Summary of the Key Points
An employee received an offer from another company with a 40% salary increase and wanted to stay if their current company would grant them a 20% raise. However, the manager refused to apply for the raise, preferring that the employee leave instead. The reason is not that the company is stingy, but rather due to the manager's logic of survival in the workplace: granting a separate raise to an employee outside of a general salary adjustment is like making a guarantee. If the employee still leaves later, the manager could be held accountable by the company. On the other hand, if the employee resigns, the manager avoids responsibility and can even use the opportunity to expand the team, which is safer for them.
Detailed Analysis
1. Managers' Priority: Avoiding Mistakes
The key to a manager's career is not about saving money for the company but about avoiding mistakes. Their position is maintained by ensuring no issues arise; any mistake could lead to their job loss. Granting you a separate raise (outside of a general adjustment) is like assuring their superiors, "This person deserves to stay; I guarantee they won't leave." But if you accept an offer from another company and then decide to leave anyway, the company might think the manager failed to assess the situation properly or was negligent in their management, or even suspect them of wasting company resources by colluding with you. Therefore, the manager would rather you leave (as it's a normal part of market dynamics) than take the risk of putting themselves in trouble.
2. A Separate Raise Is Not Just an Increase in Salary; It's a Guarantee
During regular salary adjustments, everyone gets a raise, so it's fine for the manager to give you more—since it's a collective decision, no one will target them. But if you come with an offer from outside and ask for a raise, it's considered a special request. The manager helping you apply is essentially making two promises to the company: 1) You are more valuable than others; 2) You definitely won't leave. Yet you yourself can't guarantee you'll stay (given the attractive 40% increase from another company), so how could the manager? It's like tying their own future to yours—only a fool would do that.
3. The Manager Benefits Even If You Leave
If you resign, the manager gets two hidden advantages:
- No Responsibility: Job turnover is part of the market; no one will blame the manager for not keeping you.
- Team Expansion: With your position vacated, the manager can hire one or two new employees, claiming it's to "strengthen the team." As the team grows, so does the manager's power and resources, with the company covering the costs of recruitment and integration—meaning the manager only gains.
4. Different Interests
You might think it's more cost-effective for the company to give you a 20% raise to keep you rather than hire new employees (since new hires need time to adjust and training), but managers are concerned about their own jobs. Whether the company saves money or not doesn't affect their stability. If your resignation leads to them being held accountable, it's bad for them. So their choice is practical: they prefer you leave (for their safety) rather than risk losing their job by trying to keep you.
5. No One Is Indispensable in the Workplace
Don't think of yourself as a "core talent" for the company. To a manager, you can be replaced. The new hire might not be as good as you, but as long as there are no major issues, the manager is safe. Moreover, new hires are usually more obedient and easier to manage. Managers won't risk their careers to keep someone who could leave at any time; after all, you're just a colleague, not a family member.
In Conclusion
In the workplace, managers always prioritize protecting themselves, not saving money for the company or keeping you. Understanding this will help you understand why your manager might not be willing to grant you the raise you want.