Am I being treated fairly, or am I overreacting?

takemetothehill

OK, so for masochists only, get ready to read some egotistical nonsense if you like.

My admin job is for a medium-sized property-based company. At first, it was working on easy, boring campaigns, sometimes incoming calls from the general public.

One day my manager tasked me to deal specifically with a high profile customer's most important work. I liked the high pressure, the results got me praise from the campaign director, and helped turned the campaign around.

Afterwards my job transferred to do the same but for the most important campaign we have. In the early stages I received an exceptionally rare letter of thanks from the company management. I work hard on this account.

Recently I discovered the statistical performance of results from before-and-after my involvement began. The change is turning the campaign from millions into billions worth. But at the end of the day, my pay and rank remains the lowest possible in the company. It's two pounds above minimum wage for christ's sake.

There's other stuff. If other people have me asking for something to be done, it takes top priority without asking. If an issue requires a decision, mine seems to instantly win without question. If I forget lunch, my supervisor will buy a sandwich without asking. It's so bizarre.

It's offensive to me how people act towards me. They legitimately treat me like a manager even though my rank is the same as them. All I do is ask and offer a weak alternative. It's like there's a secret memo that went out that said, "Do not !!!! with this person". Honestly, it's coming up to winter and you will find stronger tree branches than me.

So what do you think. Time to ask for a raise and/or a proper promotion? Or stop over-reacting and be glad to have a job?

Comms69

Ofcourse, it was time after the first campaign!

That said. No there was no memo, obviously, and you know that. You have earned respect and that is what you get, respected- for your opinion, your workload or even your wellbeing ( lunch ).

warehouse

Ask ask ask. There's obviously something about you and if they do as you ask then surely it's a given?

martinthebandit

Of course it’s time to ask for a raise and or promotion,

It’s also time to spruce up your CV and start applying for more rewarding jobs, you may also want to ask your manager if he will be happy if you put him down on it as one of your reference providers

getmore4less

Update the CV with achievements and sell yourself to other house builders

Even consider setting up a business selling your services.

sangie595

I agree. Respect for your skills is fine, but that doesn't mean you get a rise! So you can make a business case for a rise, and if that doesn't work then you decide if that means it's time to move on or not. Your decision. But don't expect an employer to ever say "you did a great job, here's a better job / more money". It does occasionally happen, but rarely enough that they risk giving their asset a heart attack from the shock!

BrassicWoman

Do I believe you and only you contibuted to the income going from millions to billions? No. You didn't start the company, have the idea, take the risk, put in seed capital, etc etc.

Do I think good service plays a part? Yes. I'm unclear what else you do, however. And there's a cap on what will be paid for customer service roles, no matter how stellar you are.

I would work out how big the part you play is and then have a chat. But it sounds like your perspective is a little off, so sort that out first?

takemetothehill

sangie595 wrote: »

I agree. Respect for your skills is fine, but that doesn't mean you get a rise! So you can make a business case for a rise, and if that doesn't work then you decide if that means it's time to move on or not. Your decision. But don't expect an employer to ever say "you did a great job, here's a better job / more money". It does occasionally happen, but rarely enough that they risk giving their asset a heart attack from the shock!

You'd be surprised - a lot of people have been promoted here after short periods of time (1-2 years). So setting out a case for it is the right way to go. Thank you.

BrassicWoman wrote: »

Do I believe you and only you contibuted to the income going from millions to billions? No. You didn't start the company, have the idea, take the risk, put in seed capital, etc etc.

Truth is stranger than fiction. When I worked on the first campaign, I was amazed at the massive amount of errors that the company was making. It would take hour-long phone calls with other companies to sort things out, staying at work until it was dark (in the summer) doing free overtime, correcting mistakes, salvaging things if possible. It was crucial for the renewal.

So with these new proposals and bids coming in, sure I am not magically turning millions into billions - ok that is ridiculous. But I have hard evidence that my work is saving and creating money for the company. Thanks for being critical. That's more important than instantly agreeing with what you read.

Fireflyaway

It seems you are valued and that you are an asset to the company. Are you paid the market rate? If not, ask for a pay rise! Some companies will tread carefully when they know they have someone they don't want to lose but whom they don't want to / can't afford to pay more. Some jobs just don't pay well. If you are in that situation then make a plan. Get some more qualifications or apply for a more senior role elsewhere. Remember to note down specific achievements for that payrise conversation.

BorisThomson

So with these new proposals and bids coming in, sure I am not magically turning millions into billions - ok that is ridiculous. But I have hard evidence that my work is saving and creating money for the company. Thanks for being critical. That's more important than instantly agreeing with what you read.

This is what you need to put across, realistic facts (and figures where possible). Campaign profits should increase naturally due to everyone learning and improving, so you need to pinpoint what your role is in that process.

I'd also be aware of being seen as a rollover. Are they buying you a sandwich because you're invaluable (none of us are), or is it because it's cheaper than paying someone else to do the stuff you're doing for free? How much is a letter of praise worth compared to your hours of unpaid overtime?

If they're not willing to pay you for the hours you're putting in, or put you on an appropriate salary, then do your set hours and then present them with a list of what still needs to be done. It will feel counterintuitive as you're used to do everything that is needed, but sometimes it's the only way to show your value and to understand what they really think of you.

paddyrg

"Hey boss, can I grab you a moment? I just want to say thanks for the opportunity to work on these bigger projects and prove my worth to the company. Do you agree it's time for a bit of a formal step-up? I'd love to see what I can do on some of these projects with a bit more authority!"

Some variant of the above will open the conversation they know is coming without being a challenge to anyone's status.