In today’s workplace, it’s not uncommon for strong performers to be held back by insecure managers.

One employee asked for recognition for a job well done, but they were thwarted by their incompetent boss.

But once the employee stepped back, that’s when the cracks in leadership really started to show.

Read on for the full story!

Boss took credit for my work, malicious compliance occurred

A few years ago, I was hired as a manager to create the contracts department of a tech start-up.

My boss was on the opposite coast from me, and we barely spoke.

This employee had been doing an exemplary job.

About a year in, the company hired consultants to overhaul departments —except for contracts, because it was running so smoothly. I was truly proud of this.

The company sent me on a paid trip to the Bahamas as a thank-you.

So they began asking to be compensated for their work.

After I got back from vacation, I asked for a raise to director level.

My boss said I just “wasn’t there.”

I asked for a list of what I would need to do to be director.

But they already met many of these requirements.

He sent me a list, which was everything I was already doing, and basically admitted that if I was director, he would no longer be able to take credit for my work.

Friends told me I needed to either leave or put up and shut up.

Instead, I chose to kill with kindness.

So they decided to stop going above and beyond.

I wholeheartedly apologized to my manager for “overstepping,” and said that I was going to step back into the manager role.

I printed out the manager responsibilities and posted them to my desk.

Things went south quicker than I could have imagined.

The impact was almost immediate.

We started missing sales targets.

Product said my boss agreed to a term in an agreement that would completely destroy their budget and product rollout.

My boss didn’t know commission agreements and let sales manipulate contracts, so we were paying commission on contracts with termination clauses.

I only interjected once to stop a contract amendment from being approved because my boss was unknowingly letting a VP artificially inflate sales numbers.

The controller and CFO had to get involved.

The cracks in their manager’s leadership were beginning to show.

Eventually, the CEO was called in.

Stories started circulating about my boss holding stress balls and cursing in meetings.

I was more relaxed than ever, and during my newfound free time at work, I studied for and obtained professional certifications.

I would also leave work early to get to the gym before it got busy.

The boss tried to get them to take back more work, but they refused.

About a month after I unloaded my added responsibilities, my boss gave me a 7% bonus.

It was unspoken, but I could tell he wanted me to take back on the director responsibilities without the title.

But I continued to follow the manager description to a T.

Eventually things came to an end, but everything worked out for the best.

Six months later, after taking 10 days of my unlimited PTO, I was included in layoffs.

I took three months off and then got another job with a 35% salary increase.

While I am happy to be making more money, I truly loved the company and people I worked with, and it’s defeating to watch someone continually take credit for your work.

The boss refused to give them the credit, so they gave them all the chaos!

What did Reddit make of all this?

Promotions should be a positive thing, not a negative thing.

Turns out, these types of situations have a name.

Many bad bosses can’t recognize a good thing until it’s gone.

Between bad bosses and awful raises, it’s tough starting out in your career.

Funny how things start slipping when the person holding it all together lets go.

Sometimes the best way to rise up is by letting those that doubted you fall.

Thought that was satisfying? Check out what this employee did when their manager refused to pay for their time while they were traveling for business.