Found Out What I am Worth (Feeling Guilty about Qutting my Job - Part 2)

[Skinnyneo]

I posted a few months ago that I was feeling guilty about leaving my job and lite retiring. I am here to echo what so many of you already told me. Do not ever feel guilty about quitting. To the Corp you are completely replaceable.

Quick recap. I live in Japan. I wasn't happy with my job but on a small team I liked. Felt guilty about leaving as they searched hard to fill the position. In the end I told them I am leaving.

A few weeks later, just for fun, I decide to see if they have posted the position. They have, with a straight up 40% raise! The minimum salary is now 40% more than what they were paying me. Even if I had stayed it would have taken me at least three years or more to be making that wage. They told me "Salaries are based on our scale. That is just how we do it in Japan." Effing BS.

I absolutely made the right decision to leave, and a "you're welcome" to whoever they hire as they just got a 40% raise.

I can't say that I am totally done working forever. But, from now until my last day, I'll be working at least 40% less! Having F-U money has never felt so good.

[okits]

So glad to see this update!  I appreciated your first thread on this topic and got a lot out of the posts in it.

How long of a notice period did you give (and was it different than the minimum?)

A few weeks later, just for fun, I decide to see if they have posted the position. They have, with a straight up 40% raise! The minimum salary is now 40% more than what they were paying me. Even if I had stayed it would have taken me at least three years or more to be making that wage. They told me "Salaries are based on our scale. That is just how we do it in Japan." Effing BS.

I absolutely made the right decision to leave, and a "you're welcome" to whoever they hire as they just got a 40% raise.

This is infuriating but consider that you have left the job in a better position than you received it in.  You care about the team and the people working in it, so this is a plus.

And you didn't want this job anyway.  While it sucks to be so deliberately underpaid and disrespected, the pay didn't change your desire to stay.

Glad you are feeling good and that you pulled the ripcord.  Thank you for sharing an update!

[Skinnyneo]

Hello okits! And you are very welcome! 😃 Honestly speaking I posted to blow off some steam, but I appreciate that you have taken interest in the update.

I gave them about six weeks notice, but one week of that was the New Year holiday (about a week here in Japan) and I burned the rest of my vacation which was another week. So about 4 working weeks, but they seemed to get that job notice up quick! Minimum is 4 weeks.

This is infuriating but consider that you have left the job in a better position than you received it in.  You care about the team and the people working in it, so this is a plus.

And you didn't want this job anyway.  While it sucks to be so deliberately underpaid and disrespected, the pay didn't change your desire to stay.

Glad you are feeling good and that you pulled the ripcord.  Thank you for sharing an update!

I think I forced their hand. They will have a hard time filling the position because at the new salary they will want someone to actually relocate to their HQ which is not in Tokyo. That will be a tall order, but not impossible.

In a way I feel validated. I felt like the job should have paid more, and in the end so did they!🤣 What hurts is I went through a lot of mental stress trying to be professional. Now I know, they were going to be completely find under paying me for years. Now I'm going to take some time off to focus my skills and enjoy my time off.

I get it now, never ever have compassion or empathy for your employer. People, yes. A company, no way.

[Idlewild]

What a bittersweet revelation, @Skinnyneo ! I hope you enjoy your new freedom.

[Financial.Velociraptor]

The best revenge will be living a dream like life without their salary!

[Financial.Velociraptor]

Also, these are all Japanese people???  Easy to get under their skin in my experience.

You capable of summoning your inner "LOUD AMERICAN" going to the office and pitching a lunatic fit?  I mean push stuff off desks, throw staplers and coffee cups, climb on tables to jump up and down.  Find the most senior boss who everyone is obligated to respect and bitch slap the shit out of him, then get in his grill and shout "Your grandmother is a whore who gets paid double because she doesn't have teeth!"  Carry on about how they are dishonest liars and crooks who have disrespected the company and their ancestors.  If you can find out where they live and leave a note listing those that will scare the shit out of them. 

You will get catharsis and they will be mighty uncomfortable for months.  Might pay a misdemeanor fine but you have FU money...

[flyingaway]

This happens in most places, if you want to get paid more, jump ships. I did not change  my job and retired  early than other people normally do, because I  saved and invested wisely.  There are more than one way to accumulate money and retire early.

[Skinnyneo]

Appreciate the comments!

Yep, I plan to live my best life without their shitty practices. Will take time to focus on myself and skills.

[wistful]

So glad you have left the position.  You unfortunately really do find the worth of your position after you leave.  Chickenshit move on their end.

I FIRE'd from a position I held for 24 years.  For 22 of them, I did a very large annual project that was punishing.  Salaried, never got any extra for that 3 months of nights and a lot of weekends.  My last 2 years on the job, they finally outsourced around 25% of the project, partially due to some software licensing issues.

However it was a government entity and all extra stipends are posted where the public eye can see them.  2 years after I have left, they brought the project back in house fully and my replacement got a nice $12K stipend.  Shaking My Head!  I might even have to make a standalone post on 'Being glad to FIRE, but last knife in the back was a doozy'.

Good luck with your future plans and glad that you will seek out an employer that will value you more for your efforts.

[Skinnyneo]

Thank you, and it was a real low move on their end. But, at least I know what I am really worth.

Your situation sounds like a real brain dead move on their end. Almost makes me want to take some HR classes just find out how they teach people to justify such dumb ass moves. After all HR is run by people... right?

[wistful]

In my case, it is simply my supervisor chose to reward a newbie and not the long term employee that gave him a seamless project year after year after year.

HR did rubberstamp it, so they share some of the blame as well.

Having F-U money does lower the sting a bit, but can feel deflating nonetheless.  I wonder if my old supervisor felt even a twinge of guilt for never rewarding my work.  Probably not.

Enjoying life more now and those Pre-retirement banshees are slowly quieting in my mind.

[FireLane]

Now that's what I call an excellent FU money story. You quit a job that didn't value you as they should have, and they have to pay the price for lowballing you on salary. Well done!

It's also a good deed on your part. The next person who takes that job will make a lot more money thanks to you. That's one way we FIRE people give back to society: we don't accept being paid less than we're worth, and we help spread those blessings around to others who aren't as financially fortunate as we are.

[wistful]

Now that's what I call an excellent FU money story. You quit a job that didn't value you as they should have, and they have to pay the price for lowballing you on salary. Well done!

It's also a good deed on your part. The next person who takes that job will make a lot more money thanks to you. That's one way we FIRE people give back to society: we don't accept being paid less than we're worth, and we help spread those blessings around to others who aren't as financially fortunate as we are.

Firelane, that is a novel and refreshing way to look at it.  That might help me be a little more positive on my retirement/separation from that long term job.  You really can never blame your successor and hopefully the pay bump puts them and their family on the path to financial security.

Kudos on your positivity!

[SunnyDays]

I would be tempted to apply for your newly open position with a demand for a 60% pay bump.  And a demand for backpay for all the years they undervalued you.  They know you can do the job and they obviously can afford it.  Then if they actually offer it to you, turn them down.

[Loren Ver]

Good for you.  Thank you for the update!

Now you also know more of what to ask for if you decide to apply to roles in the future.  Negotiate hard.

@FireLane That is just wonderful.  A person negotiating for themselves is nice, but making things better for others, even people they don't know is even better.  Spread the love!

[Just Joe]

I would be tempted to apply for your newly open position with a demand for a 60% pay bump.  And a demand for backpay for all the years they undervalued you.  They know you can do the job and they obviously can afford it.  Then if they actually offer it to you, turn them down.

I like that! ;)

[Sanitary Stache]

This reminds me of a lesson taught in the musical “The Fiddler on the Roof”. Perchik, an itinerant communist, is teaching two pre-teen girls their Torah lessons and the lesson learned from the story of Jacob is “never trust an employer!”

[Much Fishing to Do]

There is definitely this absolutely crazy cycle we've ended up in where you have to change jobs (and almost always with a new employer) to get a pay raise significantly more than COL, no matter how much one's role or value has increased (or been proven).  I always used to think the average time spent at a job was so short because of underachievers that would get let go but then realized it was due to overachievers just getting what they were worth.

And there's definitely no point in guilt (or on the flip side expectations of the employer).  I finally accepted one day that if I am an at will employee every morning I decide if I want to go to work for the pay promised and every afternoon they decide if they want me to come back and there's really nothing more to it.  And if you do have money in the bank (or better, are FI) it's not that hard to view it that unemotionally.