As the cost of living rises, employees seek raises as a reward for a job well done.

But at this company, this worker’s leadership valued flashy new features over the daily tasks integral to keeping their systems running smoothly.

When the worker shifted away from maintenance, the software fell apart, reminding the higher-ups to never take a solid foundation for granted.

Read on for the full story!

HR Downplayed My Work… Now Their Software is Barely Working

So, this happened during appraisal season a few months ago.

This employee’s bubble was quickly burst by HR.

HR told me that I didn’t deserve a good raise because apparently, all I did throughout the year was “bug fixes and improvements.”

They said I hadn’t delivered many features, and features are what “actually matter” for a raise. 🤦‍♂️

Well, fast forward to now.

They pivot their attention accordingly.

Since I got the hint, I’ve been focusing on feature development only—just like they wanted.

You know what I’m not doing anymore? Improving and maintaining their system.

Now everything is going haywire.

And guess what? Their software is breaking down more and more, becoming harder to use, with all sorts of bugs they conveniently ignored.

So guess who complains again?

HR recently complained, saying things weren’t working properly.

All I could do was smile and remind them that “I’m focused on the features now, just like you said.”

It’s funny how suddenly bug fixes and improvements seem important again. 🤷‍♂️

Maybe this will teach them not to undervalue the importance of maintenance next time.

Perhaps next time HR should trust their employees to do their job.

What did Reddit think?

HR should have tread more carefully.

Some employees can never seem to catch a break in the eyes of leadership.

Many employers don’t seem to recognize a good thing ’til it’s gone.

Yet some employees always find a way to stay one step ahead.

The company’s software issues served as a painful reminder that a strong foundation is key to lasting success.

As the higher-ups scrambled to fix the mess, they realized that sometimes it’s the unsung heroes of maintenance that keep everything running.

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.