Times are tough asking for a raise

This is a relatable humorous meme about financial struggle and asking for a pay raise. The top section contains a short text dialogue: first, the speaker says 'i need a raise because 3 companies are after me', their boss asks 'which ones?', the speaker replies 'bank, water and electric'. Below this dialogue, the label 'Boss:' is followed by a widely used edited reaction image of a wide-eyed, bewildered male character from Disney's *Encanto*, staring at the speaker in shock. The joke relies on a common phrase pun: the phrase 'companies are after me' is typically used to mean that recruiters from other companies are trying to hire you, which is common leverage to ask for a raise, but in this case it refers to banks and utility companies chasing the speaker for unpaid bills, highlighting that the speaker is struggling to afford basic living costs.

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Dialogue

me : i need a raise because 3 companies are after me.

boss : which ones?

me: bank, water and electric

Boss:

Overview

This is a relatable humorous meme about financial struggle and asking for a pay raise. The top section contains a short text dialogue: first, the speaker says 'i need a raise because 3 companies are after me', their boss asks 'which ones?', the speaker replies 'bank, water and electric'. Below this dialogue, the label 'Boss:' is followed by a widely used edited reaction image of a wide-eyed, bewildered male character from Disney's Encanto, staring at the speaker in shock. The joke relies on a common phrase pun: the phrase 'companies are after me' is typically used to mean that recruiters from other companies are trying to hire you, which is common leverage to ask for a raise, but in this case it refers to banks and utility companies chasing the speaker for unpaid bills, highlighting that the speaker is struggling to afford basic living costs.

Origin notes

This meme was originally shared on Reddit in meme-focused subreddits, with the original title 'Times are tough'. It combines original text dialogue with a popular distorted edited reaction image of a character from Disney's 2021 animated film Encanto, which is commonly used online to express shock, confusion, or stunned disbelief. The meme resonated widely during periods of global cost of living increases, and was reposted across platforms including Twitter/X, Instagram, and TikTok.