Boss promises promotion to employee for 6 months, rug pulls them at the last minute: 'I fee so used also because I worked so hard and delivered way beyond my targets'

This employee thought they deserved a promotion. Their higher-ups didn't agree. 

We all need motivation in our lives. We need little checkpoints along the way that make us feel like we're accomplishing something. It's hard just to work for no reward or for an abstract one. Humans are simple creatures. We need little treats along the way to keep us invested. I used to do this in college, and I would write essays and struggle with procrastination. I would buy a pack of sour gummy worms from the grocery store, and then I would let myself have one of them each time. I finished writing a paragraph. It worked surprisingly well. Just the simple idea of a treat at the end of a task can make you feel inspired to do it. Plus, the sugar rush of the gummy worms didn't hurt. We all have our own versions of this, but sometimes we need external validation. This can be especially true at work. If we're grinding forever, just for the same pay and the same title, then it would be easy to burn out. But if the promise of growth is tied to what you do, then you're more likely to go above and beyond. This is why we have the concept of promotions and raises.