You’d think that having a multilingual employee would be a boon for any retail company, and at first, it was for this employee.

But then, a new goal plan turned the tables, and he was suddenly facing sky-high sales targets due to his language skills.

Now the story has him caught in a dilemma: Should he keep showcasing his talents or refuse to use his language skills until the company treats him fairly? Hmmm.

AITA If I refuse to use my language skills at work as I was treated unfairly because of my culture background

I work part-time for a retail company, and things were going great last year.

Even with part-time hours (around 55% of what full-timers do), I was one of the top contributors, ending up in the top 4 of the company and outperforming many full-timers.

Although our bonus was small (I got less despite higher sales since it was based on hours worked), I felt proud and valued for my contributions.

Here here!

One reason I achieved so much was my ability to speak multiple languages, including Mandarin.

I love helping customers who don’t speak English, whether it’s Mandarin, Korean, or French. This made my part-time job truly rewarding.

This year, the company changed the goal plan.

Now, individual targets determine our bonuses, and if we hit our personal targets and the store meets its goals, we get a fixed amount, which is a better deal than last year.

I was excited about this fairer distribution based on hours worked and task orientation.

In the first month, we met our targets, and everyone got their bonus. We helped each other out, which created a great team spirit.

However, when the new month’s targets came out, we were shocked. Some part-timers had higher targets than full-timers.

My target was so high that it felt extremely stressful. I’d have to sell an amount per hour that’s nearly impossible.

Oh dear.

Even my colleagues were puzzled and talked to our assistant manager.

The explanation was that our targets are based on our performance and my ability to speak Mandarin.

I was confused, shocked, and disappointed. It seems that those who work hard are punished with higher goals, while those who don’t do as well get easier targets.

Moreover, my language skills, which should be an asset, are being used against me, adding to my stress.

That’s not right.

I plan to talk to the manager in the next two days.

Am I wrong if I decide to stop using my language skills and just perform average in the future if this is their way of setting goals?

Should I ask for a raise if they want to continue benefiting from my skills, or request a lower target?

Andy’s skills should be celebrated, not exploited, right?

Is he wrong for considering pulling the plug on his language abilities until the company treats him fairly?

Here’s what the people of Reddit think.

This person says he’s not the AH, and demands he get out.

This person definitely thinks this isn’t fair and he needs more money.

This person says he needs to work somewhere else pronto. 

What can we say?

This employee might speak four languages, but his company only speaks “Unfair.”

If you liked that story, check out this post about an oblivious CEO who tells a web developer to “act his wage”… and it results in 30% of the workforce being laid off.