Boss denies manufacturer's request for a raise, manufacturer quits and business ends up down $300,000: '[You] could've just given me the 15k raise!'

This boss may have felt that his employee didn't deserve that big a raise, but he vastly underestimated the cost of saying no.

Sure, $15,000 may have seemed like too much of a salary increase in the eyes of this manufacturer's employer, but how does it sound to lose $300,000 for the entire business as an alternative? The employee in question had a feeling that he was irreplaceable, but unfortunately, his boss did not exactly see things that way… well, not at first.

After he was denied a raise, which would have been on par with other salary rates for folks in similar positions at other companies, the manufacturer opted to hand in his letter of resignation. Well, his boss didn't exactly see it coming, but he also didn't think the departure would cause as much long-term damage as it ultimately did. 

To make matters worse for the company, they lost an important client as a result of the manufacturer's expertise being underappreciated. It did not take long for that loss to spiral out of control, and the company did, in fact, end up losing approximately $300,000 just due to hiring costs and client losses alone.