Veteran employee refuses to train 25-year-old promoted above her: ‘The audacity’

Jennifer Schroeder's TikTok video highlighted workplace ageism after she was passed over for a promotion in favor of a younger hire.

A veteran professional has sparked a wider conversation on workplace ageism after revealing she was overlooked for a promotion in favour of a much younger, less-experienced hire. To make matters worse, she was then asked to train the 25-year-old employee who was promoted above her.

A woman says she refused to train the younger hire who was promoted above her (Representational image)

Jennifer Schroeder shared her experience in a TikTok video posted on February 10 from her account @theunobsolete. In the clip, which has since gone viral, she told followers, “I watched a 25-year-old get my promotion, and then they asked me to train her. Here’s what I said — No.”

Passed over for promotion

Schroeder did not reveal the name of her employer or the industry she works in. She explained that despite her experience, the company chose someone fresh out of graduate school for the role.

“They passed me over for a promotion that I had earned, gave it to someone fresh out of grad school with zero experience, and then expected me to teach her how to do the job they said I wasn’t good enough for,” she said, adding, “The audacity is stunning, isn’t it?”

Schroeder said that not only was she passed over for a promotion, she was also expected to train the 25-year-old — something she refused to do point-blank.

“Watched 25-year-old get my promotion then ask me to train her. I said no. Not sorry. Not maybe. Just no. She shocked. Manager furious. HR email about team player. Don’t care,” she said.

@theunobsolete watched 25-year-old get my promotion then ask me to train her. I said no. Not sorry. Not maybe. Just no. She shocked. Manager furious. HR email about team player. Don’t care. They passed me over for promotion I earned. Gave it to someone with zero experience. Expected me to teach her job they said I wasn’t good enough for. Train my replacement? Pay me. Want 25 years knowledge? Triple salary consulting rates. Want me to smile while you humiliate me? Wrong person. Not your free training program. Not making cheap hire look competent. Not handing over everything so you can pay her half. They said unprofessional. I said appropriately compensated or not sharing. They said not supporting team. I said team didn’t support me. Silence. Second you stop being useful they stop caring. Stop pretending you owe them anything.#promotions #over50 #notateamplayer #genx #isaidno ♬ original sound - The Unobsolete

Internet supports veteran employee

The video drew thousands of supportive comments, many from people who said they had faced similar situations. “If I’m not qualified for the position, I’m not qualified to train the person receiving it,” one commenter wrote.

“If you’re over 50, get a lawyer now,” another advised.

“I was passed over for a promotion, even though I was literally doing the job without the title. Cool. From that point forward, my response to anything was “you need to ask Bridget for that”. Bridget had no idea how to do it and it was painfully obvious to everyone that I was the one who had been keeping the department afloat,” a user wrote in the comments section.

The fallout

In a follow-up video, Schroeder detailed the aftermath at work, including being excluded from meetings and projects and being called in for one-on-one discussions with senior leadership.

The situation came to a head three weeks later during a meeting with her manager and HR, where she said she arrived prepared with documentation and evidence. The negotiations ended with Schroeder securing six months’ severance pay.