I’ve been working for the same municipality for almost 7 years. 2 years ago I made a lateral move for my own mental health, as my boss in my then department was not listening to any of my complaints about issues with harassment I was receiving from another supervisor.
I applied for, and received, another position on the opposite side of the city for the same pay and essentially the same duties. Within a month of being there the two main managers abruptly retired. Within another month the only other main employee quit. I was left with one other employee who is in the department but has a different skill set to the main needs of the department.
A year later, we finally got back to a fully staffed position. But, I was quickly being given more and more duties and projects to work on — that don’t exactly correlate to my actual position. When I’ve brought this up to my boss (he’s been here now almost a year), he laughs it off and says “that’s just how it works for admins. You know “other duties as assigned!””
I am the lowest paid person in the department, with the next lowest paid person making exactly twice as much a year as I do. I am constantly fixing their mistakes, and recently while working on budget prep for our incoming fiscal year I noticed that this person is getting an extra $10,000 a year as “assignment pay” because he WAS working “two positions”. That was almost two years ago now.
I’ve asked for a pay raise and have been told I am capped out. I admin for three departments. I am doing extensive legal research, contract compiling, and mitigating issues with contractors, consultants, and other departments. I currently am in charge of 17 major projects.
Last week, my boss told me that he was afraid I was going to leave and that if I did they would be in huge trouble because I am the only one in the department that has institutional knowledge and knows how to do key things like — pay invoices, do payroll, and just generally know how to do things that the city needs done from our department.
I have been looking for jobs for over a year. What keeps me here is the fact that the benefits are good and I’m already 7 years into a state municipal retirement plan.
I am the ONLY female in the department and am always dealing with all of the crap that comes along with that. I get to hear things like “it’s natural that you’re more emotional about things because you’re a woman.” And also — my boss loves to put his hand up and verbally shush me when we are in meetings, or just generally discussing work matters.
I have four children. Three of them are on the spectrum, and I myself suffer from severe ADHD, anxiety, depression, and Lupus. Last summer, I was written up 5 times and put on a PIP the day I came back from my first vacation in three years. I went to HR. There was an investigation, they deemed my accusations to be a part of my job and that there wasn’t much they could do because they had written that part of my write ups included insubordination — of things that happened when I was out of town, by the way.
Oddly (/s) my write ups and PIP were dismissed in a month because I had “vastly improved.” In all honesty, I had sunk into such a level of depression that I just couldn’t fight it anymore.
I’m emotionally exhausted. I feel like I have no one protecting me and I know that I am an asset to the department, but am still treated like a stupid little girl. Nevermind the fact that I have a bachelor’s degree and have proven myself time and time again.
I don’t know what the purpose of this is other than to say that Admins are one of the most important pieces of any institution, and yet we are treated like we don’t matter.
Oh, and I swear it takes everything in me not to lose my cool whenever I am referred to in a joking matter as “just the Secretary.”
I can’t afford to not have medical insurance, and no one here is paying anything near a livable wage. I’m drowning. I’m miserable. I just want to be treated equally and respectfully.
End rant.