UPDATE: AITA for not answering any contact from work while on maternity leave?
Trapped in a cycle of relentless work and diminishing returns, the protagonist faced a harsh realization: they were overworked, underpaid, and undervalued. Despite loyalty to family ties, the imbalance between effort and reward became impossible to ignore, pushing them to reexamine their worth and future.
Empowered by newfound clarity and the support of others, they took a bold step toward change. With formal offers in hand promising better pay and healthier hours, the protagonist embraced the courage to break free from toxic expectations and reclaim control over their career and life.
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As renowned organizational psychologist Dr. Adam Grant explains, “When people feel their contributions are not valued, they become disengaged and are more likely to seek opportunities elsewhere.” This situation clearly illustrates a failure in recognizing and appropriately compensating an employee, especially when that employee is performing critical functions while on extended leave. The original poster (OP) demonstrated strong self-advocacy by researching market rates, securing formal offers that validated their worth, and presenting this data professionally. The cousin's reaction—'flying off the handle'—suggests an emotional response rooted in entitlement or an inability to separate familial roles from business realities. The OP's calculated move to leverage their impending maternity leave (which they were owed compensation for) to secure a clean exit while securing their future employment was an appropriate business maneuver in the face of poor management. The subsequent family drama, instigated by the cousin attempting to mobilize relatives, highlights the high emotional cost of mixing business and family. The OP's action to remove themselves from an exploitative arrangement was professionally sound. Moving forward, the constructive recommendation is to maintain firm boundaries with extended family regarding business matters and rely on objective data, as the OP did, when renegotiating terms or seeking new employment.
THIS STORY SHOOK THE INTERNET – AND REDDITORS DIDN’T HOLD BACK.:
Users didn’t stay quiet — they showed up in full force, mixing support with sharp criticism. From calling out bad behavior to offering real talk, the comments lit up fast.
The original poster faced a situation where their professional value was unrecognized by their cousin's company, leading to burnout due to overwork and underpayment. Despite presenting clear evidence and attempting negotiation for a sustainable arrangement, the cousin reacted poorly, forcing the poster to accept a better outside offer and resign, escalating the conflict into a family dispute.
Given the clear financial and work-life advantages of the new opportunity, was the original poster correct in prioritizing their professional and personal well-being over maintaining a strained working relationship with family, even if it resulted in immediate family fallout?