Boss Dragged for Not Giving Raises, Claiming 'Inflation Isn't Happening'

Commenters were left dumbfounded after one employee explained why their boss refused their request for a pay raise in a popular internet forum.

In a Reddit post published on r/antiwork, Redditor u/RocketLambo said they compiled data to justify their request, but were ignored and told that current inflation rates did not affect them. Titled, "I asked my boss for a raise. She shamed me for it, so I left for a better job," the post has received more than 8,000 votes and 99 percent upvotes.

Writing that they have been trying to buy a house since before the beginning of the pandemic, u/RocketLambo said they thought the data collected would help sway their boss, but were disappointed when she disregarded the information.

"I approached her and she immediately invalidated my data, saying that inflation isn't happening where we are," the Redditor wrote. "She told me that she can't be held hostage to my demands."

u/RocketLambo said their boss continued ranting about their raise request, and told them that discussing their salary is prohibited at the workplace.

"She said that...my job has it good and I shouldn't take it for granted," they wrote. "She told me that it's against company policy to discuss my salary with anyone in the company," they wrote.

"On top of all of this she called me a millennial who just wants money," they added.

Since the onset of COVID-19 in March, 2020, inflation rates in the United States have risen substantially, and in the last couple of months, have reached historical heights.

From January, 2021 to January, 2022, the U.S. consumer price index (CPI) for all items rose 7.5 percent, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

7.5 percent, the largest 12-month increase in CPI since 1982, includes both food and energy costs. However, the all items less food and energy index rose 6 percent in the last year — also the largest 12-month increase since 1982.

With energy costs rising by 27 percent and food costs rising by 7 percent, American families have also dealt with rising costs in nearly every area, including housing.

Despite a spike in homebuying during the first months of the pandemic, 2021 saw massive increases in home costs, and fewer homes for sale across the country.

Between 2017 and 2019, the average cost of a home in the United States remained close to $385,000, per Statista. In 2020, it rose to $391,900.

A year later, the average cost of a home in the United States jumped to $453,700.

Although u/RocketLambo provided data to justify asking for a pay raise, the Redditor said that their boss's dismissive-then-aggressive reaction to their request left them furious, and prompted them to seek employment elsewhere.

"The meeting left me fuming," they wrote. "That same day I applied to new jobs and within 2 months started a new career with better outlook, skill sets, and an 18 [percent] raise."

Simultaneously taking aim at the original poster's boss, commenters responding to the Reddit post applauded u/RocketLambo for removing themselves from a toxic workplace environment.

In the post's top comment, which has received more than 3,000 votes, Redditor u/RogerRockwell questioned the boss's comments on inflation.

"'Inflation isn't happening where we are,'" they commented. "How stupid does she think you are?"

Responding to the boss's comment that u/RocketLambo is a "millennial" who "just wants money," Redditor u/Ms_Plap said that most employees are motivated by money, and congratulated the original poster for finding a new employer.

"It's a job, not a hobby! And congrats for living in the only place on the planet unaffected by inflation," they commented, sarcastically.

"For real though, congrats on standing up for yourself and getting a job that pays what you're worth," they added.

In another tongue-in-cheek comment, Redditor u/ShinyAppleScoop wrote that older generations often criticize their successors for pushing for better wages, despite rapidly rising living costs.

"Of course you're a millennial who just wants money," they commented. "It's like they think millennials are children with lemonade stands instead of adults who want to be paid what they're worth."