I lead a three person department. One of them is the best employee you could ever ask for who prepares the work for our stage of production. The other is an apprentice who was hired to do the same role as me.
Due to supply chain issues, the workload reached a point where I could shoulder it alone. The apprentice was moved to a different department with the intention of covering days I have off or when the work flow increases again. That means he's worked 3 days in the past 4-5 months in the role he was hired for.
A while back I found out the apprentice was hired at rate very close to mine. So I started planning on asking for a raise, I have years more experience after all. This got me thinking about what amount I felt I am worth. Originally came up with 4%, but then I decided I deserve to be able to afford an apartment on my own, which a little research showed would mean a 40% increase. And then I decided I deserve paid holidays too, AND two weeks vacation. Realizing this is impossible, I decided it's time to go.
The other worker decided he can get better hourly rates closer to home and put in a notice for the end of this month in late January. Five weeks notice. This guy is an amazing worker who needs absolutely no oversight and does a literal perfect job, with a lot of wisdom to pass on to the next employee. Have they interviewed anyone in the past two weeks that he can train? Nope. Is all that knowledge going to disappear when he walks out the door? You bet ya.
So now the plan is to get one more use out of that health insurance, and then my two week notice goes in at the end of next week. Already got my talking points down, “found out the apprentice's pay, you can see how I would feel undervalued right? I deserve better living conditions and that expectation is not compatible with my employment here. I need a couple weeks off a year to maintain my mental health and just relax. After a lot of reflection it seems a better future involves leaving this company.”
That means my exit comes one week after the other guy. This is going to cripple the department. 10+ years of experience gone in one week, down to someone with a fraction of the knowledge needed to run the department who hasn't consistently worked in the department in nearly half a year.
And I'm kind of expecting that they will do some pleading to keep me around for a smoother transition. And all I'm going to give them is a “sure, I'll stay for a month instead of two weeks, if you give me a 40% raise.”