A woman says she brought up how she was struggling with money with her boss in order to “spark a conversation about having a raise.” Her boss’ response was surprising.
Since 1979, wages for low- and middle-wage earners have been largely stagnant. At the same time, productivity has skyrocketed, meaning that workers are seeing a heightened disconnect between how much they produce and how much money they make.
To resolve this, many workers are finding outside-the-box solutions to put more cash in their pocket, such as job-hopping. However, others are trying methods like simply asking for a raise—often with mixed results.
One worker claimed that, after he asked for a raise, his boss catered Chick-fil-A instead. Another alleged she was fired after asking for a raise, while a further worker stated she was denied a raise, but her company hired a new employee.
Now, a video from TikTok user Maryanna (@mkchewning) has inspired conversation on this topic.
“A couple weeks ago, I was telling my boss that I was struggling with money because I don’t really make a lot, and she told me that she paid for all of her kids’ private school; she’s paying for all three of her kids to go to college,” Maryanna explains in a clip that’s been viewed 39,000 times. “Her husband is, like, a lawyer and they live in, like, a million dollar home, and she was telling me how if she didn’t have to pay for all of that she would be, like, rolling in the dough right now.”
“I know she meant that in the best of ways, meaning that, like—yeah, everybody’s struggling right now, but she’s paying for her children’s college and private school out of pocket when I am $30,000 in debt from college, and my parents have an extra $30,000 in college loans because I couldn’t take out more than $30,000 to pay for everything,” the TikToker continues. “And so it’s just not the same.”
While Maryanna says she understands that her boss was trying to relate to her and offer sympathy, she says that their situations are difficult to compare.
“I’m struggling to afford groceries, and you are paying for your kids’ school out of pocket,” she states. “That’s a little different.”
@mkchewning I know she was trying to relate but its not the same #costofliving #inflation #jobsearchtips #relatable #everythingisexpensive #jobs #money #moneysavingtips #doingmybest #fyp #fypシ #foryou #foryoupage #viral ♬ original sound – maryanna
In the comments section, users shared their own out-of-touch boss stories.
“I told my boss that I was struggling with money & she suggested I give up custody of my daughter to work more hours,” said a user.
“My old boss used to go on two lavish vacations a year and get a brand new car while 80% of his employees needed food stamps,” offered another.
“I told mine the same. She said ‘I know what you mean, moneys tight because I just spent 50k on each of my kids weddings this past year,’” revealed a third. “ma’am I had 10 grapes as dinner to ration.”
“When begging for a raise because no one could pay their bills, my last boss had the audacity to tell me that he was in the same boat as us when he made management salary & his wife made $5000/week,” detailed an additional TikToker.
The Daily Dot reached out to Maryanna via email.
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Source: https://www.dailydot.com/news/struggling-with-money-boss-response/