma,pexels

We asked for a price hike for years, and we went above and beyond for the flooring outfit we subcontract from. "There's just not enough in the overhead" was the track stuck on repeat. Still. Above and beyond. Scratch their back. They WILL scratch ours.
Then I found out that the owner of the company goes golfing 4 times a week, minimum.
Now I do what I HAVE to. Not what I CAN do.

#11 What’s sad is that a $1 an hour raise is only about $100 a month after taxes

Source: EpicBlueDrop,unsplash

So many places losing people because they won’t pay 1, 2, or 3 hundred dollars more a month to keep them. Like the company won’t make that up in the next 20 minutes. My wife used to work for a vet clinic where she handled the finances for them and they only paid her $14 an hour.
They make $20k a DAY and refused her a raise of $100 a month. She no longer works there. She gave them her life. She came in 6 days a week, 8 hours a day for 3 days of the week and 12 hours a day the rest and they lost her over $100 a month.

#12 It’s a lot like being in IT lol

Source: Inevitable-Lettuce99,pexels

Learn everything, do work above your position, no raises, no promotions. The best option is always to leave and go elsewhere take your new skills and get a better job.

#13 I was working in a nursing home in which the boss's daughter and the daughter's best friend both got hired for $6 more per hour than even their most experienced and senior staff

Source: ZAPANIMA,pexels

When I found out I asked for a raise, got told if I want to make $X then I need to go work the other side of the building and sign up for overtime. (Another side of the building is about twice as much work and has grueling back-breaking lifting with mandatory stay-over if the next shift calls out.)
I ended up quitting, I'd like to think I was one of their better workers, so hopefully they regret losing me. I did get a call from the administrator on behalf of the CEO that they were going to look into the situation and see if they can get me back, but that was 4 days ago, so who knows if they'll come back with a counter offer or not.

#14 I’m going through the same thing! I’ve worked at this small business for almost 5-6 months and I like it for the most part

Source: Listen2theshort1,pexels

Pay is pretty poor ($14/hr in Las Vegas) but not the worst. This week my boss put a job posting on Indeed offering $15/hr. I’m confronting him about it today and if I’m denied a raise then I’m walking.

#15 Stuff like that happens at a smaller scale almost routinely

Source: clkou,unsplash

People fresh out of high school or college will start a job and have a lot of pep in their step giving a lot of effort and eventually, something will happen where they don't feel appreciated, and then they figure "why to give extra effort or care when everyone else doesn't"

#16 Worked for a bakery owned by crazy neurotic Christians

Source: Delicious_Orphan,unsplash

Found out that they were giving 'incentives' to poor-performing employees at the end of each week for hitting certain thresholds that I was already hitting. The incentive was $20. We worked the same hours. They were literally getting paid more to be worse at their job than me. Absolutely stupid. Capitalism is stupid. I hate it here.

#17 A “mom n pop” coffee shop tried to do something similar to me

Source: Captainx23,pexels

Went in for my first day of training, and knocked it out of the park! On my second day, the guy who was training me ghosted and did not show up. I had to call the owners at 4 am because I could not get into the store. We worked our butts off getting everything ready for the morning. I thought I did amazing.
When the wife gave me an official offer letter I asked if I would be getting additional compensation for working an undesirable shift. They ghosted me completely and I had to chase them for my check for training. They kept saying they sent it via direct deposit and I explained to them how that is literally impossible because in my new hire paperwork I selected “paid by check” and did not enter any bank details.
Finally was able to get the check that I had to go get from the store. I told the employees there what happened and they were like, yeah, not surprised, this place is terrible.

#18 Reminds me of the time I was doing work-study tutoring at my college

Source: Blue_cheese22,pexels

I found out that my coworkers were making almost double me hourly. Asked for a raise was denied and never went back lol.

#19 On my first job, they announced the employee of the year

Source: No-Currency2270, StuderEducation

They said he is a hardworking guy, who works for free (yes, 0 salaries) - they gave him this "opportunity" to get experience in the field of IT.

#20 Getting underpaid is so incredibly common

Source: Hibercrastinator

I just had a company try to poach me, offering half of what I know they paid previous employees pre-pandemic. 60% of what their competition is offering.
They must have forgotten that I’m 10+ years in this industry with my own clients and not only know many of their clients as well, but also previous employees, and their competition. How they could forget when they tried to poach me because of those facts, escapes me. F*cking depressing though. Deflated the entire conversation.