A post from Reddit is going viral after one employee candidly shared their experience of setting work-life boundaries, only to face what they called a “passive-aggressive” reaction from their boss.
Posted by Reddit user KesterFox on the r/careeradvice community, the incident highlights an increasingly common struggle among professionals: saying no to unrealistic expectations, especially after a promotion.
In the post titled “Refused to be on call 24/7, boss is clearly annoyed, how to approach”, the user explained that after getting promoted, their boss started asking them to monitor emails and handle customer inquiries after work hours.
“I said that I couldn’t guarantee that I could always be home, and they responded in a kind of passive aggressive manner. Explained further and they said ‘that’s fine.’”
While the boss didn’t confront them directly, the Redditor felt a change in tone. “I feel like I set a healthy boundary here. But my boss is clearly irritated.”
Adding to the frustration, the user claims their salary hike was slashed in half.
“I must admit last week I was a little annoyed with her when my payrise came through that was tied to this promotion and it was only half the increase I was promised.”
When they followed up, their boss said the rest of the raise would come after they were satisfied with how the new responsibilities were being handled.
“She said she would only give half now and half after she was happy I was handling the new responsibilities.”
Now facing financial uncertainty after a recent move, the user admitted they were unsure how to fix things.
“I’m not convinced I could find another job and my savings have been wiped out by a move and other unexpected expenses. I’d like to mend fences but I’m not sure where to start.”
Internet Reacts
The post struck a chord across Reddit, where many users saw it as a textbook case of employers exploiting “quiet promotions”, assigning more work without matching pay or support.
“This is the way. Play their game until the 2nd half is delivered. Then start chipping away until a better balance is achieved. I find that if you so the extra at clutch times, you can justify keeping things on your terms after that. Never budge on salary, marked PTO that says OFFLINE, and abusing your salaried status. 10 hours per day at crunch time, that’s normal. 12 hour days perpetually, that’s half a person’s salary so I would insist on 25% increase as you are covering for staffing shortfall,” a user advised.
Another pointed out: “When you took the promotion did they lay these expectations out? And that’s not how promotions work. They can’t just do half of it. If they gave you a title bump and pay raise in the offer then that’s what you get paid. Speak to HR/payroll about not getting what you agreed to. If there was never an official offer then you might be SOL. But it’s definitely a red flag and sign to start looking for a new place to work.”
Some users urged the Redditor to document all communication in case the situation escalates:
“A good career tip is always get everything in writing. Document everything. Unfortunately for this one you might be SOL. But at least this company has shown you who they really are. The best time to find a new job is when you already have one. Best of luck to you.”
Another user suggested, “Start looking for a job the values you and your time, If you agree to after hours work there should be compensation time off or something.”
“I think if you want to mend with your boss try sitting down and talking it out. It’s an unrealistic expectation for you to be on call all the time. If this is really needed since you were promoted you can work with him to set up other people for coverage if it’s that important. You just have to go with the approach that you want to do what is best for the company. Would something serious happen if these calls/emails aren’t caught? The pay thing is really messed up. Pay is motivation. If you’re having a candid conversation with your boss, I think you should bring that up too,” the fifth user wrote.