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.
Update: In an email to the Daily Dot, Maryanna says this isn’t the first time something like this has happened.
“I have had this happen before and it was at my last job,” she wrote. “I was having the same struggles, told my boss about it and she told me that she was having trouble with money as well. She was making double what I made, had a husband that made her same salary, had a discount on rent, and barely came to work because she was the boss and could do as she pleased. (She did eventually get fired because the corporate office finally caught on to her shenanigans.)”
“I reacted the same way in that I didn’t know what to say because I was living with my parents, had student loan debt, credit card debt, and still had to pay other bills,” she continued. “I was so stunned that she was saying she was struggling with money when I knew that she made so much more than I was. I understand that people can make a lot of money and still be living paycheck to paycheck because of lifestyle creep but comparing my inability to buy groceries and her struggle to buy the newest/latest gadget or clothes was not the same.”
The comments under her video, she says, were disheartening.
“It makes me so sad that we are all out here struggling with just surviving, not even living,” she detailed. “I have seen other TikToks about people in other countries who work to live and not live to work. There are many people in the older generations who don’t understand what it is like to start out in the world right now. The older generations are very out of touch because they don’t realize how much life costs and how little we are paid. It is also crazy to me that so many people are in the same boat that I am in but it doesn’t seem like anything is being done about it. The people at the top don’t care because they just care about themselves and making more money for themselves. They do not care about the people at the bottom who are doing the grunt work to make them the money.”
To conclude, she says she has no updates about her current work situation, but notes that she is seeking other employment.
“I have been applying for new jobs since January and have applied for 200+. I have been through a few rounds of interviews but have yet to find a new job,” she stated. “I asked for an update on when I would get a raise back in December since my job duties have changed drastically since I started, and the company has stated that they don’t even review pay until budget reviews in the summer. For now, I am still applying to jobs, have hope and faith my situation will change, and staying positive.”
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