Some managers don’t realize how much their employees really do until those employees walk away.

So, what would you do if your boss tried to pin their own mistakes on you? Would you take the blame and the demotion? Or would you quit and let them find out exactly how much they needed you?

In the following story, one employee finds themselves facing this very decision and decides it’s just not worth it. Here’s how it went down.

I guess I’ll leave then.

When I was in grad school, I got a job at an in-department office that ordered and maintained testing supplies. I started off at the bottom of the ladder, but was willing to learn more.

By my second year in the program, I was placed as the “manager” and given a 75-cent raise (woo!). The work wasn’t too difficult. I was responsible for taking requests from professors, getting price quotes from companies, getting the price quotes approved, and placing orders. There were some other duties, but that was the most difficult stuff I ever really dealt with.

Occasionally, I’d have to deal with our ordering department when they messed up an order. I reorganized the office in a more efficient manner and created multiple new systems for dealing with issues.

I practically ran that place for several years, and it ran well most of the time.

The boss tried to blame her for emptying the budget without permission.

During that time, we hired a bunch of new employees. They just wanted an easy job, but my boss wouldn’t take my recommendations on who to hire.

In my 4th year in the program, I was asked to order some test kits by one of the program heads. The test kits were related, and I found out that they could be ordered as a combo kit that would save us space, but cost a little more.

We were low on space, so I figured it would be worth it.

I got the price quote and got it approved by the program head and then the department head. I placed the order.

When the kits arrived, the program head was thrilled with the combined kits and thought they were fantastic.

Several weeks later, my boss informed me that I shouldn’t have ordered the combined kits, that they’d emptied the program’s budget, and that the program head would never have approved them if she’d known.

Apparently, she should’ve watched what she asked for.

Luckily for me, I had the emails of me sending her the price quote with both price per unit and total cost, and her approving them.

My boss was rather stunned that the program head lied, but insisted that I take the fall for it. She told me that I could either take a demotion or quit. I’m pretty sure she thought I’d take the demotion, but I quit instead.

Joke was on her.

None of the other employees were willing to do much, and all had refused to be trained on ordering. The joke around the program was that the office I had managed “burned down” after I left.

It was in complete chaos for months as my boss, who had a lot of other responsibilities, had to figure out how to do the ordering and many other things that I did single-handedly.

Yikes! That’s definitely a messed-up situation!

Let’s see how the people over at Reddit relate to the story.

This person is spot on.

Here’s an interesting thought.

According to this person, it’s an awful way to treat someone.

Great questions!

Most people would’ve walked!

If you liked this post, check out this story about an employee who got revenge on a co-worker who kept grading their work suspiciously low.