Hey friends,
I have been part of this sub for a while, but have a new account now. I'm in a dilemma and need some input, especially because I'm at a loss for what to do.
I started my current job at the end of last year and had a lot of optimism going into this new workspace from my previous one. I was told everything I wanted to hear, and that I would be in the role of marketing assistant. The job description outlined that I would be creating content and managing one company's social media platforms, with eventual photography and videography roles, but not for at least a year after employment.
I'm just a few months in now, and I'm not running one, but two social media accounts on my own without any other employee to help me. I am already doing photography and videography using my own gasoline, means, and money, since my boss wants product photos and TikTok videos in different locations. At the same time, she scolds me for not being in the office at all times. She has me designing advertising materials, along with other tasks that are above and beyond the tasks I was told in the interviews and via the job description. I do tasks I'm completely unfamiliar with, yet manage to pull them out of a hat for her. I am essentially doing the role of social media manager for the wages of an assistant, and I'm still broke as all hell. She is the owner of the company and is the “social media manager” although she is never around except to tell me I don't do enough, which prevents me from even asking for a raise.
I'm in a tough spot because I can't afford to quit, and I feel like an entitled jerk because this is more money than I've ever made. However, I go above and beyond each week. I create beautiful designs and content for both company's social media platforms, create blog posts, make advertising materials such as fliers and magazine inserts, take product photos and videos, collaborate with influencers, and do constant research on competitors and ingredients in our products for informational writings. Meanwhile my boyfriend and I can barely afford to eat, pay bills, etc.
I have brought up these issues to my boss and the fact that I have an immense work burden, and instead of addressing the pay issue, she tries to alleviate the situation by saying she will hire more employees “in the future”. It's clear to me that she has no intention of raising my wage, but instead will hire others to lighten my work load. I've reiterated time and time again that I will continue to handle the work load (which I have been doing with a positive attitude and frequent communication) but that my pay should reflect my true job title, which is a social media manager, but she counters that by saying SHE is the social media manager.
I'm sure you guys will encourage me to look elsewhere, and that's certainly something I'm doing. But is there a lot of hope for me to find a job in this field right now? I obviously don't want to go backwards in pay and I'm more than willing to do the amount of work I'm doing, but I do feel they are being disingenuous about my job description for the sake of saving money. It feels really scummy and I can't imagine continuing to live in constant stress for chump change. It really hurts me to know I left my last job now, which paid less but I felt like my work was valued. Here, I can't bring up all the work I do without my boss undermining it or nitpicking my work, which frankly feels like a ploy to prevent giving me a raise.
Thanks guys, and keep up the good fight. <3