This has been stumping me for awhile. How do you determine your worth at work, especially when you don't specifically do one job?
I've been with my current company for 5 years. I started out my last semester in college managing their one ecommerce website, 2 static websites, and prepping them for their first tradeshow. I felt like I was starting out at a decent wage (compared to my part time jobs) and they gave me 2-3 few dollar raises over the next couple years. 2.5 years ago they gave me a 10k raise plus salaried me, and since then I have only gotten a cost of living raise. This April we finally got a work health insurance plan, which is kind of like a raise as it is saving me over a hundred a month on health insurance costs, but everybody else got that same "raise".
It's a small business, 8 total employees, and I have increasingly been handed more and more jobs to do. I quickly became the go to tech guru, I've been handling all tradeshow aspects since I started, arranging travel and designing all the graphics and marketing materials. Mailing out brochures. Email marketing and advertising online. A couple years ago they asked me to start managing the shipping department, training our shipping staff, and also slipped ordering those supplies into my regular job. I don't know why I did not ask for or was not given a raise for taking on that job. My boss and his wife are slowly starting to retire and are now pushing more and more onto me that their son, who is taking over the company, can't be bothered to do. I'm running shipping, marketing, website, supplies, inventories, and now administrative office work is creeping in. They asked me last week to start doing minor bookkeeping and manage mail, all of my bosses emails, plus other small items before taking off on spring break. Eventually they want me to handle all bookkeeping/payroll, etc.
I have no issue with taking on more work as I am bored at times, but there was no mention of a raise and they did not give me time to comment or ask for one before taking off (and I realize I must have set a precedent where they expect me to take on new jobs for no compensation). They are the most wonderful and flexible people to work for, but I am not sure it will be the same under their son. I'm not even sure how to title my job because they are very adverse to job titles. I've heard them tell people I handle Marketing, I'm the Shipping Manager, and more recently Internet Sales, whatever that is. I've begun browsing new job listings to see if I can find a description matching what I do or if something new peaks my interest. All I am finding out is that small businesses must not be advertising jobs for people who handle a bit of everything, and jobs I may be interested in would be a decline in what I make. Maybe they do pay me very well? Operations Manager seems like it might fit as a job title, but I'm totally not qualified to apply for that position at a large company so I'm not sure it fits.
I just hit making 50k this year with my 2% raise. Is asking for 10k to take on more of this administrative work too much? I'm just a little lost trying to determine handling this when they get back next week. I'm sure their reaction will be shock, and that they will negotiate down, but they also tell me ALL THE TIME that I am the single most valuable employee to them and they would be lost if I left. I feel more and more awkward about this every day!