After working at a marketing firm in Singapore for a year, an employee decided to ask for a raise.
Having received good feedback from prior performance reviews, he thought it was fair to request a higher wage.
However, instead of getting what he wanted, the company allegedly handed him a resignation letter and told him to find opportunities elsewhere.
The employee, now in a better job, wants to encourage others who may have experienced something similar.
He now believes that everything happens for a reason and that a person’s job does not define them.
32-year-old Jared (not his real name) told MS News that this happened a few years ago.
At that point, he was working for a marketing firm with a niche in influencer marketing.
He joined the company as he was laid off from his previous overseas job during the pandemic.
Thinking he would be in Singapore for a long time, he accepted a job in the marketing firm.
Jared spent a year at the marketing firm, during which he did well in his performance reviews.
Source: Unsplash, for illustration purposes only
As such, he felt that it was fair for him to request a raise of S$500 a month.
After consulting his more experienced friends, Jared prepared a list of his contributions to the company.
He then set up a meeting with the CEO to talk about potentially getting a raise.
Before the meeting, the CEO apparently asked the 32-year-old what his goals with the company were.
He told the CEO that he wanted to learn more as he was feeling a little stagnant at that point.
In addition, he wished to take on a regional role eventually, with the knowledge that the company had plans to expand.
Jared took these questions as an indication that he was going to get what he wanted. But little did he know that things were about to take a turn for the worse.
On the day of the meeting, two things happened that were red flags to Jared.
Firstly, his CEO moved the meeting to the end of the day. Next, human resources suddenly became involved in the meeting as well.
Although Jared was confused, he wanted to remain positive. When he sat down, his boss started to thank him for all that he had done for the company.
“I was thinking, ‘Why does this feel like a goodbye?'” he recounted.
The CEO then finally said, “We can’t give you what you want, and I think you need to be elsewhere to grow.”
Still in disbelief, Jared recalled, “She proceeds to hand me the resignation letter and I was like: Hold up, what?”
Source: New Horizons Message, for illustration purposes only
Seeing the situation, Jared requested to extend his tenure until he found himself a new job.
However, the CEO allegedly refused, saying that he would not be productive anyway.
She also told Jared that he “was still young” and that it would be good for him to work in a larger company so he could gain more experience.
Despite the less-than-ideal situation, Jared figured that it was in his best interest to leave gracefully and accept that he could be in a better place.
“I was almost in tears, but I smiled, thanked her for the past year and agreed to sign the resignation letter.”
Source: Unsplash, for illustration purposes only
However, Jared did end up getting emotional when he left the office that day.
Subsequently, he told his co-workers that he was leaving on his own accord as he did not want to “open a new can of worms”.
Thankfully, he managed to secure a better job at a larger corporation while he was on holiday after this incident.
He has now been with the company for about one-and-a-half years.
“The job was something I’ve never done before and right now, I’m constantly learning something new [every day] while feeling like I am remunerated fairly for my work.”
Looking back, Jared now believes that everything happened for a reason.
Even though it was an unfortunate incident, he learned that “when one door shuts, another one opens”.
One takeaway Jared pointed out is that people should be in a job that sees, nurtures, and remunerates them fairly.
He noted how there are people putting in extra work but are only receiving a meagre pay, and there are also those who get good salaries but are in the same position for years.
For anyone who finds themselves in a similar situation, Jared urges them to swallow their pride.
“Leave on a positive, graceful note. There’s really no point acting out and burning bridges.”
Also Read: S’pore Man Resigns From Job After Company Allegedly Pays Him S$30 To Take Corporate Photos
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Featured image adapted from New Horizons Message, for illustration purposes only.
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