May 3, 2026 at 7:35 am

Employee Thinks “Take It or Leave It” is the Most Toxic Response a Boss Can Give to a Request for a Raise

by Michael Levanduski

A man lighting a cigar on burning money

Shutterstock

When you work for a company it can be very frustrating when the boss seems to be wasting a ton of money, especially when they say they can’t give you any raises.

What would you do if you haven’t had a raise in two years, but whenever you bring up the wasted money, your boss dismisses it and says you can leave if you aren’t happy?

That is the situation that the employee in this story is in, and while he doesn’t want to find a new job, he is very frustrated about the situation.

I audited and found out my boss writes off a ton of money but refuses to give a raise.

Mainly just a rant, I was tasked with auditing something at work, basically my boss will write off tons of bills if he thinks someone is unhappy and will give bad review.

Wow, that is a lot of money.

Calculating for missing consents, complaints and clients who no longer use us. I have found that the boss writes off over 56k a month.

I tried to bring this up, and even during the middle of my audit he tried telling me it wasn’t important.

Well, his personal vacations aren’t really the business of the employees.

To make matters worse he always complains about money and funds but constantly goes on vacations(one time was literally a weekend trip to Paris) and over books our schedule when he’s about to go on these short vacations.

He hasn’t given me a raise in two years and 90% of his staff are complaining they don’t make enough.

At this point, the employees should take him up on that offer and find another job.

But he doesn’t care, his response is “there’s the door”

It can be frustrating when businesses seem to be run poorly and employees aren’t getting raises, but they can always find another job.

Let’s see what the people in the comments have to say about this story.

Finding a job is the best option.

Comment 1 4 Employee Thinks Take It or Leave It is the Most Toxic Response a Boss Can Give to a Request for a Raise

Yup, sometimes you have to walk.

Comment 2 4 Employee Thinks Take It or Leave It is the Most Toxic Response a Boss Can Give to a Request for a Raise

This commenter says the boss may be breaking the law.

Comment 3 4 Employee Thinks Take It or Leave It is the Most Toxic Response a Boss Can Give to a Request for a Raise

He is doing very well for himself.

Comment 4 3 Employee Thinks Take It or Leave It is the Most Toxic Response a Boss Can Give to a Request for a Raise

What a waste of money.

Comment 5 3 Employee Thinks Take It or Leave It is the Most Toxic Response a Boss Can Give to a Request for a Raise

He showed them the door, they just need to walk out.

If you enjoyed this post, check out this story about a restaurant manager who stole his waitresses tips.

Senior Contributing Editor, Workplace & Community

Michael Levanduski is a veteran journalist and digital culture specialist with over 15 years of professional writing and research experience. While his background spans emerging technology and complex technical subjects, Michael specializes in analyzing workplace ethics, property disputes, and viral interpersonal dynamics across modern digital forums.

Since joining TwistedSifter in 2024, Michael has authored some of the publication’s most widely read coverage on corporate policy, malicious compliance, and neighborhood relations. Rather than simply aggregating online debates, he brings rigorous research, organizational context, and an empathetic editorial voice to everyday human dilemmas—transforming raw forum discussions into insightful, highly engaging narratives.

When he isn’t covering internet culture, Michael enjoys traveling, keeping up with tech trends, and spending time with his family. Connect with Michael on LinkedIn and Facebook.