Not that big of a story, really. The company I work for is severely understaffed, and my department in particular has lost 2 of its 5 people this past month. It takes 4-6 six weeks to train somebody to do the work, so it’ll be a heavy load for the next few weeks at least. Today my department had a meeting about this, and how we’re all expected to work harder to get all the work done, but still not work over 40 hours because we won’t be paid overtime. I also want to mention that where I work (Texas), there’s no law requiring an employer to offer health benefits, and my employer does not.
So after our meeting I emailed my boss and said I was tired of working so much when obviously we don’t have a good retention rate and we’re not filling positions. So I gave an ultimatum. I said I was giving my two weeks notice effective immediately unless I could be offered a 16% raise (from $18 an hour to $21), a benefits plan, and overtime pay if required. Within ten minutes she sent me a reply, saying my work is appreciated, I’m a good employee, they can’t afford to lose me, etc. but they couldn’t afford any raises right now. I said that was fine, but I have to move on to somewhere that can. Quick follow up said she’s talking with HR now to discuss my raise.
My “demands” are pretty lofty, so I doubt I’ll get what I asked for. But holy shit it felt good to send that email. I’m looking for a better job now.