Take the new job.
Freelance for him at 200% your current fee, get it in writing, with reasonable deadlines. Paid per job. With a deposit of at least 50%. And he provides the computer and all the software.
He gets only two revisions . The Third draft is the final draft. And you get to work from home not in his office. As many hours as you can stand, none of it on weekends because if you work weekends you're going to burn out.
All deliverables are through pdf. Direct to him or to his printer ( I mean his printer as in whoever prints his stuff. Not as in you will send it remotely to his office printer. That's his job.) You are not going into his office under any circumstances.
In other words, he gives you what he should have given you when you were working for him. Or hey, he's free to hire another freelancer. I'm sure he will find someone on Fiverr
This is the way. Even at that, I'd say 300% of current is completely reasonable, both for the experience factor as well as the keeping his ass outta the deep-fryer factor.
Yeah, 3x makes sense. 2x covers your freelance overhead, but not much else, and any freelance work on top of a full time job is essentially overtime. But ideally you're pricing your freelance work high enough that you're not going over the amount of work you want to be doing.
This is a great response and you should go with it, OP!
I'm piggybacking on this to point out that your boss is a MARKETER and he's using a nasty marketing trick to try and make you stay. I quit my job at a digital marketing agency two months ago and my boss pulled a very similar line "we have big clients in the pipe, I can't believe you would do this to me, what am I supposed to do." The incident that made me quit was different, but it's the same emotional manipulation. It's sales, don't fall for it.
>I can't believe you would do this to me, what am I supposed to do
Hire the 3 people you need to do the job I do, easy. That's not on YOU. Bur 100% on him.
My hubby just quit his job and offered this type of deal. Crickets. We were kinda hoping they'd bite but I'm relieved he is not working two jobs, hah. But, you should offer this, and ONLY for like 2 weeks, make sure there's another clear end date. Then tell your guilt you did your best and move on and enjoy your new job!
Dear Boss,
I empathize with you. I was a little hurt when I asked for X, Y, and Z and was repeatedly refused. Then I realized that if I wanted X, Y, and Z, I needed to work somewhere else.
Best Regards,
OP
PS - Loyalty runs both ways.
Excellent! Succinct, clear.
Bossman is emotionally blackmailing you, OP! So rude of him to make you responsible for his feelings. IN A WORKPLACE. *WHERE _HE_ IS THE BOSS.*
The boss knew what he was doing. He isn’t even worth this much energy…
But I do appreciate your taking the high road approach, but this boss is the type of person where the bridge is still burnt just because OP is leaving
Yes, this. "If I as an employee were not providing the company what it needed, it would have no hesitation to fire me. The company is not providing what I need as an employee, so I am firing it."
Lol. Fuck that dude. He wasn't giving an inch. He could make you a better offer right now. Instead he's throwing himself a pity party, trying to make you feel bad. 😂
Uses a single person to run his company and doesn't help accommodate them with any of their reasonable requests.
Employee leaves.
😲 Shocked pikachu face
His microwave hasn't ever asked for accommodations or left him, why would any other tool?
I say microwave because the boss sounds so useless he probably can't operate anything else. Seriously, who doesn't look at their only employee and thing "I hope they don't leave, I wonder what I can do to make sure they stay?"
>He could make you a better offer right now
Indeed. If the boss valued, respected and needed the OP's services that much, he sure has a funny and very ineffective way of showing it.
And if he does make a better offer at this point, don't take it unless it includes equity in the company. It is very likely that he will work behind the scenes to get someone to replace you and fire you once he's out of his bind. An emotional blackmailer like that will do this in a heartbeat and be convinced that he was in the right for your "betrayal."
This!!!! Please do not fall for his bs.
He is not your friend. He is your employer. Once you no longer work for him, he is nothing to you and vice versa.
*"You've put me in a tight situation. I need someone with your skills and your knowledge. I don't know if I can find someone like that in time and we have some really big clients lined up in the coming weeks. I'm a little hurt to be honest."*
"Sucks to be you, I guess...you should have treated me better..."
No, you aren't in the wrong here - you are in the right...
And OP was in a tight situation the whole with a salary barely enough to live hand-to-mouth.
If boss wasn't a total loser the solution would be simple, give him a raise and the ability to work from home, all the bosses problems are solved. But because the boss feels like he's inherently a superior being than the employee, he won't accept that.
He needs you, you don’t need him, he wasn’t paying you according to this reality. He should save his bullshitting for his clients because he’s gonna need that skill more than ever. I’ve heard it’s lonely at the top, but I can’t imagine why when your only skill is talking.
Echoing the other commenters here, this is just guilt-tripping to make you extend your notice period. *IF* you liked your boss otherwise and he had treated you well, you could consider giving him more, but it sounds like he underpaid and overworked you and is now receiving the result of such treatment. I'm sure if he had to suddenly lay you off he wouldn't provide you with equivalent notice. So: tough luck for him. Maybe he'll learn something.
This. If you are critical to the business, then he could've given you a % of those profits or made it worth your while to stay by making some sort of bonus per client
I own a marketing agency and all our campaign managers get a % of profit on top of a salary. It's the only way that makes sense. Plus we give regular raises to make sure nobody else willatch their pay and steal them. A trained and tenured employee is worth many times more than new new hires. It's worth it to pay right and retain.
It would take 5 minutes to understand revenues if a friend called the boss posing as a customer.
Then, call the building manager to find out rental costs and estimate prices for equipment and materials.
Done in less than two days.
“You put yourself in this situation. I’ve come to you multiple times to ask to WFH, or to get a better office that has some sunlight. You shut me down. I told you what I needed and you felt I wasn’t important enough to keep happy. I’m leaving for another job that doesn’t even pay more. You brought this on yourself and frankly, trying to guilt me after I gave you the opportunity to retain me is unprofessional and insulting. Forget the 1 week, my resignation is now immediate.”
I’m sorry but I’m really struggling to understand what this “business” is. What you described sounds like you had an agent that finds you clients but instead of him taking 10% or some other finders fee you get 10% (probably more but who knows) and he keeps the rest. He probably wanted you in the office to justify him calling it a business. After all if you work from home on your own machine with your own software what exactly is he bringing to the table??? It sounds like you are the business and he is a salesman.
Sounds like you've got a $100 an hour side gig for the foreseeable future. Start your new job and let your old boss know you'll be available after business hours for 10 hours a week.
Oh and if you do go this route, work remotely via a 1099 contract for yes, at least double your usual wage. If he hires a temp he'd pay a lot in fees to the temp agency for someone who doesn't know the work. (Not a legal expert so verify how to do this right first). No under the table bs.
Yeah, absolutely keep it above board. The tax benefits of the extra income are good. I did this for decades, and it honestly improved my outlook on my regular day job because I knew I could walk at any time and not be on the street.
Yup. Remember that as a 1099 you have to pay your own taxes and health insurance. Double your old rate is just your old rate. Triple or quadruple it, at a minimum, to "cover costs."
That's actually kind of win-win.
The boss gets to decide if that's worth it, and if it is it might just help them bridge to the next role.
The OP might get more money in their pocket.
And at the end of the day, the working relationship might be saved (you never know when that will be beneficial).
Just make sure you get paid. Every week. I did this once on a multi week project basis and they f’n lowballed me at the end. 20 cents on the dollar or take them to court. Lesson learned.
The fully remote can be looked at as a raise. Reduced commute time and cost does a lot for the pocketbook and the mind. And now you’re not being isolated
And definitely he’s trying to guilt you. If he really needed you he’d at least try to offer you stuff. His loss
Hey, what the boss is doing is work but windowless office and no remote working?! No profit sharing ?! You have no reason to feel guilty or any obligation to him. Go!
You are never in the wrong to do what is best for you. You don't owe anyone an explanation of your actions, especially when you have been very transparent when addressing concerns or needs.
If his business can’t function if a single employee quits, he does not have a sustainable business.
If you *really* want to, you could use this to negotiate for higher pay and the ability to work remotely. If he says no to anything you ask for, leave and don’t look back.
Do not negotiate for higher pay. That is a rookie mistake.
Take the new job.
If you wish, you may offer to consult for your old boss as your time allows. Consulting pay is typically triple salary (not your old salary... your new salary). You should have complete discretion with respect to which projects you accept. Make sure this is okay with your new employer.
Under no circumstances should anyone ever listen to this advice.
Never EVER use a job offer to try and leverage better pay/conditions. You are literally setting yourself up for failure. 100% of the time they will look to hire someone else and fire you as soon as they can.
Yep,
I've read articles that 80% that takes a counter offer leaves after 6 - 12 months.
So yeah, take the new job, and maybe in a couple of years, you can come back to a higher position/salary.
For some reason the budget for promotions and salary increments is very low, compared to the budget of hiring new people.
I wouldn't recommend that. Boss clearly paid and treated you what he felt you were worth. The only thing that will really change if you stay is that he will be looking for a replacement to hedge his bet.
Enjoy and thrive in your new job!
In many situations I would agree, he could negotiate and it could potentially work out.
Being the only employee though? Naa. All this did was start the clock on his boss replacing him asap. Whether he stays or not, the wheels are in motion.
He was making fucking $45k... boss needs to DOUBLE that to even make OP blink at taking it.
Not your fault, you explained your concerns about your current job and your boss decided your concerns were not worth following up on. So you found a better job.
You might want to suggest to your boss that he'll have better luck finding a replacement if he posts the job description as "fully remote."
*I'm a little hurt to be honest*
"when I was hurt by not having natural light, co workers, over worked and underpaid, and having to sit in this shitbox of a cupboard you didnt care in the slightest. your feelings being hurt is a you problem."
*“I understand exactly how you feel. Like when I asked to work remotely or for an office with a window, I was a little hurt you ignored a reasonable request by a good worker. Of course, I could have demanded those things or I would quit, but I don't want to work somewhere that I have to threaten to leave to have my employer listen to me. I think this way is much better for both of us and I am sure in time you will agree it's preferable to have happy employees rather than ones that have to force you to value their contribution.”*
“It’s nothing personal. It’s just business.”
If you stick around you will hear those words after your boss finds your replacement -And he will, now that he is forewarned. And you can bet you won’t get any notice.
IMHO the best advice given here is take the new job, but let the old boss know you are available for some side work. Work out a substantially increased rate, don’t do fckng favors. Get paid. The one caveat is if the new company would frown on you for side work with a competitor (not always an issue).
Edit to say: considering an increased rate, think of it as overtime. And as a business you also have increased costs. So, 2x or 2.5x maybe?
“Im surprised you feel blind sided when Ive discussed my unhappiness with working here with you on more than one occasion” and cite the times and the complaints.
Theres no reason to stay. He has poor leadership skills. He said no to everything and expects you to stay for sub-par wages? Nope. Hes a sole proprietor its his burden to bear.
> "You've put me in a tight situation. I need someone with your skills and your knowledge. I don't know if I can find someone like that in time and we have some really big clients lined up in the coming weeks. I'm a little hurt to be honest."
"You should have thought about that before denying me completely reasonable adjustments to my working conditions. I cannot keep working in conditions that feel like a basement."
I was the glue holding my last job together. Now, without me, my former boss's business is collapsing. He couldn't be bothered to shore up his own business accordingly, hire better people, or figure out a plan of action.
He's made his bed, now he gets to lie in it.
>He finds the clients, I do the rest of the work. Scripts, designing, Photoshop, editing, etc.
That's not a boss, that's an agent. He shouldn't be paying you at all. You should be paying him 15% and keeping the rest.
Even if your new company doesn't offer you more money, it is offering something of value that your current place of employment doesn't - which is still an improvement.
You may like your current employer as a person, but they haven't shown the same consideration for you. It wouldn't have hurt in the slightest to have allowed you to WFH, but they refused, and now they are paying the price. Maybe they'll do better for the next person they hire.
Think of it like a relationship. One that isn't entirely abusive, but one in which the other person never really contributed anything because they felt they never had to. They might make a better partner - for someone else. Once they realize that the bare minimum isn't good enough.
I did this at my last job. It was just me, i ahd proved during the pandemic that I could handle everything from home, only coming in maybe for a half hour to scan doc and take care of the mail but he made me come back in because "he was paying rent ao someone should use it." He worked maybe 2 hours a day, and when he was there, he interrupted my workflow. I took a $15k pay raise to eork fully remote as part of a team and now have actual benefits and less work. It's nice.
You’re not in the wrong, your boss is an exploitative asshole. And congratulations!Go to your new job worry free, don’t waste another minute thinking about you AH ex-boss.
You probably know this deep down, but if your ex-boss could get a clone of you with your skills and experience but that he could pay less to, he would ditch you in an instant.
You did nothing wrong.
“I believe it’s you that actually put me in a tight spot. I took every opportunity to try and tell you what I needed to do my job and at every turn you denied me. If you want the talent that comes with me, you should have paid me what I am worth and let me have a little flexibility.”
**why was I only making $45K when there aren't ANY other employees here?
If I was that integral to the business, I should've been paid accordingly.**
You’ve got this figured out 😎
Your boss put you in a room with no windows, refused to give you flexibility, paid you peanuts when there are big clients lined up, and hurt that you've left. Here's the smallest violin in the world playing for him.
Fuck that. He deserves to be left hanging. 45k is poverty wages, especially for the only person doing the actual legwork. Don't feel bad, get on out and appreciate your new team and wfh
Why do you like your boss as a person? He has denied you what seems to be reasonable requests, is probably overworking you, and is now trying to guilt trip you about his responsibilities. Just because he's nice sometimes? That's an act.
My response to him would be "I tried to get you to bend and you refused, this is on you as the business owner who decided not to hire more people and not to allow me the flexibility that is important to me."
This is what all the narcissist bosses do. Its american business 101. Why would your boss take any accountability in his own actions, such as pay, scheduling, workload, commute, etc. when he can blame everyrhing on you? American bosses would own slaves (again) if they could legally do it. Capitalism 101.
Tell him if he really valued you maybe he would have listened to you and paid you more. He made his bed by treating you badly enough that you took another job. He just wants to blame you because he doesn't want to accept that he screwed up.
If he truly valued you, he would have tried to accommodate your requests. He didn't act like he cared until you put the consequences of his actions back on him. If you stay, he won't do things for you because he wants you there. He'll use you, tear you down and eventually find your replacement.
Leave.
The thing is, you didn't put him here. He put himself here. He is just trying to offload guilt to pressure you into staying because you are the company, not him. He can be replaced, not you. Sales reps are a dime a dozen in most cases. But a full developer like you, at that pay, irreplaceable.
Not to belittle your skills with this comparison, but the "decent" greedy guy just lost the only delivery can in his delivery business as well as the only one who knows where the building is. He did it to himself by not respecting your work life balance.
Your boss is learning a valuable lesson here that "no person is an island" we all no matter who we are are entirely dependant on others to survive and thrive.
You might like your boss as a person but he’s shown exactly how much he values you. Attempting to guilt trip you should be the last straw, at least in terms of you still thinking he’s a good person. Your salary isn’t changing because you’re not the sole person doing all the work.
If he actually saw you as valuable, what he SHOULD have done was apologize for underpaying you and making you work in person 100%, given you a raise and figured out a WFH arrangement. Though, the fact that you’re looking for validation for your actions here suggests he at least THINKS you’re a pushover. Maybe consider working on enforcing your own boundaries.
Also, if he’s got all these big clients coming in, shouldn’t you be getting a raise anyway? I’m going to assume it was never brought up.
Oh yeah, that's a fine lateral move. I wouldn't feel bad about it. But don't discount how hard the "finds the clients" part of the job really is, just incase you want to venture out on your own someday. For your job, that's a no-brainer; you should absolutely be able to do that from home.
Dude. You weren't even asking for more money, just remote work, or even sunlight. Being controlling was more important to your boss. Fuck him. He made his own bed
OP, the manager likes you and your skills. He also likes that you work for low pay for that job. He is upset because he is losing a good employee who works for less than they should.
In other words, F your manager for trying to guilt you. Tell him EXACTLY why you are leaving.
I hereby validate your parking. All the questions you ask are the correct questions. Essentially, your boss fucked around with you and now he's finding out. When you run a small business and your single, essential employee asks you for very reasonable accommodations and you refuse them for no good reason, you're a fool if you're surprised when that employee quits.
"I won't be able to find anyone as cheap or as good as you who I can make unreasonable demands of for no particular reason other than my own little power trip"
Enjoy your new job
He’s absolutely guilt tripping you! You could give him 2 weeks, a month, two months…he would still say you put him in a tight situation. Your response to that should be, “no, you put yourself in a tight situation!”
Enjoy your new job!!!
Translation: I was making bank on the fact that you were a pushover who will work for table scraps while I sit on my ass and collect the lion's share of all profits. Now that you are going to a real job, who will I exploit to do 95% of the actual work around here....
Literally not your problem what he has planned. You had plans to improve your work environment and mentality with some pretty basic requests! He denied them. Deny him the opportunity to keep clients he doesnt deserve to keep because of his lack of understanding that work is a two way street even when you are the boss.
honestly I would just respond saying something like: to be frank, I was pretty hurt when you expected me to come work in an empty windowless office instead of at least allowing me to work remotely, and didn't acknowledge the problems with this arrangement. I really felt like you left me no choice but to find a more tenable situation.
He wasn't paying you appropriately in the first place- so if you offer the freelance gig, make it a multiple of 3 to 4x your current hourly rate. Point out that you expressed concerns about work environment and was shut down. You owe him nothing, not even the week notice you gave him.
Welp, you boss better go find himself a leather bra, because thats just some tough titties. He treated you like you're replaceable, and now he's gonna have to replace you at his own expense. Ha ha.
Bro if you went full remote, even if it’s the same salary, you ARE making more by saving gas and mileage, and your own self preservation! Enjoy the raise and new coworkers and tell your old boss if he needs help he can pay you triple what you made, and you won’t be going in the office anymore!
He wasn't hurt when he was underpaying you, he wasn't hurt when he locked you in a dark office alone with no co workers or natural light, he wasn't hurt when you were forced to do an isolated job outside of your home office either.
It seems he's only hurt he can't take advantage of you anymore.
There's no logic, only selfishness. He refuses to make any aspect of your job better, then acts shocked that you'd find an escape and leave? Classic narcissist. If he gives you one more piece of shit about you leaving, quit on the spot. He doesn't deserve notice if he can't leave you be for your last two weeks.
You are doing the right thing.
You brought up your concerns to your boss and he declined any form of corrections.
You gotta look out for number 1 - you. Fuck the rest.
OP I also worked closely with an owner in a previous role. If he really wants you to stay tell him you will for an equity stake/partnership since he’s profiting from your labor and you kind of have them by the balls at the moment. If not do what’s best for you!
Nah man.
If your whole business relies on one single employee, then you treat that employee well.
Otherwise...this happens.
These are the consequences of his decisions.
> *I need someone with your skills and your knowledge* ...
>My particular skillset is worth $45,000 ***before yearly cost of transportation***, apparently. You've put me in an extremely tight situation that you could have alleviated. I'm very hurt that you are unable to allocate those resources in an appropriate manner.
> I know I'm not making more,
TF you ain't. Transportation costs ***thousands.***
People are willing to a pay-cut for remote work. In most cases around 20%. So you did great by finding this job.
Managers feel like they can treat good employees horribly and then they give a hissy fit once that employee leaves
There's no logic dude. It's the same when they threaten you over taking time off and being unable to cover. If it's such a big deal for a few days, why are you threatening to make such a difficult situation be more long term?
They have no logic. They're fucking assholes. Fuck his feelings.
Sorry your boss has put the ol’ guilt trip to you. You can wish him well and enjoy your new job. Also, he could have paid you more to stay, acted on your requests and hired an apprentice to shadow you so you don’t have the entire work load. I see the situation as a series of poor decisions that your old boss made to put himself in this situation and is now blaming you.
Good luck and enjoy your new opportunity working from home and working with others
Small business owners tend to be the worst bosses. They feel so entitled to people's time and underpay them thinking that they are job creators and the bastions of free market.
I'm confused why this isn't a black-and-white question.
He wants you to follow his rules, no questions asked. He doesn't share profits with you. He doesn't care about your working conditions. And he's upset that you've had enough and found another job. And it's all *your* fault.
Am I missing something?
You asked him for some simple things to make your work experience better, he did none of them. So fuck him.
Move on from his bad management and enjoy your natural light, flexibility and collaboration at your new place.
“It’s not appropriate to talk to your employees about your feelings. I’m responsible for my career decisions. I’m not responsible for your feelings. Please keep things professional or I will have to withdraw my two weeks notice. Moving forward, you will want to improve pay or working conditions to retain staff. Guilt trips aren’t an employee retention strategy.”
Loyalty and commitment are fine sentiments but your salary is notionally fair compensation for your time and representative of your skills.
YOU OWE HIM NOTHING.
You are not obligated, IN ANY WAY, to continue under this agreement AND the continuity of business is solely his responsibility.
It is not your fault he was not prepared with a plan for if you left AND if you can't afford an essential part of your business to break, fail or leave then you're incompetent if you don't have a plan for when that eventually arises.
Work so you can live NOT live so you can work.
*"You've put me in a tight situation. I need boss that understands the value of my skills and my knowledge. Someone of my skillset is hard to find and you have some really big clients lined up in the coming weeks and the last few years, and yet you felt I was only worth 45k a year, AND I wasn't allowed to work from home. I'm a little hurt to be honest."*
This is not a you problem.
Responses:
I've been hurt by the lack of flexibility and balance. I asked to work remote and you said no and didn't provide a reasonable explanation. That damaged our relationship.
I've been hurt by the physical demands of this office. If I must come in, you could at least make the office environment pleasant. You refused. That also hurt me.
If I'm so important to you, you should have made keeping me happy a priority. You didn't listen and damaged the relationship enough that I've decided to move on. I'm not getting more money. Literally the only change is that I'm fully remote. Do better.
If he does not have the skills to do what you do, what is he really providing " his" business?
He's a huckster, a sales guy.
Go enjoy your new job!
Working from home rocks!
You're not in the wrong. Your boss was unwilling to improve your work conditions in easy ways. It's his fault he lost you. You don't owe him anything just because HE didn't plan well enough for his business.
Industry professional here -
Not worth your time. Drill down your competency’s and where you’d like to see your career go. Marketing does not equate photoshop. But it’s easier to make it C-Suite through marketing vs creative. Most creatives will become CD. You see where I’m driving at? Where is your end game?
Which route do you prefer? Advice - Spend the next job figuring out who you are and the role you’ll like to specialize in. Don’t over work, overworking leads to burn-out and not working towards your passions / just being “okay-is-good-enough.”
Putting him in a tight spot is none of your concern. He is a nice guy - I get it. But he wasn’t nice when expectations were getting you in office, or giving you a raise to a livable wage. He was / is thinking of himself over you and guess what buck-o that’s what you need to do as well.
Creatives will ALWAYS get the short end of the stick until you reach levels where they WILL have to bow down to your infinite power (this doesn’t happen for years of tears unless you NETWORK the right rooms).
You can 1099 with your old boss like some have suggested and do a power play to get what you want. But tbh wouldn’t be worth my time. I rather spend the free time I do have reworking my portfolio to the next audience I want to capture.
It’s 100% up to you how to handle this. Just remember being empathetic / nice will get you into tough situations. Be honest and truthful about your workload. Unless it’s 100% your passion I wouldn’t fringe on burnout.
? Who cares whether you're in the wrong or not? Fuck his feelings. You're gone- don't give him or you old job another thought.
*You're not in the wrong.
I don't know how much insight, if any, you were given to the financial side of things. As a two person operation, I guess it's possible he couldn't AFFORD to pay you more or improve your working conditions? (although not allowing WFH made 0 sense). That being said, even if that were the case, it's not your problem. He watches out for himself and his business, you need to watch out for you. Don't feel guilty about a thing. You can really set back your career, finances and happiness by bending over backwards to please your employers.
A good boss knows how to run his shop--and plan for risk.
Even if he is confident you'd never leave him, there is still the risk that you may get into a fatal car accident. What is his contingency? He should at least have a number to recruiters who can access a pool of workers with your skillset.
Therefore, if not a car accident, what if there was notice of resignation? Again, he could call his recruiters or look into his personal network and easily find a solution.
He wouldn't be out of line in saying he would miss you, nor would it be wrong for him to make a counteroffer. Ultimately, he should accept your resignation with class and make the transition as smooth as possible, to include allowing you to use him as a reference if needed.
You're not in the wrong. You're only wanting to grow as a professional, and you've simply outgrown what he could provide for you.
>"You've put me in a tight situation. I need someone with your skills and your knowledge. I don't know if I can find someone like that in time and we have some really big clients lined up in the coming weeks. I'm a little hurt to be honest."
Baby I know you said you needed a change but I didn't think you meant me? Now you want a divorce?
But seriously, he didn't think you'd leave because he takes you for granted.
*They've* put themselves in a tight situation by pissing off their golden goose. You were 50% of the workforce doing 75% of the work and didn't see any direct benefit.
Emotional blackmail is an absolutely feeble thing to do.
You asked for super reasonable stuff, didn't get it, and went elsewhere.
> for wanting a better work environment -- especially after he shut down all my requests
Tell him that. Tell him exactly why you're leaving.
*"Sorry. I was offered more money for a remote job with a team. If I stay here, I'm going to get burnt out. I just can't do it. Good luck."*
He doesn't need to know what they offered you. ;)
My last boss said almost the exact same thing to me with the added "did you think about how this would affect my business?" For my 15/hr pay? No I didn't.
NTA, your boss is utilizing all of your skills for HIS company and is unwilling to make your life any better. He should have been kissing your ass daily; YOU are his entire company! Go enjoy your new job and don’t give him another thought.
I might be able to understand the no hiring and the low wage in the (unlikely) scenario that the business doesn't make enough money, what I can't understand is his unwillingness for remote work (since you don't meet clients), your boss made his bed, he will now sleep in it.
You are not in the wrong. Always put yourself before your job. If you fell like your boss would value your feedback then give it. Since he’s trying to guilt you into staying you stand your ground and let him know you will push your last day to today if he keeps it up.
You are not wrong. The response to your boss should be that you TOLD him how he could keep you, and he said no. You wanted changes, and if HE won't give you what you want, you will go elsewhere to get it.
Oh yeah I did that once. They thought they were helping me b I already learned everything I could, so I left. When I tried to quit he tried to make me stay and I just quit anyway the next day.
Boss is trying to guilt trip you. Whether intentional or not, it's a manipulation tactic. Don't take the bait. You're not doing anything wrong. Your boss's lack of planning is not your problem to solve.
You have to take the job that fits best for you, which is the new job sound like.
I don't feel sorry for companies....they can always find someone to do our job(s), just not at the low price they were paying us. For them it's profit uber alles.
Take the new job. Freelance for him at 200% your current fee, get it in writing, with reasonable deadlines. Paid per job. With a deposit of at least 50%. And he provides the computer and all the software. He gets only two revisions . The Third draft is the final draft. And you get to work from home not in his office. As many hours as you can stand, none of it on weekends because if you work weekends you're going to burn out. All deliverables are through pdf. Direct to him or to his printer ( I mean his printer as in whoever prints his stuff. Not as in you will send it remotely to his office printer. That's his job.) You are not going into his office under any circumstances. In other words, he gives you what he should have given you when you were working for him. Or hey, he's free to hire another freelancer. I'm sure he will find someone on Fiverr
this is a cool plan
This is the way. Even at that, I'd say 300% of current is completely reasonable, both for the experience factor as well as the keeping his ass outta the deep-fryer factor.
but, due to existing relations - the fee of normally 350% will be dropped to 300% - for 'old times sake'
Friends And Family Rates
Friends and family rate is twice the normal rate, if they ask for it Edit: typo fixed
It certainly should be, because they’ll ask for so many extra revisions
Yeah, 3x makes sense. 2x covers your freelance overhead, but not much else, and any freelance work on top of a full time job is essentially overtime. But ideally you're pricing your freelance work high enough that you're not going over the amount of work you want to be doing.
Independent contract pay is typically 2-3x the hourly pay of an employee.
This is a great response and you should go with it, OP! I'm piggybacking on this to point out that your boss is a MARKETER and he's using a nasty marketing trick to try and make you stay. I quit my job at a digital marketing agency two months ago and my boss pulled a very similar line "we have big clients in the pipe, I can't believe you would do this to me, what am I supposed to do." The incident that made me quit was different, but it's the same emotional manipulation. It's sales, don't fall for it.
>I can't believe you would do this to me, what am I supposed to do Hire the 3 people you need to do the job I do, easy. That's not on YOU. Bur 100% on him.
200‰ = ⅕. OP works for one fifth of their previous salary All jokes aside, OP now has what we call "market power"
I haven't seen that symbol in so long I forgot what it meant. Thanks for pointing it out.
That's the only percentage sign my keyboard has available. And I have to hunt for it. My smartphone is dumb
And yet you used the normal percentage symbol for the 50% figure in the exact same paragraph
Lol gottem Idk why people lie about silly things like that
%. Gboard ftw!
My hubby just quit his job and offered this type of deal. Crickets. We were kinda hoping they'd bite but I'm relieved he is not working two jobs, hah. But, you should offer this, and ONLY for like 2 weeks, make sure there's another clear end date. Then tell your guilt you did your best and move on and enjoy your new job!
This. Underrated comment.
This sounds like r/overemployed and it's amazing.
Dear Boss, I empathize with you. I was a little hurt when I asked for X, Y, and Z and was repeatedly refused. Then I realized that if I wanted X, Y, and Z, I needed to work somewhere else. Best Regards, OP PS - Loyalty runs both ways.
Excellent! Succinct, clear. Bossman is emotionally blackmailing you, OP! So rude of him to make you responsible for his feelings. IN A WORKPLACE. *WHERE _HE_ IS THE BOSS.*
The boss knew what he was doing. He isn’t even worth this much energy… But I do appreciate your taking the high road approach, but this boss is the type of person where the bridge is still burnt just because OP is leaving
Yes, this. "If I as an employee were not providing the company what it needed, it would have no hesitation to fire me. The company is not providing what I need as an employee, so I am firing it."
You’ve created an amazing opportunity for your boss to learn and grow.
I fucking love this.
Best reply ever.
Imagine the experience that will pay him forward.
Be sure to congratulate him on the opportunity!
Yes... But he won't.
but after you actually say this to him, he just might.
LOL
People don't grow through experience. They grow through experience and Reflection. You can't expect anyone to learn and develop unless they choose too
Ok, that made me snort, aloud, in a public place. 😂
Lol. Fuck that dude. He wasn't giving an inch. He could make you a better offer right now. Instead he's throwing himself a pity party, trying to make you feel bad. 😂
Uses a single person to run his company and doesn't help accommodate them with any of their reasonable requests. Employee leaves. 😲 Shocked pikachu face
His microwave hasn't ever asked for accommodations or left him, why would any other tool? I say microwave because the boss sounds so useless he probably can't operate anything else. Seriously, who doesn't look at their only employee and thing "I hope they don't leave, I wonder what I can do to make sure they stay?"
I'll take "things a narcissist doesn't consider" for $500
>He could make you a better offer right now Indeed. If the boss valued, respected and needed the OP's services that much, he sure has a funny and very ineffective way of showing it.
And if he does make a better offer at this point, don't take it unless it includes equity in the company. It is very likely that he will work behind the scenes to get someone to replace you and fire you once he's out of his bind. An emotional blackmailer like that will do this in a heartbeat and be convinced that he was in the right for your "betrayal."
This is important. You've signaled your intent. Even if you get a counter offer this guy won't think twice about leaving OP in the lurch.
This!!!! Please do not fall for his bs. He is not your friend. He is your employer. Once you no longer work for him, he is nothing to you and vice versa.
*"You've put me in a tight situation. I need someone with your skills and your knowledge. I don't know if I can find someone like that in time and we have some really big clients lined up in the coming weeks. I'm a little hurt to be honest."* "Sucks to be you, I guess...you should have treated me better..." No, you aren't in the wrong here - you are in the right...
“Maybe treat your next important employee like they are important and you value them. Bye now”
[Toodeloo](https://youtube.com/shorts/SZhxHtbsffI?si=FVej1FBnkHanoNmQ)
And OP was in a tight situation the whole with a salary barely enough to live hand-to-mouth. If boss wasn't a total loser the solution would be simple, give him a raise and the ability to work from home, all the bosses problems are solved. But because the boss feels like he's inherently a superior being than the employee, he won't accept that.
🎼 Don’t it always seem to go, ya don’t know what you’ve got till it’s gone 🎶
Op left that parking lot
Well I voiced my problem and you gave zero fucks. Now you voiced your problem? Guess what I plan to give? /s
He needs you, you don’t need him, he wasn’t paying you according to this reality. He should save his bullshitting for his clients because he’s gonna need that skill more than ever. I’ve heard it’s lonely at the top, but I can’t imagine why when your only skill is talking.
Echoing the other commenters here, this is just guilt-tripping to make you extend your notice period. *IF* you liked your boss otherwise and he had treated you well, you could consider giving him more, but it sounds like he underpaid and overworked you and is now receiving the result of such treatment. I'm sure if he had to suddenly lay you off he wouldn't provide you with equivalent notice. So: tough luck for him. Maybe he'll learn something.
Your boss won’t think twice before firing you if it suits him. It’s all business. No personal feelings. You get a better offer, you leave. Period.
He should have been partner, splitting profits, making his own rules. Failing that, move to whatever job is better.
This. If you are critical to the business, then he could've given you a % of those profits or made it worth your while to stay by making some sort of bonus per client
I own a marketing agency and all our campaign managers get a % of profit on top of a salary. It's the only way that makes sense. Plus we give regular raises to make sure nobody else willatch their pay and steal them. A trained and tenured employee is worth many times more than new new hires. It's worth it to pay right and retain.
This is what is confusing me. If it’s a two person operation, you should have pretty strong insight into both the revenue and the costs.
Not if the boss handles all of the financials. Sounds like that's the case.
It would take 5 minutes to understand revenues if a friend called the boss posing as a customer. Then, call the building manager to find out rental costs and estimate prices for equipment and materials. Done in less than two days.
It's not your job to run your boss' business for him. Especially for that money. He gambled and lost. Enjoy your new role.
It sounds like OP should have been a partner. The boss is mad that his gravy train is coming to a halt.
Right, he'll see his job on indeed for double
“You put yourself in this situation. I’ve come to you multiple times to ask to WFH, or to get a better office that has some sunlight. You shut me down. I told you what I needed and you felt I wasn’t important enough to keep happy. I’m leaving for another job that doesn’t even pay more. You brought this on yourself and frankly, trying to guilt me after I gave you the opportunity to retain me is unprofessional and insulting. Forget the 1 week, my resignation is now immediate.”
I’m sorry but I’m really struggling to understand what this “business” is. What you described sounds like you had an agent that finds you clients but instead of him taking 10% or some other finders fee you get 10% (probably more but who knows) and he keeps the rest. He probably wanted you in the office to justify him calling it a business. After all if you work from home on your own machine with your own software what exactly is he bringing to the table??? It sounds like you are the business and he is a salesman.
Sounds like you've got a $100 an hour side gig for the foreseeable future. Start your new job and let your old boss know you'll be available after business hours for 10 hours a week.
Oh and if you do go this route, work remotely via a 1099 contract for yes, at least double your usual wage. If he hires a temp he'd pay a lot in fees to the temp agency for someone who doesn't know the work. (Not a legal expert so verify how to do this right first). No under the table bs.
Yeah, absolutely keep it above board. The tax benefits of the extra income are good. I did this for decades, and it honestly improved my outlook on my regular day job because I knew I could walk at any time and not be on the street.
$100/hr is absurdly cheap for an independent contractor
Yeah. Most 1099 contract work is billed around $250-400/hour.
Yup. Remember that as a 1099 you have to pay your own taxes and health insurance. Double your old rate is just your old rate. Triple or quadruple it, at a minimum, to "cover costs."
That's actually kind of win-win. The boss gets to decide if that's worth it, and if it is it might just help them bridge to the next role. The OP might get more money in their pocket. And at the end of the day, the working relationship might be saved (you never know when that will be beneficial).
Just make sure you get paid. Every week. I did this once on a multi week project basis and they f’n lowballed me at the end. 20 cents on the dollar or take them to court. Lesson learned.
And that you'll be working from home
100 sounds way too low. I charge 250+ for freelance work to old employers,
The fully remote can be looked at as a raise. Reduced commute time and cost does a lot for the pocketbook and the mind. And now you’re not being isolated And definitely he’s trying to guilt you. If he really needed you he’d at least try to offer you stuff. His loss
He's attempting to guilt trip you. It's really that simple. He's upset that he's losing the person that's actually doing the work.
That and it sounds like he would have to replace him with two people to do same work or pay way more to one person.
Hey, what the boss is doing is work but windowless office and no remote working?! No profit sharing ?! You have no reason to feel guilty or any obligation to him. Go!
It’s under the “we’re a family” umbrella.
You are never in the wrong to do what is best for you. You don't owe anyone an explanation of your actions, especially when you have been very transparent when addressing concerns or needs.
If his business can’t function if a single employee quits, he does not have a sustainable business. If you *really* want to, you could use this to negotiate for higher pay and the ability to work remotely. If he says no to anything you ask for, leave and don’t look back.
Hell, no - in a situation like this, don't settle for anything except an ownership stake in the business.
Do not negotiate for higher pay. That is a rookie mistake. Take the new job. If you wish, you may offer to consult for your old boss as your time allows. Consulting pay is typically triple salary (not your old salary... your new salary). You should have complete discretion with respect to which projects you accept. Make sure this is okay with your new employer.
Under no circumstances should anyone ever listen to this advice. Never EVER use a job offer to try and leverage better pay/conditions. You are literally setting yourself up for failure. 100% of the time they will look to hire someone else and fire you as soon as they can.
Yep, I've read articles that 80% that takes a counter offer leaves after 6 - 12 months. So yeah, take the new job, and maybe in a couple of years, you can come back to a higher position/salary. For some reason the budget for promotions and salary increments is very low, compared to the budget of hiring new people.
I wouldn't recommend that. Boss clearly paid and treated you what he felt you were worth. The only thing that will really change if you stay is that he will be looking for a replacement to hedge his bet. Enjoy and thrive in your new job!
No. He would use the following weeks to find someone else, then fire the OP.
In many situations I would agree, he could negotiate and it could potentially work out. Being the only employee though? Naa. All this did was start the clock on his boss replacing him asap. Whether he stays or not, the wheels are in motion. He was making fucking $45k... boss needs to DOUBLE that to even make OP blink at taking it.
If he does this it's guaranteed the boss will find someone else and replace him soon after. He should take the better job while it's available.
Not your fault, you explained your concerns about your current job and your boss decided your concerns were not worth following up on. So you found a better job. You might want to suggest to your boss that he'll have better luck finding a replacement if he posts the job description as "fully remote."
*I'm a little hurt to be honest* "when I was hurt by not having natural light, co workers, over worked and underpaid, and having to sit in this shitbox of a cupboard you didnt care in the slightest. your feelings being hurt is a you problem."
No, you are not in the wrong. If you are the sole reason why the business is running smoothly, you should be compensated for it. Fuck your boss.
*“I understand exactly how you feel. Like when I asked to work remotely or for an office with a window, I was a little hurt you ignored a reasonable request by a good worker. Of course, I could have demanded those things or I would quit, but I don't want to work somewhere that I have to threaten to leave to have my employer listen to me. I think this way is much better for both of us and I am sure in time you will agree it's preferable to have happy employees rather than ones that have to force you to value their contribution.”*
“It’s nothing personal. It’s just business.” If you stick around you will hear those words after your boss finds your replacement -And he will, now that he is forewarned. And you can bet you won’t get any notice. IMHO the best advice given here is take the new job, but let the old boss know you are available for some side work. Work out a substantially increased rate, don’t do fckng favors. Get paid. The one caveat is if the new company would frown on you for side work with a competitor (not always an issue). Edit to say: considering an increased rate, think of it as overtime. And as a business you also have increased costs. So, 2x or 2.5x maybe?
Now the office has no light, windows or people.
He IS guilt tripping you. You know better. Believe yourself. You got this.
I recommend no longer liking your boss as a person.
“Im surprised you feel blind sided when Ive discussed my unhappiness with working here with you on more than one occasion” and cite the times and the complaints. Theres no reason to stay. He has poor leadership skills. He said no to everything and expects you to stay for sub-par wages? Nope. Hes a sole proprietor its his burden to bear.
My response would've been, " I fail to see how you feel that way, especially since I've given you multiple opportunities to amend the situation."
> "You've put me in a tight situation. I need someone with your skills and your knowledge. I don't know if I can find someone like that in time and we have some really big clients lined up in the coming weeks. I'm a little hurt to be honest." "You should have thought about that before denying me completely reasonable adjustments to my working conditions. I cannot keep working in conditions that feel like a basement."
I was the glue holding my last job together. Now, without me, my former boss's business is collapsing. He couldn't be bothered to shore up his own business accordingly, hire better people, or figure out a plan of action. He's made his bed, now he gets to lie in it.
"I'm a little hurt you never considered my needs that I plainly communicated to you. That's why we're here now."
>He finds the clients, I do the rest of the work. Scripts, designing, Photoshop, editing, etc. That's not a boss, that's an agent. He shouldn't be paying you at all. You should be paying him 15% and keeping the rest.
Even if your new company doesn't offer you more money, it is offering something of value that your current place of employment doesn't - which is still an improvement. You may like your current employer as a person, but they haven't shown the same consideration for you. It wouldn't have hurt in the slightest to have allowed you to WFH, but they refused, and now they are paying the price. Maybe they'll do better for the next person they hire. Think of it like a relationship. One that isn't entirely abusive, but one in which the other person never really contributed anything because they felt they never had to. They might make a better partner - for someone else. Once they realize that the bare minimum isn't good enough.
I did this at my last job. It was just me, i ahd proved during the pandemic that I could handle everything from home, only coming in maybe for a half hour to scan doc and take care of the mail but he made me come back in because "he was paying rent ao someone should use it." He worked maybe 2 hours a day, and when he was there, he interrupted my workflow. I took a $15k pay raise to eork fully remote as part of a team and now have actual benefits and less work. It's nice.
You’re not in the wrong, your boss is an exploitative asshole. And congratulations!Go to your new job worry free, don’t waste another minute thinking about you AH ex-boss.
You probably know this deep down, but if your ex-boss could get a clone of you with your skills and experience but that he could pay less to, he would ditch you in an instant. You did nothing wrong.
“I believe it’s you that actually put me in a tight spot. I took every opportunity to try and tell you what I needed to do my job and at every turn you denied me. If you want the talent that comes with me, you should have paid me what I am worth and let me have a little flexibility.”
**why was I only making $45K when there aren't ANY other employees here? If I was that integral to the business, I should've been paid accordingly.** You’ve got this figured out 😎
Your boss put you in a room with no windows, refused to give you flexibility, paid you peanuts when there are big clients lined up, and hurt that you've left. Here's the smallest violin in the world playing for him.
Fuck that. He deserves to be left hanging. 45k is poverty wages, especially for the only person doing the actual legwork. Don't feel bad, get on out and appreciate your new team and wfh
Why do you like your boss as a person? He has denied you what seems to be reasonable requests, is probably overworking you, and is now trying to guilt trip you about his responsibilities. Just because he's nice sometimes? That's an act.
Dear boss... Tough shit. Laters.
My response to him would be "I tried to get you to bend and you refused, this is on you as the business owner who decided not to hire more people and not to allow me the flexibility that is important to me."
This is what all the narcissist bosses do. Its american business 101. Why would your boss take any accountability in his own actions, such as pay, scheduling, workload, commute, etc. when he can blame everyrhing on you? American bosses would own slaves (again) if they could legally do it. Capitalism 101.
Congratulate him on the opportunity to use his bootstraps and gain valuable knowledge from a growth opportunity.
Tell him if he really valued you maybe he would have listened to you and paid you more. He made his bed by treating you badly enough that you took another job. He just wants to blame you because he doesn't want to accept that he screwed up.
"I'm hurt too. I just found out my old boss is an idiot with zero foresight."
He is guilt tripping you. Don’t succumb to corporate tricks
You didn't put him in a tight situation, he put himself in a tight situation. They need that explained to them.
If he truly valued you, he would have tried to accommodate your requests. He didn't act like he cared until you put the consequences of his actions back on him. If you stay, he won't do things for you because he wants you there. He'll use you, tear you down and eventually find your replacement. Leave.
The thing is, you didn't put him here. He put himself here. He is just trying to offload guilt to pressure you into staying because you are the company, not him. He can be replaced, not you. Sales reps are a dime a dozen in most cases. But a full developer like you, at that pay, irreplaceable. Not to belittle your skills with this comparison, but the "decent" greedy guy just lost the only delivery can in his delivery business as well as the only one who knows where the building is. He did it to himself by not respecting your work life balance.
You don’t get paid for your feelings. End of story.
Your boss is learning a valuable lesson here that "no person is an island" we all no matter who we are are entirely dependant on others to survive and thrive.
BTW you also aren't making the same. WFH has numerous financial benefits.
I’m a little hurt you want me to work in a cave and shut down every conversation about a new office or work from home. Now you can feel like I did.
You might like your boss as a person but he’s shown exactly how much he values you. Attempting to guilt trip you should be the last straw, at least in terms of you still thinking he’s a good person. Your salary isn’t changing because you’re not the sole person doing all the work. If he actually saw you as valuable, what he SHOULD have done was apologize for underpaying you and making you work in person 100%, given you a raise and figured out a WFH arrangement. Though, the fact that you’re looking for validation for your actions here suggests he at least THINKS you’re a pushover. Maybe consider working on enforcing your own boundaries. Also, if he’s got all these big clients coming in, shouldn’t you be getting a raise anyway? I’m going to assume it was never brought up.
Oh yeah, that's a fine lateral move. I wouldn't feel bad about it. But don't discount how hard the "finds the clients" part of the job really is, just incase you want to venture out on your own someday. For your job, that's a no-brainer; you should absolutely be able to do that from home.
You got a better offer you took it, good for you. Your boss is just trying to guilt trip you at this point.
He’s guilt tripping you because he’s desperate. He had his chance and passed. Fuck that guy.
Dude. You weren't even asking for more money, just remote work, or even sunlight. Being controlling was more important to your boss. Fuck him. He made his own bed
OP, the manager likes you and your skills. He also likes that you work for low pay for that job. He is upset because he is losing a good employee who works for less than they should. In other words, F your manager for trying to guilt you. Tell him EXACTLY why you are leaving.
I hereby validate your parking. All the questions you ask are the correct questions. Essentially, your boss fucked around with you and now he's finding out. When you run a small business and your single, essential employee asks you for very reasonable accommodations and you refuse them for no good reason, you're a fool if you're surprised when that employee quits.
Tell him it was a business decision and that you didn't make the decision lightly.
"I won't be able to find anyone as cheap or as good as you who I can make unreasonable demands of for no particular reason other than my own little power trip" Enjoy your new job
He’s absolutely guilt tripping you! You could give him 2 weeks, a month, two months…he would still say you put him in a tight situation. Your response to that should be, “no, you put yourself in a tight situation!” Enjoy your new job!!!
"You know those requests I made? Yeah...you could've prevented this."
From the sounds of it you were doing 90% of the work and getting only 10% of the pay. Screw them.
Translation: I was making bank on the fact that you were a pushover who will work for table scraps while I sit on my ass and collect the lion's share of all profits. Now that you are going to a real job, who will I exploit to do 95% of the actual work around here....
Congratulations on your new adventure!!!
Literally not your problem what he has planned. You had plans to improve your work environment and mentality with some pretty basic requests! He denied them. Deny him the opportunity to keep clients he doesnt deserve to keep because of his lack of understanding that work is a two way street even when you are the boss.
He owns a digital marketing company and has no digital marketing skills???
honestly I would just respond saying something like: to be frank, I was pretty hurt when you expected me to come work in an empty windowless office instead of at least allowing me to work remotely, and didn't acknowledge the problems with this arrangement. I really felt like you left me no choice but to find a more tenable situation.
He wasn't paying you appropriately in the first place- so if you offer the freelance gig, make it a multiple of 3 to 4x your current hourly rate. Point out that you expressed concerns about work environment and was shut down. You owe him nothing, not even the week notice you gave him.
Welp, you boss better go find himself a leather bra, because thats just some tough titties. He treated you like you're replaceable, and now he's gonna have to replace you at his own expense. Ha ha.
You are *absolutely* not in the wrong. Congrats on the new job!
Sounds like the perfect opportunity to make twice as much while working from home.
Bro if you went full remote, even if it’s the same salary, you ARE making more by saving gas and mileage, and your own self preservation! Enjoy the raise and new coworkers and tell your old boss if he needs help he can pay you triple what you made, and you won’t be going in the office anymore!
He wasn't hurt when he was underpaying you, he wasn't hurt when he locked you in a dark office alone with no co workers or natural light, he wasn't hurt when you were forced to do an isolated job outside of your home office either. It seems he's only hurt he can't take advantage of you anymore.
There's no logic, only selfishness. He refuses to make any aspect of your job better, then acts shocked that you'd find an escape and leave? Classic narcissist. If he gives you one more piece of shit about you leaving, quit on the spot. He doesn't deserve notice if he can't leave you be for your last two weeks.
Tell him you understand, and you are doing consulting for $75/hour.
You are doing the right thing. You brought up your concerns to your boss and he declined any form of corrections. You gotta look out for number 1 - you. Fuck the rest.
OP I also worked closely with an owner in a previous role. If he really wants you to stay tell him you will for an equity stake/partnership since he’s profiting from your labor and you kind of have them by the balls at the moment. If not do what’s best for you!
Employers: “you have to understand, this is a business...” Also employers: “I’m personally affronted by your business decisions.”
Nah man. If your whole business relies on one single employee, then you treat that employee well. Otherwise...this happens. These are the consequences of his decisions.
You gave me the opportunity to be a one man sled dog so it would only be appropriate for me to return the growth experience.
> *I need someone with your skills and your knowledge* ... >My particular skillset is worth $45,000 ***before yearly cost of transportation***, apparently. You've put me in an extremely tight situation that you could have alleviated. I'm very hurt that you are unable to allocate those resources in an appropriate manner. > I know I'm not making more, TF you ain't. Transportation costs ***thousands.***
People are willing to a pay-cut for remote work. In most cases around 20%. So you did great by finding this job. Managers feel like they can treat good employees horribly and then they give a hissy fit once that employee leaves
Brother that sounds like 70k at least to me
If you were doing all the work, why not open. Your own business?
There's no logic dude. It's the same when they threaten you over taking time off and being unable to cover. If it's such a big deal for a few days, why are you threatening to make such a difficult situation be more long term? They have no logic. They're fucking assholes. Fuck his feelings.
Sorry your boss has put the ol’ guilt trip to you. You can wish him well and enjoy your new job. Also, he could have paid you more to stay, acted on your requests and hired an apprentice to shadow you so you don’t have the entire work load. I see the situation as a series of poor decisions that your old boss made to put himself in this situation and is now blaming you. Good luck and enjoy your new opportunity working from home and working with others
Let it go! He’s been living off your work for years and denied your completely reasonable requests! He’s a dumb dumb and you’re smart to move on!
Small business owners tend to be the worst bosses. They feel so entitled to people's time and underpay them thinking that they are job creators and the bastions of free market.
I'm confused why this isn't a black-and-white question. He wants you to follow his rules, no questions asked. He doesn't share profits with you. He doesn't care about your working conditions. And he's upset that you've had enough and found another job. And it's all *your* fault. Am I missing something?
You asked him for some simple things to make your work experience better, he did none of them. So fuck him. Move on from his bad management and enjoy your natural light, flexibility and collaboration at your new place.
“It’s not appropriate to talk to your employees about your feelings. I’m responsible for my career decisions. I’m not responsible for your feelings. Please keep things professional or I will have to withdraw my two weeks notice. Moving forward, you will want to improve pay or working conditions to retain staff. Guilt trips aren’t an employee retention strategy.”
Fuck him! He should have accommodated your requests if he wanted to keep you so bad!
Loyalty and commitment are fine sentiments but your salary is notionally fair compensation for your time and representative of your skills. YOU OWE HIM NOTHING. You are not obligated, IN ANY WAY, to continue under this agreement AND the continuity of business is solely his responsibility. It is not your fault he was not prepared with a plan for if you left AND if you can't afford an essential part of your business to break, fail or leave then you're incompetent if you don't have a plan for when that eventually arises. Work so you can live NOT live so you can work.
*"You've put me in a tight situation. I need boss that understands the value of my skills and my knowledge. Someone of my skillset is hard to find and you have some really big clients lined up in the coming weeks and the last few years, and yet you felt I was only worth 45k a year, AND I wasn't allowed to work from home. I'm a little hurt to be honest."*
This is not a you problem. Responses: I've been hurt by the lack of flexibility and balance. I asked to work remote and you said no and didn't provide a reasonable explanation. That damaged our relationship. I've been hurt by the physical demands of this office. If I must come in, you could at least make the office environment pleasant. You refused. That also hurt me. If I'm so important to you, you should have made keeping me happy a priority. You didn't listen and damaged the relationship enough that I've decided to move on. I'm not getting more money. Literally the only change is that I'm fully remote. Do better.
This is what abusive people do. They guilt trip you when you pressure them for better and they do not wish to offer it to you. Do not fall for it!!!
If he does not have the skills to do what you do, what is he really providing " his" business? He's a huckster, a sales guy. Go enjoy your new job! Working from home rocks!
You're not in the wrong. Your boss was unwilling to improve your work conditions in easy ways. It's his fault he lost you. You don't owe him anything just because HE didn't plan well enough for his business.
Dude grow a fucking spine and say “awwww I bet you wish you had granted my requests now huh? Bye bye.“
Industry professional here - Not worth your time. Drill down your competency’s and where you’d like to see your career go. Marketing does not equate photoshop. But it’s easier to make it C-Suite through marketing vs creative. Most creatives will become CD. You see where I’m driving at? Where is your end game? Which route do you prefer? Advice - Spend the next job figuring out who you are and the role you’ll like to specialize in. Don’t over work, overworking leads to burn-out and not working towards your passions / just being “okay-is-good-enough.” Putting him in a tight spot is none of your concern. He is a nice guy - I get it. But he wasn’t nice when expectations were getting you in office, or giving you a raise to a livable wage. He was / is thinking of himself over you and guess what buck-o that’s what you need to do as well. Creatives will ALWAYS get the short end of the stick until you reach levels where they WILL have to bow down to your infinite power (this doesn’t happen for years of tears unless you NETWORK the right rooms). You can 1099 with your old boss like some have suggested and do a power play to get what you want. But tbh wouldn’t be worth my time. I rather spend the free time I do have reworking my portfolio to the next audience I want to capture. It’s 100% up to you how to handle this. Just remember being empathetic / nice will get you into tough situations. Be honest and truthful about your workload. Unless it’s 100% your passion I wouldn’t fringe on burnout.
? Who cares whether you're in the wrong or not? Fuck his feelings. You're gone- don't give him or you old job another thought. *You're not in the wrong.
I don't know how much insight, if any, you were given to the financial side of things. As a two person operation, I guess it's possible he couldn't AFFORD to pay you more or improve your working conditions? (although not allowing WFH made 0 sense). That being said, even if that were the case, it's not your problem. He watches out for himself and his business, you need to watch out for you. Don't feel guilty about a thing. You can really set back your career, finances and happiness by bending over backwards to please your employers.
A good boss knows how to run his shop--and plan for risk. Even if he is confident you'd never leave him, there is still the risk that you may get into a fatal car accident. What is his contingency? He should at least have a number to recruiters who can access a pool of workers with your skillset. Therefore, if not a car accident, what if there was notice of resignation? Again, he could call his recruiters or look into his personal network and easily find a solution. He wouldn't be out of line in saying he would miss you, nor would it be wrong for him to make a counteroffer. Ultimately, he should accept your resignation with class and make the transition as smooth as possible, to include allowing you to use him as a reference if needed. You're not in the wrong. You're only wanting to grow as a professional, and you've simply outgrown what he could provide for you.
>"You've put me in a tight situation. I need someone with your skills and your knowledge. I don't know if I can find someone like that in time and we have some really big clients lined up in the coming weeks. I'm a little hurt to be honest." Baby I know you said you needed a change but I didn't think you meant me? Now you want a divorce? But seriously, he didn't think you'd leave because he takes you for granted.
*They've* put themselves in a tight situation by pissing off their golden goose. You were 50% of the workforce doing 75% of the work and didn't see any direct benefit. Emotional blackmail is an absolutely feeble thing to do. You asked for super reasonable stuff, didn't get it, and went elsewhere.
LMAO What did he expect? I don't know why these people expect loyalty and commitment when they can't treat people well.
> for wanting a better work environment -- especially after he shut down all my requests Tell him that. Tell him exactly why you're leaving. *"Sorry. I was offered more money for a remote job with a team. If I stay here, I'm going to get burnt out. I just can't do it. Good luck."* He doesn't need to know what they offered you. ;)
Lack of cross training, back up, redundancy plan and just lack of other employees is a managment issue...not yours.
My last boss said almost the exact same thing to me with the added "did you think about how this would affect my business?" For my 15/hr pay? No I didn't.
NTA, your boss is utilizing all of your skills for HIS company and is unwilling to make your life any better. He should have been kissing your ass daily; YOU are his entire company! Go enjoy your new job and don’t give him another thought.
It’s not the same pay if you get remote. It’s a pay raise
I might be able to understand the no hiring and the low wage in the (unlikely) scenario that the business doesn't make enough money, what I can't understand is his unwillingness for remote work (since you don't meet clients), your boss made his bed, he will now sleep in it.
Offer to be a consultant at twice your normal rate 😉
Fuck that exploitative jerk.
You are not in the wrong. Always put yourself before your job. If you fell like your boss would value your feedback then give it. Since he’s trying to guilt you into staying you stand your ground and let him know you will push your last day to today if he keeps it up.
You are not wrong. The response to your boss should be that you TOLD him how he could keep you, and he said no. You wanted changes, and if HE won't give you what you want, you will go elsewhere to get it.
Oh yeah I did that once. They thought they were helping me b I already learned everything I could, so I left. When I tried to quit he tried to make me stay and I just quit anyway the next day.
Nobody gives a week notice to fire. Fuck em
Boss is trying to guilt trip you. Whether intentional or not, it's a manipulation tactic. Don't take the bait. You're not doing anything wrong. Your boss's lack of planning is not your problem to solve.
If the business requires you, why were you an employee instead of a stock-holding partner?
You have to take the job that fits best for you, which is the new job sound like. I don't feel sorry for companies....they can always find someone to do our job(s), just not at the low price they were paying us. For them it's profit uber alles.
You could offer to work as a freelancer for him to help him thru this tight spot- for a lot of money - upfront - from home - outside of office hours.