‘That’s some top-tier delusional thinking’: Worker puts in 2-weeks’ notice after finding better-paying job. Employer’s counteroffer shocks him (updated)
A user's clip on TikTok has gone viral after a woman discussed an offer her husband’s ex-employer gave him in an attempt to keep him on staff. The offer, the TikToker says, shows “how delusional employers in America are right now.”
In a video with over 1.2 million views as of Friday, TikTok user Jess (@jesstheprequeldoesmiami) says that her husband recently received an attractive job offer.
“My husband put in his two weeks' notice because he got a new job,” Jess says. “His new job is paying him 25% more. They're buying him his own tools, and they are putting him in an apprenticeship. So, he put in his two weeks' notice at his old job and told them all of this.”
“They tried to get him to stay, not by offering him more money, tools, an apprenticeship, anything. They tried to get him to stay by telling them they could give him more hours at the same pay,” Jess continues. “They thought they were countering by saying, ‘We'll just work you more!'—then [were] surprised he declined that.”
@jesstheprequeldoesmiami That they even thought it would work ???? #tradesman #dieselmechanic #bluecollar #bluecollarboys #apprenticeship ♬ original sound - Miami Cougar
“That's some top-tier delusional thinking,” Jess summarizes. “Imagine thinking that working someone even more is going to be what gets them to stick around and be like, ‘Oh, that's all I was looking for this whole time, was to be even more overworked and underpaid! Thank you for answering my prayers. I don't know why I didn't think to ask that in the first place!’”
The quitting story laid out by Jess isn’t the first to spark this sort of discussion on the platform. In May, a user claimed that her previous employer “begged” her to stay after putting in her two weeks’ notice — but did not offer any additional compensation. Others have documented how their employers’ behavior changed after receiving a two-week notice, ranging from anger and belittlement to outright rejecting their notice entirely.
On Jess’ video, users offered different ways that “delusional” employers may respond to someone saying they are leaving the company.
“I'm shocked they didn't try to bribe him with a pizza party,” a user wrote.
“They should have led with ‘we a family here,’” said another.
Others shared their own, similar experiences.
“My last boss paid me $22/hr and tried to convince me i was making ‘top dollar,’” recounted a user. “Thats not even a living wage for a single person in Canada.”
“That happened to my husband. They tried to offer him overtime,” detailed a second. “He wants to make more money by working the same hours.”
“When I was quitting my retail job, the store leader tried to convince me to stay… against a job that paid literally twice as much,” stated a further TikToker.
The Daily Dot reached out to Jess via email.
Update 8:17am CT, Nov. 4, 2023:
In an email to the Daily Dot, Jess’ husband offered some similar examples of “employer delusion” he’s seen in his industry.
“On one other occasion, I was doing some work for a different site of the company, and by the end of that workday one of the senior office staff that was micromanaging the whole project said he could get me a ‘significant raise’ and more hours if I came and worked at that location full time,” he wrote. “...He never once mentioned it again despite me working with that crew several more times.”
“Recently, our location got yearly raises and most of us got .98 cents, minus a handful of people who work equally hard if not harder than others,” he continued. “One of our technicians who was promised pay reflective of his current title did not get it at all. He walked out of the job while my site manager went to his boss to make him give him several more dollars an hour, only to be told no because they knew he’d have to come back anyways since he could not afford to [quit].”
Jess then shared her own thoughts on how employees can respond to the current market and said she believes the older generations are the main problem.
“I say this as a member of Gen X," she stated. "They have to realize that younger generations don’t tolerate the same behavior from employers that previous generations did. They will assert themselves and fight for their rights."
She cited strikes across industries, rising demand to cap ages, and generational divides.
"The clash is getting bigger every day and I think we’re going to see a revolution that changes the labor market," she said.
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