A workplace dilemma shared online has sparked a lively discussion after an employee asked whether it was reasonable to seek a $40,000 salary increase when asked to take on both their boss’s role and their own existing responsibilities.
The employee explained in a Reddit post that they hold a specialised graduate degree required for their role and had personally funded their education because their employer did not contribute to the tuition. Over time, they became highly efficient in their position, which eventually led the company to consider them for a promotion when their manager announced plans to retire.
However, the promotion came with an unexpected condition. According to the post, the company asked the employee to assume the responsibilities of the retiring manager while continuing to handle their original role as well. Despite the significant increase in workload, the company reportedly offered only a modest salary bump of a few thousand dollars.
The employee analysed the situation and argued that the company would likely spend around $120,000 if it hired a separate employee to handle the previous role, including salary and benefits. Based on that estimate, they felt that requesting a $40,000 raise would still represent a financial saving for the company. The worker also estimated that managing both roles could require an additional five to ten hours of work each week.
Seeking advice, the employee turned to Reddit to ask whether the request was reasonable. The post quickly attracted numerous responses, with many commenters offering career advice and differing perspectives.
Some users pointed out that employers do not always respond to cost-saving arguments when negotiating salaries. Others suggested that the employee should first examine market salary benchmarks for similar roles in their region before making a formal request. A few commenters shared their own experiences of internal promotions where companies declined to adjust salaries despite evidence showing higher market pay.
In a later update, the employee said they were surprised by the level of engagement the post received. While many people doubted the company would approve such a large raise, several still encouraged the employee to negotiate and advocate for fair compensation.
The employee also revealed that the company is relatively small, employing around 50 to 75 people in a rural area where the available talent pool is limited. They added that the organisation does not offer remote work, which could make recruitment even more challenging.
Currently, the worker said they are already managing their regular responsibilities while handling about three-quarters of their boss’s duties during the transition period. While acknowledging that no employee is completely irreplaceable, they argued that it may be difficult for the company to find someone capable of performing both roles at the same salary level.
As a precaution, the employee has begun applying for other job opportunities and hopes to compare offers before entering salary negotiations. They plan to discuss the matter with their manager soon and said they will share an update once the conversation takes place.
