🎙️ Voice is AI-generated. Inconsistencies may occur.
A video has gone viral after a man recorded a very honest conversation he had with his boss regarding compensation.
In the video posted this week, @krisdrinkslemonade, with the help of a voice-actor friend, shows the world how he chose to answer the question of why his performance had changed between 2020 and 2021.
"It doesn't feel like you've been nearly as present or focused since then," the voice representing his boss' perspective says.
@krisdrinkslemonade, whose first name is Kris, begins to explain that his effort has changed to reflect his amount of compensation. The video has now been viewed over 10 million times.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau the median household income in 2020 was $67,521, which was down 2.9 percent from the previous year. The dip was the "first statistically significant decline in median household income since 2011," according to the bureau.
Additionally, the data showed that the total number of those who worked full-time, year-round declined by 13.7 million between 2019 and 2020.
Kris told Newsweek in an email that he has worked for the same financial services company for six years under the same manager. A few months ago, he said, they found out that about 70 percent of their positions were being outsourced to cut costs.
In the video, Kris explains that 2020 was the second year in a row where he did not receive a raise despite the fact that he was the top employee.
"When I asked why I couldn't get a raise, you said it was because my position, no, my pay was a 'fair market value' for my position," Kris explains.
"When I asked how my pay falls on the pay grade scale you said it was below the median, so below the average of what I could make in my position."
"So at that point I just decided that I am going to become a 'fair market value' employee and put in a below-average amount of effort because that's what I feel like you pay me to do. You've created an environment where there is no incentive for me to work hard, so I don't."
People applauded the man's honesty in the video which has received over 21,000 comments.
"Funny how employers always have an excuse for below [average] wages, but accept no excuses for below [average] work," one person wrote.
"[W]e love people knowing their worth...amazing," said another.
Kris told Newsweek that while he was nervous to post it, he knew it would be relatable to others.
"I just didn't realize how relatable it would be," he said. "I've always believed in talking about pay and raises with colleagues to ensure pay equality. That knowledge is why I was fired up and had to speak my mind."
In a follow up video, Kris explains that the video is footage in which he had a friend re-create what his boss said to him to prompt the viral response.
"I've had played out that conversation in my head so many times prior to the real thing," he told Newsweek.
In the video, he explains that he "loves" his boss and knows that she has no say in what his pay is.
He says that after he said his piece, there was a long silence that was then "met with a drawn out sigh."
"Then my boss went through the five stages of grief, landed on acceptance and finally said, 'Can you please just do your job for the rest of the time that we're here'," he said.
He explains that both he and his boss were laid off and will be leaving in a matter of weeks.
"I just don't have anything to lose so I'm going to say what I want."
Kris told Newsweek he had no idea the reach his video would have but that "so much positivity and encouragement" has come from it.
"Recruiters and businesses have reached out to help with job placement," he said. "People sending messages sharing their story or saying how good it is to see someone say what they only wish they could. A few people have even said I inspired them to quit their toxic jobs. I'm most proud of that."
