“I Was Asked to Train My Higher-Paid Replacement—So I Ended Up Teaching My Boss an Unexpected Lesson”

I knew something was off the moment my boss asked me to “stay late all week” to train the woman taking over my job. The request felt too abrupt, too rehearsed. But nothing prepared me for HR’s casual bombshell: my replacement would earn $85,000. I had been making $55,000 for the same role—after years of experience and a reputation for solving problems no one else could touch.

When I questioned the pay gap, HR didn’t flinch. “She negotiated better,” they said, as if that explained everything.

It didn’t explain anything. What it did was wake me up.