My direct manager and I have a great relationship. She's supportive, instructive and has always fought for better pay/expectations for me. We are the only two people at our company who work in our specific area. It's often high volume, high priority work that can affect a lot of other departments.
My company, however, is run by a cadre of old multi-millionaires who are all smoke and mirrors when it comes to company culture. We were one of the first companies in our area to come back to the office and we were expected to be super grateful for a 6% raise (normally it is 2-4%). I know for a fact our CEO got a 15%+ raise. Unsurprisingly people are leaving in droves and they just can't understand that if you offered more flexibility and more pay people might actual stay, and no one cares about the shitty donuts you bring in every two weeks.
When my manager announced she was pregnant, she worked for weeks on a transition plan to make sure her work was spread around and that I wasn't left doing the job of 2+ people. She did this out of goodwill not because anyone told her to.
We just had a meeting with her direct boss and found out that he never bothered to look at it and doesn't plan on using it. He thinks we will be fine “just winging it” while she's out and having me reach out to him for help if I need it (he has never responded to any email I've sent him). There is no way 1 person could do all the things that come to us, hell you probably need 3.
I hope he is fine “just winging it” next week when my manager leaves and I put in my notice the same day. That's their problem not mine. Got a job with almost double my pay and actual WFH flexibility that's written into company policies.
I'm so freaking tired of these rich old white guys getting away for decades building their entire businesses and wealth by exploiting the fundamental needs of their workers. Guess what, almost all of these guys can easily pay all of their workers 50% more and still afford that 3rd vacation house and private plan flights and private boarding schools. Time to turn the tables. Time to show them there's more to life than just making a rich pig richer while you grovel in the mud for your tiny morsel.