Being told you’re valuable and actually being compensated like it are two very different things.

One hardworking landscaper learned that lesson after a foreman quit partway through the year. So when he ended up absorbing most of her responsibilities, he received a heap of extra work, but no pay raise to match. After months of unpaid labor, he finally requested a formal meeting to push for the compensation he felt he’d clearly earned.

But instead of having an honest conversation, his employer just moved the goalpost once more. Clearly, taking advantage of him suited them a lot better.

You’ll want to keep reading for this one.

Was given a promotion with no raise

This is my 4th season working for a landscaping company.

Over the course of the season our foreman quit, and I’ve taken on a lot of her responsibilities.

At first, he thought he was moving up in the profession.

Back in May we were given new uniforms, and I received a “foreman” uniform and told I was becoming a foreman.

But here comes the biggest catch.

There was no meeting prior to the announcement and no change in pay. So basically my responsibilities have increased and I’ve taken on a leadership role with no raise.

His employer seems intent on maintaining the status quo.

I’m just now leaving the meeting I requested to have asking for a raise, and they will not give me one. I was told that I’ve really excelled in my role, and “if I keep it up,” then they will “revisit” the possibility of a raise.

Sounds like a classic move employers love to pull: constantly shifting the goalposts.

What did Reddit have to say?

Maybe it’s time to cut his losses with this job.

There’s an agreement between an employee and an employer and it’s being brazenly broken here.

He needs to push his employer hard on this.

It’s probably time to adjust his expectations.

There’s a pretty obvious gap between calling someone a foreman and actually treating them like one, and this company clearly landed on the wrong side of that line.

This employee proved his dedication by diving headfirst into the role, even when being given the short end of the stick on payment. But eventually, he learned just how unsustainable this strategy really was.

If the work is already being done at foreman level, the pay should already reflect that, full stop.