TL;DR at the bottom (“too long, didn't read” – summary in the bottom paragraph).
Trying to keep this brief, and I'm sure it'll come across as salty to some (which I guess I kind of am salty, I'll admit).
Long story short, I worked for this big insurance company for almost 5 years. I started at 18 going on 19 – it was my first real job. I was very good at it and climbed the ladder very quickly, especially being one of the youngest people there. I started there in 2013 making $12/hr and was making $20.68/hr towards the end of my tenure.
I joined the company as they were undergoing massive changes. It was a laid back company before the owner sold to a big European corporation. They started firing execs that didn't save the company money. I.E. one year the company did so exceptionally well everyone got an annual bonus of $1500. The CEO was fired a bit later and replaced with someone significantly less friendly. Next year bonuses were $200.
Now I worked under this supervisor, we'll call him “Kevin”. Kevin was young and very down to earth. We loved being on his team. He did lots of team builders with us and every Friday we'd have an end-of-day meeting where we would totally goof off and let off steam after a long week.
He was known for basically having his nose up the department manager's butt so to speak. Kevin was only maybe 25-27 or so and had no educational background whatsoever (for context, the department manager had several degrees mainly in business-related fields and had prior experience managing entire departments). But the more Kevin socialized with the manager and other higher-ups, he changed and started developing an ego. He became a totally different person and was no longer likable.
He started treating his team like crap, forced us to wrongfully deny insurance claims (half the time insureds would accept the denial, but he was notorious for his team having the most BBB complaints. Only when we got a complaint would we reverse the claim decision). I guess the company saw this as him saving them money despite the moral dilemma of screwing people out of money they're entitled to.
I made the mistake of speaking up to him and other higher-ups several times. No one cared and I got told I'm not allowed to have an opinion or to disagree with my “superior”. I ended up getting laid off shortly after our department manager (who loved me) was forced to resign.
4 years later and Kevin now has the department manager's title (amongst a few others), makes well into 6 figures, and I'm friends with his wife on Facebook who used to work for the same company. They recently bought a gorgeous house and she recently posted about buying a new Tesla. There were many other older, more experienced, more qualified supervisors who applied for the position and were overlooked.
I was venting to my partner who ALSO worked at that company. I just felt like it was unfair here I am struggling to get by and find a career I fit in with, and meanwhile Kevin has no credentials to back up the position he's in. He just had his finger in the right buttholes, basically. My partner kind of shrugged and said, “To get anywhere in most corporate companies, you have to be an asshole”. And I thought “what a sad outlook on life”, but the more I thought about it, the more true it was.
I couldn't sleep at night working for that nightmare of a company. I received many death threats and insults and I felt terrible. I spoke up for people that were being wronged because I felt I was doing the right thing morally. Kevin didn't. He was saving the company money by not having any empathy for humans who were hurting, many of whom were going through traumatic situations. I ended up laid off and he's making bank living the good life.
So if I want to start making money, do I have to sell my soul to the devil? Lol.
TL;DR: My boyfriend thinks to get anywhere in life you have to be an asshole. My ex manager “Kevin” was only a few years older than me had no educational credentials or experience but knew how to suck up to executives, and saved the company money by being shady and wrongfully denying claims. I spoke up about it because I felt it was morally unjust. I ended up getting laid off and meanwhile Kevin makes over 6 figures, living the good life. The company has lost several lawsuits for wrongful termination. So anyone who speaks up tends to get laid off.