A long-tenured employee has sparked discussion online after sharing their frustration over an unclear leadership transition that was expected to take place years ago but now appears to be delayed once again. Posting on Reddit’s r/work community, the employee said they have spent 22 years with the same organization and were previously told they would eventually take over their manager’s role.
However, that expectation appears to have shifted. According to the post, the manager, who is now 65 and had reportedly planned to retire last year, recently mentioned that retirement could now be pushed back by another “4–5 years.” The employee said this shift added to their frustration, particularly as they had long been led to expect a leadership transition in the near term. They also noted that, in conversation, the manager had suggested a personal reason for delaying retirement, saying he was not ready to stay at home full-time with his wife, who does not work.
That casual remark, the employee said, made it difficult to stay motivated, especially since they already handle much of the manager’s workload while earning significantly less than comparable roles in the market. The employee expressed growing frustration over what they see as a stalled career path, writing that they feel they have stayed in the role out of loyalty but now question whether that loyalty has been misplaced.
They also noted that compensation is significantly below industry standards for similar Operations Manager roles.
The post triggered mixed reactions from other Reddit users, with many questioning whether succession assumptions were ever guaranteed. One commenter congratulated the employee on their long tenure but advised exploring external opportunities: “22 years is a long time. Congrats… If you can match your pay, PTO, and benefits in a new job that also has your desired career trajectory, go for it.”
Others pushed back on the framing of the manager’s decision to delay retirement, arguing it is a personal choice rather than a professional obligation. “His professional and personal choices are frankly none of your business… Also, you are not guaranteed his role to begin with.”
The employee also said they have considered escalating the issue to senior leadership but remain uncertain about the consequences of doing so, particularly in a workplace where long-term expectations were never formally guaranteed.
As the debate continues, the situation highlights a familiar workplace tension: when years of informal expectations collide with shifting personal decisions, is loyalty enough to secure future leadership, or is it a signal that it may finally be time to move on?