Employer expects additional duties for no extra pay/recognition...

[Startingagainandagain]

I have worked for this charity 3 days a week for almost two years in a comms/marketing role.

Somehow other duties ended up being given to me, think policy and campaigns work as there is no one with this knowledge in the organisation and the charity does not have the money/wish to hire for this post.

Recently I asked my manager to at least change my title to reflect this additional work.

They refused and I got a brief email in reply stating that it was not 'time for a promotion business-wise'. I replied that this was not a promotion, but simply a more accurate reflection of what I am doing. I did not even ask for a pay rise to go with the new title...

Since then this manager is still expecting me to do these extra duties and keeps passing on this extra work to me.

AIBU to think that the organisation can't have it both ways: expect me to deliver beyond my role but not give me any kind of recognition for it.

My first supervision meeting since my request is coming this week and I want to raise this with my manager. Any advice on wording this would be most welcome.

Ultimately I am job hunting for something better but in the meantime I no longer want to be taken for granted.

Sounds like you need just the right words, I'd definitely bring it up. People take the piss if you let them. Maybe it's time to start saying your workload is enough and they'll have to find someone else.

I'm crap at words but hopefully someone will be along soon with them.

You can still list that experience on your CV irrelevant of whether it’s listed in your job title. Many Comms/marketing jobs have wildly different remits, I think often the title is less important than setting out your skills, if you’re job hunting anyway I’d just make the most of the experience you’re getting that’ll help you land your next role.

I would be really honest with your manager about wanting progression in your career and how if that isn’t available internally despite you picking up additional responsibilities then you will be looking to move on.

@Changingplace

I already that quite a few years of experience when it comes to campaigning/policy though from previous roles so not really learning anything new...

Which is why I really want a new role especially if this one is not going to get me anywhere.

I think what annoyed me as well is that two other people who have been with the organisation for only a year have had their job title upgraded/pay rises in that team...yet I have not been given anything like training opportunities or recognition in spite of always delivering and taking on extra duties.

It is making a bit suspicious as well as I am the only part-time team member and one of the oldest...

Oh, other people getting job titles upgraded and pay rises while you’re overlooked changes everything! I would be bringing that up directly and asking exactly why that’s happening when you’ve been told the opposite.

Yanbu , I left a job for similar reasons

2018 I was hired as an order processor. The job desc was literally process orders, give updates and provide tracking. Very basic stuff.
In practice I had to check pricing off price lists, check on customer docs, go to the factory, get involved in engineering related questions, do a lot of stock analysis, buy stock, apply correct margins, dispatch on SAP, at times I literally packed these heavy greasy train parts myself. There was a lot of analysis required too. It was actually a lot of responsibility. It was around 25% of department revenue in the millions
I had freedom and a good director but a poor line manager.
She offloaded a lot of her work on me to the point where I was running the whole thing a couple of years later . More millions and another 35% in revenue. Meanwhile 40% was shared between 5 office staff.
Then I used to process export documents after Brexit which was an average of 10 hours a week.
I was also managing a new person in my team to take this over for a year and assisting with projects outside my team's core duties

One day the director stopped by my desk and introduced me as an order processor. I was mortified. It awoke something in me. My title didn't reflect what I did at all and I was paid close to nmw after 4 years and I was 32 with not a serious career on paper or savings .
I asked for a payrise but it wasn't taken seriously. If there was a ceiling on my title(I'm assuming )why couldn't it correctly reflect what I do so I can be paid a fair wage. They didn't pay any attention to the issue and I'm a poor communicator on this issue so they thought it was dealt with .
After that I was discussing pay with my colleague one day and he told me how much he made. I said you were making a lot less(still more than me) a few months ago. Apparently his moaning off record to someone spread and he got an overnight pay increase of £7k
I was responsible for the most revenue in the room and doing the most outside my contract but also paid the least
Another incident one day, the director called me in the side office (my lm used to wfh and not be bothered about pay or personal life issues). He said I was getting a 3% payrise due to exceptional performance but keep it private because not everyone got the same. I had a good relationship with everyone and went to test it out. One of the guys said he'd been in the office two months and got the same. Clanger!

Another point is that they also hired (imo just ok ) staff from outside to do better paying jobs. I didn't understand why I hadn't been offered to give me an easy payrise. One of the guys was from India with no serious experience. He told me he was chancing asking for a payrise after 9 months. He understood he hasn't achieved a lot but he'd risk it. Meanwhile I'd worked there for 5 years at that point and been there since the beginning of the dept helping set up so many processes and never been given or received official recognition

The issue of pay and title is smoke and mirrors by management. I guess I learnt my lesson. Another occurrence is when I took on two pt jobs to enable me to save. The managers seemed to be jealous and asked why I needed so much money. Another commented that I had made enough money and needed to let everything else to. In truth I still made less than each one of them.
Also towards the end of my time the managers were moving on to their 3rd company car while I was there and I was on the same pay and title.

Look after yourself. Even if you are important in some organisations if you seem like a pushover they won't increase your pay. It's not all professional guidelines. It can be personal. It can be petty , vindictive or jealousy or plain apathy.

I never clarified why I was leaving and made it vague which I regret in hindsight. My final meeting that day in private i got huge praise but where was the recognition!???

My advice to you:
Upload your CV on websites or update it.
Contact recruiters
Update your linked in

Hope you find somewhere you are appreciated. As I said some people get it easily and others never get recognised.Recognition is important. My last job made me what I am. Nevertheless how long can that loyalty be expected to last? 5 years is big chunk of our lives to work for almost nothing

@bctf123 Thank you for the comment.

Yes it feels exactly like that...it is a slap in the face every time I see someone in this team who has been there for a year get an 'upgrade' and I am the only one who is standing still but expected to deliver more.

I'd nod and smile for now, wait until you've been there longer than 2 years (you have zero rights now basically) then bring it up more hard ball style.

Except that discrimination issues apply from day one...

As mentioned I am the only part-time team member, I also have a declared disability and I assume I am the oldest in the team. if I am treated differently than others in the team than there could also be a wider issue as to why.

Sometimes a helpful thing to do in these situations is to refer to the HR policy on job evaluation or grading (in the politest possible way naturally!) as it is much harder for management to bat you aside if your position is supported by a policy.

Yes that is a good idea and I will look into this!

Have you thought of putting in a grievance to formalise the information you've given on this thread?

given that you have age and disability as 2 protected characteristics, it's worth pointing out to them that you feel discriminated against, in addition to the fact you are a PT worker which gives you reason to believe they are not investing in you the way they are with other staff, yet you are adding value by taking on other duties.

the alternative is to look for other work and make sure you add the extra experience on your CV. Their loss!

I have worked for a charity for decades and I have seen this countless times. My go to answer is "what do you want me to stop doing in order to do this new out of remit task?" And then wait for an answer. Don't find a way to accommodate everything - you are only there 3 days a week so something has to give if you are to take on tasks not covered in your job description

Thank you everyone for the additional comments.

• Grievance: for now I wanted to focus on trying to get a new job, stay well (I had some serious health issues in September due to my condition) and stay positive in the job but it is become harder to just keep quiet. I am starting a list of all the issues I have had since joining so I can start building a discrimination case if necessary
• I am going to discuss the extra duties expected but not recognised at my one to one this week then will take from there based on the response that I get...

I should have added as well that I have just learned that two members have had their pay and title upgraded from this April in the team. Both have been there for only a year. So I am basically the only person in this team who has not had any training/title upgrade or pay raise.

I am really annoyed that this likely now going to have to end up in a discrimination claim.

Same thing with me, also older and part-time but I've been there a lot longer.
I'm not great at talking about my achievements and would feel uncomfortable discussing a new job title or pay rise.
It's disheartening when you are watching others succeed in this 😞

@InTheUpsideDownToday

Indeed. It happened to me before to be overlooked for an internal promotion I applied for with one other person.

Although my achievements/results were better than this person's and she had been with the organisation for 2 years less than me, I was literally told at the time by the HR person that I did not get the promotion because as a part-time person I 'had other priorities'.

I left that organisation for a better/more senior job soon after and the person they had appointed for the promotion left them after less than six months...so much for that person's being more committed :).

There is a real discrimination against part-time or job share workers although it is unlawful but it does happen all the time.

Yes, although illegal there is definitely a bias against part-timers and promotion opportunities. Added to this being older and they pretty much write you off. Still expect you to do the work of a full-timer though and extra tasks because you are experienced.
Sometimes I think I'll just leave and set myself up in business.

@InTheUpsideDownToday

Exactly!

I am applying for freelance contracts as well to see if I could realistically work for myself but it takes time to build up I assume.

Whilst looking for a new job, what have you done about it, ie with your employer, or nothing yet? Have you actually asked manager for a meeting, asked him again to consider it (now that you know this new info that 2 others have recently had it)?

@Oblomov24

Yes, I initially put my request and the thinking behind it in an email to have something in writing.

To which the manager then replied 'business-wise it wasn't time for a promotion'.

I then pointed out that this was not a 'promotion', it was a simply about wanting a true reflection of what I do, which goes beyond my role description.

My next one to one meeting with my manager is this week and I will bring it up again.

That's such a frustrating reply from your manager and yet it was fine for the business to consider others (full timers?)

Definitely bring it up again this week in the 1-2-1.