A Malaysian woman calls out HR for lowballing candidates despite higher salary budgets, sparking debate over pay, value and Gen Z turnover.
A Malaysian woman recently called out companies’ human resource departments for withholding higher salary offers from job candidates despite having the budget to pay more.
Responding to an earlier Threads post about a candidate’s salary request being rejected even though the company allegedly had a higher budget, the woman urged employers to pay talent according to their “value”.
“Don’t discount their salary and then complain about a lack of loyalty when they resign because they feel underpaid. Tell me, who works for free?” she wrote.
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She also highlighted how such practices contribute to high staff turnover, particularly among Gen Z employees, citing outdated hiring practices such as repeatedly asking for candidates’ last-drawn salaries.
“What’s the point of all that paperwork and budgeting if you’re just going to lowball candidates? It’s a waste of time and talent,” she added.
She was referring to an earlier Threads post in which another account claimed that a company had rejected a candidate’s request for a salary increase to RM12,000 from RM7,500, despite having a stated budget of up to RM16,000 for the role.
The post further alleged that the candidate had close to five years of experience, which appeared to meet the company’s requirements for the position. Ultimately, the candidate was reportedly offered RM11,000, but he insisted on meeting his expected salary based on the company’s budget.
The account later responded to the woman’s remarks, stating that the company’s manager had been “kind” enough to shortlist the candidate and was willing to offer RM11,000. However, the account argued that the RM16,000 salary requested was “something he needs to grow into, not walk into”.
Netizens were divided over the issue, with many defending the candidate’s stance, while others agreed with the woman’s perspective.
