May 22, 2026 at 1:21 pm

Employee Told They Must “Bring Value” to Get a Raise Sparks Debate: Isn’t Doing My Job Enough?

by Matthew Gilligan

man with an exasperated expression

Shutterstock

There are certain types of corporate catchphrases that are enough to drive a person crazy…

And you’re gonna read about one of them in the story below.

An IT worker explains why their job performance review left them pretty frustrated and confused. They’re really baffled by the expectations.

Read on to see what they had to say.

At my performance review I was told that to get a salary raise, my work should bring value to business.

“I’m working for the IT company for 2 years and they implemented a new procedure called Performance Review that will be held each year.

During my review, I was told, “According to our policy, it is not enough to just fulfill all the KPIs and benchmarks to 100%, as you do it. Your work also should bring the value to the business.”

Huh?

I could not find this very statement in the policy.

Am I overreacting?

Please help me understand if this makes sense. How the work that I’m assigned to do daily is not bringing any value?

They’re very confused by this.

I should have asked it myself during the meeting but I was so bewildered that I couldn’t even say anything.

I am that kind of person that avoids conflict, unfortunately.

I an exceptional employee, I do all the tasks on time, not problematic at all, proactive and creative.

I know my value, but I’ve never felt so unappreciated.”

If you enjoyed this story, check out this post about a job-hunter who was shocked when the recruiting company told them too turn down a job because the salary was too low.

Reddit users shared their thoughts.

This person weighed in.

Screenshot 2026 04 01 at 1.29.45 PM Employee Told They Must “Bring Value” to Get a Raise Sparks Debate: Isn’t Doing My Job Enough?

Another individual spoke up.

Screenshot 2026 04 01 at 1.29.53 PM Employee Told They Must “Bring Value” to Get a Raise Sparks Debate: Isn’t Doing My Job Enough?

This Reddit user shared their thoughts.

Screenshot 2026 04 01 at 1.30.09 PM Employee Told They Must “Bring Value” to Get a Raise Sparks Debate: Isn’t Doing My Job Enough?

Another person dropped some knowledge.

Screenshot 2026 04 01 at 1.30.22 PM Employee Told They Must “Bring Value” to Get a Raise Sparks Debate: Isn’t Doing My Job Enough?

And this Reddit user had a lot to say.

Screenshot 2026 04 01 at 1.30.35 PM Employee Told They Must “Bring Value” to Get a Raise Sparks Debate: Isn’t Doing My Job Enough?

Well, that’s a pretty rude slap in the face!