Trust is one of the most important things employees expect from their managers. While workloads, deadlines, and workplace challenges can come and go, workers often remember how they were treated when it came to pay, recognition, and honesty. A recent Reddit post highlighted exactly that. What began as a story about a denied salary increase and unreported overtime eventually turned into a reminder that employees do not easily forget broken promises.The story was shared on Reddit in response to a discussion asking users about the most unreasonable thing a boss or manager had ever done. Among hundreds of responses, one account stood out because of how it unfolded over several years.A raise was promised but never arrivedThe employee explained that he joined his current company around 15 years ago. During salary negotiations, an agreement was reached that he would receive a pay raise after one year if he met the expectations outlined in his mandatory annual performance review.According to him, he fulfilled his part of the agreement and successfully passed the appraisal. However, when the time came for the raise, his manager delivered different news. “My then manager told me he had talked to the upper management and there was no room for a rise in pay right now,” the Reddit user wrote.The disappointment did not end there. The employee said the same manager also instructed him not to report the many overtime hours he was putting in each week. “He also demanded that I didn’t report my endless hours of overtime in my weekly work-report, which we had to submit every Friday, as we were working on customer projects and they were billable hours.”The worker believed the request had little to do with transparency and more to do with making projects appear less expensive than they actually were. “He said this was because of ‘cost-transparency’. I.e. he wanted to shine by completing his projects at lower cost while working us like slaves.”A transfer changed everythingInstead of continuing under the same manager, the employee completed the project and applied for a position in another department. Since engineers were in high demand within the company, the move was approved without much difficulty.The difference between the two managers became clear almost immediately. His new supervisor listened to the details surrounding the promised raise and acted quickly. “I told him about the deal with the pay rise. It took him less than half a day to make sure I did indeed get my promised rise in salary.”The employee described his new manager as someone who genuinely supported his team, a stark contrast to the supervisor he had left behind.The past came back years laterMany years after the incident, a major company project began facing challenges. During discussions about leadership changes, management considered replacing the employee's current boss with the same manager who had previously denied the promised raise and asked workers not to report overtime.Senior leaders sought feedback from employees before making a decision. When asked for his opinion, the Reddit user did not hesitate. “What I told them was that I would stay on for exactly three months, training my replacement. I would not work again for any length of time for the lying guy.”Management asked him to think about it overnight, but his answer remained unchanged. “Next morning I went right back into the managers office and told him that my decision was still the same.” The response he received suggested he was far from alone. “He looked at me and said softly: ‘Well, that is what your co-workers said, too.’”Although his preferred manager was eventually replaced, the company did not move the former supervisor into the role. Another manager took over the project instead. According to the employee, that arrangement did not go particularly well either.Fortunately, the manager he respected later moved to a different department and brought him along. The employee said he continues to work there happily.The story resonated with many Reddit users because it highlighted something that often gets overlooked in workplace discussions. Employees may tolerate busy schedules, difficult projects, and stressful deadlines, but dishonesty can have lasting consequences.Other workers shared similar experiencesThe Reddit thread quickly filled with stories from people who said they had dealt with managers who broke promises or put their own interests ahead of employees.One commenter recalled asking for a modest raise after working for a company for two years. The request was denied because the employer supposedly could not afford it. A few months later, the boss reportedly arrived in a luxury truck worth well over six figures. The employee soon found another job and left, eventually taking two co-workers with him.Another user shared a story about being challenged over a doctor's note after taking sick leave. The manager allegedly claimed workplace rules required the note to specify the employee's exact illness. However, the worker happened to be a union representative familiar with company policies. “I said ‘It doesn't say that.’”When the manager insisted otherwise, the employee responded: “Show me then. Point out the line where it says that.” After a brief silence, the manager admitted, “I must have been mistaken.”Several others described situations involving denied leave requests, pressure during family emergencies, demands to work during military service obligations, and managers who questioned employees during periods of grief or illness.