I've been part of a small niche website where I've handled most of the xxxyyy-xxxyyx (the bulk of running the site really, it's a lot of work), and it has grown to generate about 4-5 million in revenue annually with very little overhead. Initially, I was hired as a remote employee with a $30,000 salary, the freedom to live anywhere I want on the planet which was nice. I worked long hours in startup mode and quite liked the founders. However, when the site was acquired by a larger tech company, things changed. I had no equity so whatever it was sold for (I think about 20 million) I got zip and became a salaried employee initially for the acquiring firm. Within a couple of weeks, I was shifted to hourly pay and lost most of my benefits. Two months later, I was reclassified as a contractor, and my previous benefits & bonuses disappeared completely. NOTHING changed about my job duties. Founders are out of the picture (they were pretty cool to me actually throwing me decent cash bonuses now and then) and they've now retired to comfy mansions. Now it's just me and the big tech firm who owns the site.
During this time, I faced rare personal challenges (two deaths back to back in family) and requested a vacation, but I was offered part-time work instead and to allow for staff training to fill in so i can go part time to have some rest. My pay was cut in half during this period because I'm an hourly contractor. Once my personal issues were resolved, I asked to return to full-time status, but the request was denied (even though they said I would be able to go back to full time). It's now been nearly five years, and I haven't had a vacation or a holiday off. I'm technically part-time but still doing almost the same amount of work I used to do full-time but now within a smaller window, while being paid half as a “part time” contractor. The funny thing is, this is a really “progressive” tech firm that prides itself on being fair, equitable, “caring,” etc but only if you're an “employee” lol. It's like I'm being trolled because of the constant “mental health days,” “remote yoga and mental foo foo well being today folks!” haha it's like a cruel joke. Meanwhile I'm exhausted and slowly becoming more mentally unwell. I've put in almost 5 years total working my ass off in this niche role with zero complaints or problems from my end. 5 years. zero raise, no upward mobility, constant fear because no job security, no vacation, no holidays off, no mentorship, no nothing except for my contractor hourly pay and the constant reminder that they can cut me off at any moment. They won't even give me a solid verbal “okay” that they will keep me around for the next month or two, I do ask them about this every few months. They simply shrug, “meh we can't promise anything, but you're doing a good job.” I just want like 2-4 months of assurance that I will keep my role so I can plan accordingly and not live in constant fear.
I live with the constant fear of losing my income, unlike other non-contractor employees who have severance packages, unemployment, and other great benefits. I feel stuck in my role with no upward mobility, and despite becoming more skilled and efficient in my niche, I make less money than when I started. I've applied to numerous other jobs but received very limited responses (It's really rough out there in my experience, not sure how anyone else is even getting interviews). I'm exhausted from the stress and seeking legal ways to improve my situation without risking my “job.”
thoughts or advice?