To feel a bit fed up and resentful (Work related)

[Simpkins04]

A year ago I started a new role, it's an admin/ project support type role for a small company, I am a shared resource basically for everyone. The pay is pretty crap tbh (£20k!!) but the company is nice and I get to WFH full time so for me it negates the crap pay.

Due to the small nature of the company and the way it is structured, I am the only person who isn't commission based. Over the past 6 months the company has done really well (which I am pleased about, I think when it's a small company it feels more like a family so you naturally feel the highs and lows more, it also obviously means our jobs are more secure) and workload has increased fairly dramatically. We have grown in terms of staff and so more and more work is being piled onto me.

I am pretty much drowning in work all day, everyday now, I do take my hour's lunch each day because it's my only opportunity to walk the dogs in the daylight atm and I enjoy the fresh air and exercise, however there's so many days where it's gotten to 4pm and I realise I haven't even been to the toilet or even made a cup of tea all day.

We are winning a fair few projects atm and this is always met with whoops of joy from everyone else, with them exclaiming how much money each project has brought to the company and of course, they're all getting commission on this so of course they're all happy. I chime in with a 'woohoo, that's brilliant.' every now and again but inside I'm resentful as I think it's all a bit tone deaf and insensitive of them considering they know that I'm the lowest paid person in the company and all extra projects mean for me is more work with no additional pay.

My boss mentioned last week about hiring another me (which we do need and will especially need in the coming months) but I have no idea who is going to manage this person, I except it'll fall to me.

Don't get me wrong, I know I took the role at X amount salary, but there is no room for progression unless I want to do sales (I don't) or get an engineering degree to do more on projects (I don't!) The problem is I'm 10 weeks pregnant and haven't told work yet so I don't feel like I can really discuss progression in the company, at least not for the next year.

Ideally I want a bit of a payrise as I've busted my arse off like everyone else for the last year and yet I'm the only one who hasn't seen any compensation for it. But again, I'm about to tell them I'm pregnant in the next few weeks, I don't think it'll go down well even though I plan to return full time after 9 months so hardly feel I can ask for a payrise.

AIBU/ an entitled brat? Feel free to be honest as i'm half thinking I just need to get over myself but the other half is starting to feel really resentful.

It's her lunch hour @IWishididnthavetogo

Ask for the payrise, or ask for a performance based bonus. The new you will more than likely come in on a higher salary than you so sort it out now. Use your JD, you were doing x but now need to do xyz.

I would like to say the pregnancy is relevant but unfortunately it may not be in a small business - are you on enhanced packed or stat ML?

That's a really snide and unpleasant reply from someone with too much time on their hands.

I’m not posting about not having any time. I have plenty to waste.

@IWishididnthavetogo at least she’s not wasting her life bitch plopping on the Internet!

Like you are posh??

@IWishididnthavetogo

That’s a long post for someone who doesn’t have time to go to the loo in working hours?

That's a bit harsh. The poor girl is asking for advice not criticism!

Sorry to all offended by my realism.

Well they are addressing the situation by getting an additional member of staff, so that's good.

If you feel you should be getting more pay then it needs to be discussed on the basis of your responsibilities and the local market rate for your position, not because sales based staff are receiving a sales based bonus.

TBH if you're only working the hours you're paid to work and you're taking a full hour for lunch, then sounds pretty good to me.

@IWishididnthavetogo

That’s a long post for someone who doesn’t have time to go to the loo in working hours?

What the fuck is wrong with you?

Thanks @IWishididnthavetogo, DH is off on annual leave today so is walking the dogs. I've had a shite morning where I started 45 mins before my scheduled time and still have hardly made a dent in my inbox, needed to vent so thought I'd use my lunch hour to post on here. HTH

Do you have any bonus scheme at all? I would say it's not common for an admin assistant to earn commission but sometimes there is some form of performance incentive. Perhaps you could ask them to consider that linked to personal performance and company performance.

I think them hiring someone new is recognising the level of work you are doing.

Good luck OP! I hope your pay rise conversation goes well 🤣

You don’t ask, you don’t get.

Of course you should ask for a raise or a bonus. The company is winning new contracts and each one means more work for you. Never, ever think you don’t deserve a raise just because you’re pregnant!!

Definitely a good time to ask for a payrise explaining the increase in workload. Although I see your point about being pregnant if you do wait it'll be just as hard to address once you return from maternity leave.

I can understand the resentment. You work hard to ensure project is a success and the other 3 people get financially rewarded and you get 0.
I think as they’ve mentioned hiring another you it would be time to raise how you feel as it might be something they address when recruiting. Even a small payment would make you feel part of team.
I suspect they’re not thought. You are just admin.

The labour market is pretty hot right now. Maybe apply for a few others on a higher salary as a bargaining point? Disclaimer: you would have to be prepared to move!

If you've been there a year and your workload has increased, the company are doing well and they are happy with you then I would ask for a pay increase.

List all the things you were doing at the start and all the additional things you are doing now. What systems have you set up? What processes have you changed?

Admin will always be the Cinderella job because none of the people you work with will have done the job themselves. No one has any idea what is involved because they assume that everything takes two minutes.

In your shoes, I would be formulating a plan to break down the two admin roles. Write job descriptions and make yourself the senior one so you have control over the situation and interview process and you get a say on who they employ. If you get someone super ambitious in the other role your job could potentially get a lot harder.

I'd also be looking to move towards a project management role. You don't need to be engineer to be a PM. It is far better paid and respected. I suspect the main reason is that it is not seen as the wifework of the office.

@Simpkins04 Ask for a pay review/talk to them about commission if that's possible. I did my pay review while pregnant and they knew - it shouldn't make any difference but if you feel it might then ask before. And ask them about a new person, who will be training/managing them - it can all give you traction for higher pay.

Also as far as people being excited about new projects, do you know for sure they know you don't get commission? They might not be intentionally being tone deaf.

In general, it sounds like your snowed under and struggling with that which is fine. The only way to change it is to let people know!

I'd be asking for more support staff to be taken on, a payrise or a bonus connected to projects won. you don't have to tell work about baby for ages, get it sorted and you might end up with more may pay.

Honestly you need to stop coping and working extra. If you do you’re just masking a problem. A good manager will need to know what the issues are and as long as you are productive and performing it is there problem to manage how the excess is dealt with.
So you need to talk to them about it.
The pay is a separate thing IMO. You’d still be stressed and drowning even if you got more money. You do need to put forward a rationale for asking for more money though. Very few managers will offer more without being asked. They should, but they don’t

I always ask for a pay rise on principle. Always. Eventually the squeaky wheel gets some oil.

This strategy fails if you’re useless BTW

Thanks all.

I need to go back through the original advert for my job and see if there is anything additional that I have taken on outside the JD. I'm not sure that there is, it's just there's much more of it now IYSWIM? It's like having 5 x more of the same tasks to do since I've started. The first couple of months were fairly quiet and I thought i'd made a mistake joining as I do actually really enjoy being busy and work better when busy, however there's busy and then there's busy. Having time to be able to have 5-10 mins away from my desk every couple of hours to give my eyes a break, nip to the toilet, make a cup of tea etc and not have to worry that I'll recieve another 3 tasks in my email once I've gone. I had so much to do today and I can't work late tonight because DH and I have plans so I got to my desk early as otherwise I wouldn't have got it all done.

I know once they take someone on my workload will decrease and I'll be less stressed which will be good, but ultimately they never stop singing my praises and crowing about how great they think I am and I feel like saying, well show me then because I'm not here for the fun of it. I know life doesn't work like that though.

I guess I need to put a case together for a bit of a raise. Ultimately though I'm in my 30's, surely my boss doesn't expect a woman in her 30's to want to stay on 20k forever? If he could give me a performance based bonus or something each year it would mean I'd stay with the company long term, otherwise I think I'll have to start looking for another role in the next year or so, which I really don't want to do as I really like the company and people.