A former employee set a consulting fee for his old company after leaving. His manager was furious about the charges. The ex-employee had been overworked and underpaid. He wanted to set boundaries. The manager eventually called for help again. The ex-employee raised his rate. The manager never called back.
A professional who once handled vital legacy systems for his former company took to Reddit’s Office Politics forum to describe how his post-resignation consulting deal shook his previous workplace. After years of feeling overworked and underappreciated, he finally transitioned to a new role four months ago. However, before his last day, he anticipated that his former team would continue reaching out for help. To safeguard his time and boundaries, he created a consulting agreement that allowed him to bill for any assistance at a rate 2.5 times higher than his previous hourly pay, with charges calculated in 30-minute blocks.
Not long after he left, a friend from his old office informed him that his former boss was furious about this setup. The manager was reportedly ranting that the ex-employee was overcharging for short, 15-minute calls, claiming the fees were unreasonable. The irony, however, was that his previous pay had been so low that his new job now compensated him at nearly the same rate as what he was charging them for consulting. Instead of understanding the fairness behind being paid for expertise, the boss seemed to be upset simply because, for once, a former employee refused to provide free support.
According to insiders, the boss even instructed the team not to reach out to the ex-employee unless there was a major emergency. Ironically, this outcome was precisely what the consultant wanted.
” For years, I watched management treat former employees as a free tech support line. That was their main troubleshooting method: ‘Just call so-and-so, they built this thing even though they left two years ago’..” he wrote.
Since his departure, the former employee revealed he had only billed the company for around ten hours of work. That, he noted, showed the problem wasn’t about the money — it was about ego and control. Either his boss was angry that he dared to charge for his expertise, or he was frustrated that he could no longer rely on him endlessly without spending company funds.
In a surprising twist, the ex-employee shared that his old boss eventually called, seeking help once again. This time, he raised his consulting rate to five times his former hourly wage, explaining that his new position kept him too busy. The call ended in awkward silence, and the manager never reached out again.
Reflecting on the entire episode, the consultant emphasized how critical it is for professionals to recognize their own worth. He spent a long time finding a new job that valued his skills and paid him accordingly — something his former employer had failed to do. He advised others to present their experience and expertise confidently during interviews, crediting an AI tool for helping him organize his thoughts while preparing. Before resigning, he had wisely spoken to HR to ensure a formal contract governed any future consulting, setting a precedent that clearly defined his boundaries.
