A Reddit user shared an unusual story about being offered a $22,000 raise in exchange for agreeing not to pursue a promotion. u/Spiritual_Day_1828 made a post on r/careerguidance on November 13, asking Reddit users for help with a major career decision.
"My company offered me a $22k raise to NOT get promoted. Would you take it?" the title of the post read. It had received 1,000 upvotes and 469 comments at the time of writing, with various users offering their opinions on the matter.
"I thought being specifically requested by a major client was a good thing until this week," the user wrote, revealing that they had been working as an account manager for more than four years. A client had taken a liking to the OP (original poster) and wanted to work exclusively with them. The OP wrote that the client was willing to part ways with the company if they were moved to another position.
The OP revealed that their boss offered a "$22k salary increase" if they agreed to remain in their current position for the next two years. "No management responsibilities, no change in title, just more money to keep this client happy," the user wrote.
This put the OP at a crossroads, as they had been working toward a senior management role and wondered whether accepting the offer would hurt their long-term career progression.
Many commenters encouraged the OP to take the $22,000 offer, while others suggested negotiating for a better deal while remaining in the same position.
"Two years is not going to screw up your long-term progression. This is so easy to talk through in a potential interview setting down the road. Is the 22k more than the promotion or the same as?" one user asked, trying to understand how lucrative the offer really was. The commenter suggested that avoiding additional responsibilities while earning more money might actually be a better option.
"Sometimes being a manager isn’t all it’s cracked up to be," the user wrote. "If I could make the same as an individual contributor and not have to deal with managing people, I’d do that in a heartbeat, but ymmv."
Other commenters suggested that the company create a new position specifically for the OP. This could allow the employee's career to progress on paper while ensuring they received the raise. "Ask for them to make you a new position like Key Accounts Manager or something and to make sure your salary band is aligned to other managers," one person wrote. "Justify it to them that while titles may be ceremonial, they also influence a lot more than pay grade
"Milk the hell out of this. Dont just take the lowball offer. This is literally worth probably 50x what he's paying you each year and, realistically, does affect your future," one user wrote. Another commenter suggested reaching out to the client to ask whether they had a senior management role available.
At the time of writing, it was unclear what decision the OP had made, as they had not replied to any comments. Meanwhile, users continued to offer suggestions as the post gained traction.
The Daily Dot was unable to independently verify the claims made by the Reddit user u/Spiritual_Day_1828, which are based solely on the account shared in the Reddit post.
