u/Unfair-Parfait6261

I am 34 years old and I work as a shift lead in a factory. My job is straightforward but requires a lot of coordination between departments. A guy I work with named Kyle had been killing himself for a long time to get a promotion. He is the type of person who loves to talk about corporate strategy in every meeting, even if the topic is completely irrelevant. He always acted like he was the only one who cared about the company's performance. Last month, a big problem occurred in the supply chain that was going to stop production entirely. I spent 4 hours adjusting the schedule and talking to suppliers to get things back on track. The next day, my manager called me into his office and asked me why I falsified the data about material intake. I was shocked because I knew my report was accurate when I sent it. It turned out someone accessed my digital file and changed the numbers to make it look like I missed an important deadline. I looked at the file's access logs and found that Kyle accessed my folder at 2 AM on the night I finished the project. When I asked him, he claimed he was trying to help with an update to the data because he thought I forgot things. It was clear he was trying to frame me to make himself look like the hero who saved the project. He even had the audacity to leave a comment on my file saying I needed more oversight. I didn't want to create drama, but I couldn't let my reputation be affected by something I didn't do. I took screenshots of the access history and the changes he made and sent them to my manager and HR. I just wanted them to see the truth. I didn't ask for him to be fired or even punished in a specific way. HR conducted their investigation and it turned out this wasn't the first time he messed with other people's files to make himself look better. He was let go 3 days ago. Now, some coworkers are treating me like a traitor and saying I should have talked to him first instead of going to HR. Even Kyle called me to insult me and told me I was the reason he lost his career. I started asking myself if I acted correctly or if I should have just stayed quiet.

After some departmental changes, management decided that my role was suddenly supposed to include the responsibilities of a department head. With no new job title or pay raise, of course. All they asked me to do was write a new job description that matched the work they wanted me to do.
I brought my current job description with me to the meeting. When I walked in, I found that my manager had also invited someone from HR without telling me beforehand.
My manager told me to set the old paperwork aside and view this as an opportunity to shape my role in the new structure. They were talking as if they were giving me a gift or something.
I said, "My current salary was agreed upon in exchange for the responsibilities outlined here, so I'll continue working according to this job description." Then I stopped talking and waited.
Neither of them seemed prepared for that response. There was a long silence, a few sentences they couldn't quite finish, and then they quickly changed the subject as if the conversation had never happened. A small win, but still a win.

Maybe this is just my personal experience, but I've seen this happen more than once with people I've hired. Someone lowers their salary request because they tell themselves they'll prove their worth over the next 18 months or so and catch up on the difference later. The problem is that they usually don't catch up. Most jobs at large companies have an internal pay band, and if the number you asked for falls within that band, HR usually won't have a reason to push it higher, even if it's clear you're qualified for a higher number. This mostly applies to the corporate world, so it won't apply to every job.

An example I've come across before:

-The role had a range of $85-95K

-The applicant wanted $95K/year, but wanted the job, so they only asked for $85K

-Now the 8% bonus is also about $800 lower

-The employee does excellent work during the first 14 months

-The raises are all percentage-based

-I try to increase the employee up to $95K, but it gets stopped because the raise would be more than 12%

-The employee ultimately gets increased to $92K, but is still below the number they could have started at

-The employee becomes more frustrated because they thought proving themselves would get them to $95K

I'm not defending the system, because honestly it's annoying, but this is genuinely what happens at a lot of companies. When raises are calculated as percentages, someone earning more than you can get a much bigger increase in dollar terms without attracting any attention, while your smaller correction gets treated like a major exception. Negotiate your starting salary as if it's going to stick with you for a while, because in many places, that's what will happen.

I'm a C-suite EA with over 12 years of experience. I applied and interviewed for a fully remote role, and the listed range was $62k-$82k, supporting 2 C-suite leaders - the CEO and COO. Everyone I spoke with genuinely seemed impressed with my background and that I'd be able to get up to speed quickly. They kept saying I wouldn't need much ramp-up time and that I could start and keep things running right away.
Then I got the offer today and it was $64k!!!!!! I was making close to that amount years ago when I was still supporting senior directors. To me, that salary makes no sense at all for supporting 2 C-suite executives, especially in a role where they clearly want someone experienced, not someone they're going to train from scratch.
The recruiter seemed surprised when I told her I wouldn't be able to accept that number. She said I had listed my range as $62k-$82k. I told her I was open to hearing offers, but the low end of the range would only make sense if the overall package made up for it in some way. Like strong healthcare, generous PTO, a real bonus structure, professional development reimbursement, and so on...
Honestly, I feel crushed by the whole thing - am I wrong here?

Everyone keeps saying the economy is fine, but I went to a job fair in Providence and there had to be around 95 people there. I've also started seeing people of almost every age applying at places like Panera and Target, which are the same kinds of jobs I'm trying to find right now.

I know there are people from all over the country on Reddit, so I'd like to know how things are going for everyone else. Is your job search this hard too?

I had to book a flight with almost no warning because my dad had a heart attack. And that's not exactly something you can put on the calendar 10 business days in advance.

I called my manager as soon as I could, told them what was happening, and submitted an emergency PTO request that afternoon. No one responded. I followed up 4 times. And when I got back to the office, HR put a "quick check-in" on my calendar.

They told me the absence was "not approved" because I hadn't given enough notice, and said it would be mentioned in my next review. I asked them, completely seriously: "Should I tell my dad to schedule his heart attack for a later date next time?"

They did not laugh at all.

This place loves saying "family first" in every meeting, but the moment a real emergency happens, everything turns into forms and policy language. I've already started updating my resume. That's it, I'm done.