After working at the same company for over ten years, an employee finally worked up the courage to ask his boss for a raise.
He knocked on the office door.
“Excuse me, sir… do you have a minute?”
“Of course. Come in,” the boss replied.
The employee took a deep breath.
“I’ve been with this company for more than a decade, and I’ll get straight to the point…”
“I’d like to ask for a raise.”
Then he added confidently,
“To be honest, I currently have four companies after me… so I thought I’d speak with you first.”
The boss leaned back in his chair.
“I’d love to give you a raise, but business has been tough lately.”
The employee nodded.
“I understand. But I hope you’ll also consider my loyalty, my hard work, and everything I’ve contributed over the last ten years.”
The boss thought for a moment.
Then he smiled.
“Fair enough.”
“I don’t want to lose a good employee.”
“I’ll give you a 10% raise… and five extra vacation days.”
The employee’s face lit up.
“Thank you, sir! That’s a deal!”
As he reached the door, the boss called after him.
“One last question…”
“Which four companies are trying to hire you?”
The employee turned around with a grin and said,
“The electric company…”
“The gas company…”
“The water company…”
“…and the mortgage company.”
