Startup employee resigns after being denied a raise, company falls apart without them: ‘Many bigger clients are upset with service and want to leave’

Is everyone replaceable at work?

"Everyone's replaceable." We've heard this one too many times at work, usually when there is conflict, or someone starts questioning the office environment. "People would love to take your position." A sentence out of The Devil Wears Prada universe that feels a little too real. But, as it turns out, it is not that accurate. 

Take it from me. I've worked in a handful of toxic workplaces, and those types of sentences get thrown around way too often. Reality is different, though. Every employee brings unique value to the company, and those who work really hard truly make a difference to the company's overall performance. At the end of the day, nothing is more valuable to a business than someone with experience who knows how the business works, from head to toe. Sadly, many companies realise this too late and fail to value their assets in time. 

That's exactly what happens here. An employee at a startup business who managed to help the company get through some very difficult times. One person who, in reality, had many job titles, even when their official title was only one. Someone who knew how things worked from the inside out and had an excellent relationship with clients. 

Per usual, trouble starts when money runs low. The finance team started reviewing all this person's time off with too much caution, and even refused to give them a raise at some point. Unsurprisingly, when this person was offered a new position elsewhere, with better pay and conditions, they didn't hesitate to take it. Ever since they left, the company mentioned has struggled and is losing more money by the second and, with it, some clients. As it turns out, this particular employee here wasn't as replaceable as they thought. 

The general conclusion here is that you must know your work value and take action when you're being taken for granted. Also, if you happen to be the boss, please learn to see employees for what they bring to the table, and move past that old wrong "everyone's replaceable" feeling, which has proven not to be true over and over again. 

I very well know I can relate to this story. But has it ever happened to you?